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Southwest High

Q: Is Southwest High a good school?

Southwest High ranks in the bottom 16.1% of North Carolina high schools.

Q: How many students attend Southwest High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 803 students attended Southwest High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Southwest High?

Students at Southwest High are 53% White, 21% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools feed into Southwest High?

Southwest High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Blue Creek Elementary Middle : Southwest Middle

Public Grades 9-12

538^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 641 North Carolina High Schools

Better than 16% of North Carolina high schools

Summary

Southwest High is a public high school located in Jacksonville, North Carolina, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 685 students. It is part of the Onslow County Schools district, which is ranked 116 out of 242 school districts in North Carolina and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its location, Southwest High consistently underperforms compared to other high schools in the Onslow County Schools district and the state of North Carolina in academic measures such as end-of-course (EOC) assessments. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school had significantly lower proficiency rates than the district and state in subjects like Biology, English II, Math I, and Math III. Additionally, Southwest High's four-year graduation rate has been consistently lower than the state average, ranging from 86.4% to 89.3% over the past few years, compared to the state's average of around 87%.

When comparing Southwest High to other high schools in the Onslow County Schools district, such as Swansboro High, Dixon High, and Richlands High, it consistently underperforms across various academic measures. However, the school appears to be relatively stronger in serving its gifted and talented students, ranking in the top 30% of North Carolina high schools for this subgroup in the 2024-2025 school year. Despite the school's higher spending per student compared to the state average, these challenges in academic performance and student outcomes warrant further investigation and targeted interventions to improve the overall educational experience for all students at Southwest High.

803

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,201

Per pupil spending ?

57.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1420 Burgaw Hwy
Jacksonville, NC 28540-7910

(910) 455-4888

District: Onslow County Schools

Feeder schools for Southwest High:

Elementary:	Blue Creek Elementary
Middle:	Southwest Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.8%

African American:

20.5%

Hispanic:

14.1%

See top rated North Carolina high schools

Compare Southwest High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (32% vs 53% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 39 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg54%

North Carolina avg53%

538^th of 641

North Carolina public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 39 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 8High Schools in the Onslow County Schools

116^th of 242Onslow County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	538 of 641	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	512 of 640	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	525 of 626	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.0	429 of 621	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.0	408 of 594	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	309 of 514	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.1	276 of 469	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.5	244 of 476	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	34.5	277 of 507	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	43.2	241 of 531	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.3	259 of 451	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.2	289 of 505	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.6	341 of 502	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.6	343 of 506	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.6	262 of 499	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.9	204 of 490	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.6	175 of 477	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2007	51.6	213 of 453	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	48.6	242 of 431	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	425 of 440	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.9	375 of 437	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	322 of 434	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.2	204 of 430	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.6	257 of 364	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.2	249 of 369	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.8	258 of 359	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	28.9	231 of 330	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.2	194 of 334	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.2	353 of 364	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	45.5	151 of 349	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	504 of 610	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	494 of 602	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	499 of 588	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.2	398 of 594	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.0	273 of 475	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.3	263 of 475	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.7	265 of 449	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	72.1	122 of 412	70.4%	★★★★☆
2024	22.4	364 of 403	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.2	397 of 403	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	40.3	302 of 398	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.3	190 of 337	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.4	154 of 325	52.6%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	19.2	406 of 462	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.8	393 of 454	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	427 of 449	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	350 of 436	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	249 of 370	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.1	194 of 354	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	168 of 340	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	508 of 606	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	453 of 613	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	520 of 597	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.0	324 of 544	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.1	327 of 432	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.8	231 of 446	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	238 of 424	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	15.4	536 of 601	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.9	495 of 607	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	513 of 602	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.6	429 of 585	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.8	361 of 481	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	324 of 488	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.6	304 of 463	34.3%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.1	53 of 53	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.7	49 of 49	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	48 of 48	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.1	38 of 47	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.9	22 of 41	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.2	20 of 33	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	23 of 32	28.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	25.9	205 of 253	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.8	194 of 261	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	216 of 249	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.1	149 of 226	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.1	152 of 199	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.3	128 of 195	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	139 of 185	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	213 of 352	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	196 of 349	43.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	506 of 542	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	495 of 553	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.6	504 of 537	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	435 of 534	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	325 of 439	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	326 of 444	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.9	262 of 427	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Gifted and Talented (2025)70th percentile+54 vs school

