Socrates Middle School is a large middle school in a large urban and suburban district in southeast Florida. Like many schools in South Florida, it serves a fast changing, culturally diverse student population. From 1990 to 1996, the student population at SMS grew from 1,200 to over 2,000 students, and the faculty expanded from 60 to over 100 teachers. In the 1996-97 school year, a new middle school opened nearby causing SMS to lose 700 students and 30 faculty. However, because the district was growing so rapidly, enrollment at SMS recovered. By the 2001-2002 school year, 1,765 students attended SMS.