South Central Middle School, Kinmundy IL

Original Research by School Decision on South Central Middle School

South Central Middle School serves grades six through eight in Kinmundy, a small rural community in Marion County. The school enrolls roughly one hundred forty students distributed fairly evenly across the three grade levels. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and nearly no other racial or ethnic diversity reported.

State testing data from the 2024-25 school year shows proficiency rates that warrant attention. In mathematics, sixth-grade proficiency stands at around five percent, seventh grade at roughly eighteen percent, and eighth grade at approximately twenty-one percent. In English language arts, the picture is somewhat better: sixth graders score near thirty percent, seventh graders around fourteen percent, and eighth graders around forty percent. Science proficiency for eighth grade approaches fifty percent. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Marion County. Parents may want to look into these results directly with the school to understand what support structures exist for students who are not yet meeting proficiency.

The school building itself recently underwent a substantial renovation, completed in 2023. The project added a new gymnasium entrance, lobby, connection hallway between the main building and gym, upgraded bathrooms, and a new concession area. The upgrade means students no longer walk outside between the school and gymnasium, a practical improvement for daily operations and an investment signal from the district in this campus.

Kinmundy is a quiet, owner-occupied residential town of modest size in the northern part of Marion County. The housing stock consists largely of single-family homes built in the early 1970s. The town has experienced population decline over time and shows little current growth; housing inventory is very thin, and most economic activity centers on agriculture and small services. The local public library and a state recreation area nearby provide civic anchors, but the broader employment base is small. Many residents commute to Salem, the county seat, for work. The setting is rural-suburban in character: driving is the default mode of transportation, and walkability is limited.

Free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, nor were counts of students in special education or English learner programs. Because the school serves only middle grades, it has no graduation rate to report. School attendance and discipline data were not provided.

Students who complete eighth grade move on to South Central High School, which is located in Farina, roughly six miles northeast, making high school a separate campus experience in a different community. The middle school itself sits on the east edge of Kinmundy near downtown civic institutions.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 65%

School 5% · District 5%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 718%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 47%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolSouth Central CUD 401, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.