Special Education (2025)39th percentile+23 vs school

Disabled (2022)30th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)19th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)17th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)12th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)7th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2025)3rd percentile-13 vs school

Military Connected (2025)<1st percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

English II48%-12 vs state

Math III33%-34 vs state

Biology30%-18 vs state

Math I18%-16 vs state

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, June 9, 2021

it smells really bad Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOC Biology (2025)	EOC English II (2025)	EOC Math I (2025)	EOC Math III (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOC Biology End of Course	EOC English II End of Course	EOC Math I End of Course	EOC Math III End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest High	Public	9-12	1420 Burgaw Hwy	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 455-4888	803	42	18.9	57.3%	424 (52.8%)	165 (20.5%)	113 (14.1%)	10 (1.2%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.4%)	84 (10.5%)	18.1	538^th of 641 public high schools	16.1%		20.8	512^th of 640 public high schools	20.0%	26	30.1	47.5	18.0	32.6	$10,201	$909	$9,291
Jacksonville High	Public	9-12	1021 Henderson Dr	Jacksonville	28540	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 989-2048	1,441	78	18.4	47.4%	634 (44.0%)	363 (25.2%)	268 (18.6%)	16 (1.1%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.3%)	151 (10.5%)	54.3	266^th of 641 public high schools	58.5%		53.5	277^th of 640 public high schools	56.7%	11	55.8	59.8	45.0	66.5	$9,620	$623	$8,997
Onslow Early College	Public	9-12	444 Western Blvd	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 938-6702	189	7	29.0	24.3%	134 (70.9%)	10 (5.3%)	22 (11.6%)	4 (2.1%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.1%)	16 (8.5%)	97.1	2^nd of 641 public high schools	99.7%					(n/a)	98.1	100.0			$7,881	$227	$7,654
Northside High	Public	9-12	365 Commons Drive South	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 455-4868	1,067	62	17.2	54.8%	327 (30.6%)	354 (33.2%)	227 (21.3%)	32 (3.0%)	3 (0.3%)	7 (0.7%)	117 (11.0%)	40.7	372^nd of 641 public high schools	42.0%		36.4	398^th of 640 public high schools	37.8%	26	38.0	53.3	39.7	64.4	$8,134	$893	$7,241
White Oak High	Public	9-12	1001 Piney Green Rd	Jacksonville	28546	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 455-1541	1,252	65	19.2	48.4%	579 (46.2%)	285 (22.8%)	218 (17.4%)	11 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	9 (0.7%)	148 (11.8%)	32.9	426^th of 641 public high schools	33.5%		37.9	386^th of 640 public high schools	39.7%	40	41.4	46.2	32.9	55.3	$8,944	$872	$8,071
Richlands High	Public	9-12	8100 Richlands Hwy	Richlands	28574	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 324-4191	1,027	57	18.0	43.4%	692 (67.4%)	90 (8.8%)	152 (14.8%)	3 (0.3%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	84 (8.2%)	42.6	355^th of 641 public high schools	44.6%		49.6	301^st of 640 public high schools	53.0%	54	50.9	51.1	32.2	65.7	$9,531	$648	$8,883
Dixon High	Public	9-12	160 Dixon School Rd	Holly Ridge	28445	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 347-2958	1,085	57	18.8	30.9%	785 (72.4%)	41 (3.8%)	179 (16.5%)	9 (0.8%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	64 (5.9%)	67.1	187^th of 641 public high schools	70.8%		55.8	258^th of 640 public high schools	59.7%	71	65.6	70.6	40.5	79.7	$9,119	$727	$8,392
Swansboro High	Public	9-12	161 Queens Creek Rd	Swansboro	28584	Onslow County	Onslow County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 326-4300	1,232	65	18.8	36.7%	851 (69.1%)	71 (5.8%)	170 (13.8%)	11 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.3%)	125 (10.1%)	67.1	188^th of 641 public high schools	70.7%		74.1	158^th of 640 public high schools	75.3%	30	54.1	70.8	55.7	78.7	$9,312	$763	$8,549

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest High

How many students attend Southwest High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 803 students attended Southwest High.

Is Southwest High a good school?

Southwest High ranks in the bottom 16.1% of North Carolina high schools.

What schools feed into Southwest High?

Southwest High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blue Creek Elementary
Middle : Southwest Middle

What is the racial makeup of Southwest High?

Students at Southwest High are 53% White, 21% African American, 14% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Southwest High in?

Onslow County Schools

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.