Southern Middle School, 400 Wilson Downing Road: grades 6 to 8; 759 students in 2024-25, rated Green by Kentucky for 2025-26.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Fayette County Public Schools’ middle schools page, 2026-27 calendar (PDF), the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2025-26 accountability data, the federal NCES school directory and the district’s attendance zone maps.
Southern Middle School is a Fayette County Public Schools middle school for grades 6 to 8 at 400 Wilson Downing Road, Lexington.
Who to call
- Front office: 859-422-3582, 400 Wilson Downing Road
- School website: southernmiddle.fcps.net
- Which school is my address zoned for? The district’s SchoolSite Locator
- Enrolling: Enrollment in FCPS, then the school’s registrar; out-of-area requests, 859-422-0320
- Buses: register as a rider each year; routes are on the district’s School Bus Portal; bus-tracking app questions, 859-422-2877
- District office: Fayette County Public Schools, 450 Park Place, 859-422-4100
| Address | 400 Wilson Downing Road, Lexington, KY 40517 |
| Phone | 859-422-3582 |
| Grades | 6-8 |
| School day | 9:05 a.m. to 3:55 p.m. |
| Run by | Fayette County Public Schools |
| State school code | 165525 |
Principal
Principal Kevin Payne, according to the school’s website on Oct. 16, 2026.
Enrollment and teachers
Southern Middle School had 759 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 55 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 14 students per teacher, according to the federal NCES school directory. That is the latest federal count.
State report card
Kentucky rates schools on state tests in reading and math and in science, social studies and writing, English learner progress, school climate and safety and, for high schools, postsecondary readiness and graduation. Each score combines this year’s results with the change from last year, and ratings run, from highest to lowest, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
2025-26 overall rating: Green, with an overall score of 66.9. Fayette County Public Schools’ middle schools as a whole rated Yellow (63.0); statewide, middle schools rated Yellow (59.1).
| Indicator | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and math | 71.1 | Green |
| Science, social studies and writing | 62.5 | Green |
| English learner progress | 63.2 | Blue |
| Quality of school climate and safety | 73.5 | Green |
On the 2025-26 Kentucky Summative Assessment, 55% of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading (district 53%, state 48%) and 43% in math (district 46%, state 40%).
The state lists the school for Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), a federal classification, based on results for English learners and students with disabilities.
The full report card, with test results by student group, attendance and teacher data, is on the school’s page on the Kentucky School Report Card. All figures above are from the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2025-26 assessment and accountability datasets, published Oct. 14, 2026.
Attendance zone and feeder schools
Every Fayette County address is zoned to one elementary, one middle and one high school. Look up an address on the district’s SchoolSite Locator.
About 15,130 residential addresses fall in the Southern Middle zone. By elementary zone, those homes are in Lansdowne Elementary (37%), Southern Elementary (36%) and Veterans Park Elementary (27%). By high school zone, they are in Tates Creek High (100%). We matched the district’s current attendance zone maps with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s residential address points. The locator is the final word for any single address.
Families who want a school outside their zone can ask through the district’s out-of-area request process, which the district says is open only in “extremely limited” circumstances.
Calendar and school day
The school day runs 9:05 a.m. to 3:55 p.m., according to the district’s middle schools page.
Southern Middle follows the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF), which the school board approved June 23, 2025. Coming up:
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day; no classes
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, is also a no-class day, and students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
- Monday, Jan. 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, Feb. 15, 2027: Presidents Day
- Friday, March 19, 2027: no classes; possible weather make-up day
- April 5-9, 2027: spring break; Monday, April 12, is also a no-class day
- Tuesday, May 18, 2027: primary election; no classes
- Wednesday, May 26, 2027: last day of classes, pending weather make-up days
Live dates and school events are on the district calendar.
More
- The school’s own website
- Southern Middle School on the Kentucky School Report Card
- Fayette County Public Schools’ middle schools page and magnet and specialized programs
- Every public school in Lexington, with zones and report cards
- Our Lexington schools guide for the calendar, enrollment and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Southern Middle serve?
Southern Middle serves grades 6 to 8, according to Fayette County Public Schools.
What is Southern Middle’s Kentucky school rating?
Southern Middle was rated Green, with an overall score of 66.9, in Kentucky’s 2025-26 school accountability results. Blue is the highest of the five ratings and Red the lowest.
Which high school does Southern Middle feed into?
Homes in the Southern Middle zone are zoned for Tates Creek High, by our count of address points. Check a single address on the district’s SchoolSite Locator.
What time does Southern Middle start?
The school day runs 9:05 a.m. to 3:55 p.m., according to the district’s school directory.
Have your say