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Southwest Middle School

Q: Is Southwest Middle School a good school?

Southwest Middle School ranks 853 rd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

853^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,216 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 30% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle School in Palm Bay, FL, serves approximately 997 students in grades 7-8 and is part of the Brevard County School District, with over 53% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Southwest Middle School presents a unique profile of stark contrasts. On one hand, the school is a standout in advanced mathematics, with 87% of students proficient in Algebra 1 and 96% proficient in Geometry—scores that dramatically exceed district and state averages. On the other hand, the school struggles significantly in core subjects, with only 37% of 8th graders proficient in Science, 45% in ELA, and 43% in 7th-grade math. This creates a "two-tiered" system where a select group excels far above grade level while the majority of students are not mastering foundational skills. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is a persistent challenge, with 23.6% of students chronically absent—higher than nearby high-performing schools like Delaura Middle School (11.4%) and Herbert C. Hoover Middle School (13.3%).

Despite spending $10,670 per student—more than some higher-performing peers like Viera Middle School ($8,899)—the school's overall academic results remain below average. However, there is a slight upward trend, with the school's state ranking improving from the 25th percentile in 2022-2023 to the 35th percentile recently. When compared to demographically similar schools, Central Middle School (53% free/reduced lunch) outperforms Southwest in nearly every subject, suggesting that the school's challenges are not solely due to its student population. The school's success in advanced math is a clear strength to build upon, but addressing chronic absenteeism and improving foundational skills will be critical for broader academic gains.

997

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,670

Per pupil spending ?

53.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

451 Eldron Blvd SE
Palm Bay, FL 32909

(321) 952-5800

District: Brevard

Students who attend Southwest Middle School usually attend:

High:

Bayside High School

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle School:

Elementary:	Columbia Elementary School
	John F. Turner Senior Elementary School
	Sunrise Elementary School
	Westside Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.1%

African American:

28.0%

Hispanic:

19.6%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Southwest Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 25th percentile in 2023 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 30th (2026) from a 25th-percentile low (2023)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (53% vs 61% meeting standards)

!Science scores 15 pts below the Florida average

!Near the bottom of Brevard's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg62%

Florida avg61%

853^rd of 1,216

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

11^th of 12Middle Schools in the Brevard

24^th of 70Brevard among Florida 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	Florida percentile	Rating
2026	34.3	853 of 1216	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.1	802 of 1205	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	773 of 1196	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	886 of 1177	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.9	806 of 1148	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.1	817 of 1136	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.1	640 of 1099	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.4	583 of 1035	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	47.5	538 of 1031	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.8	489 of 997	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	53.7	461 of 999	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	60.4	367 of 956	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.6	334 of 897	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.2	281 of 891	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.9	278 of 839	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.2	260 of 780	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.9	205 of 740	72.3%	★★★★☆
2007	73.5	188 of 736	74.5%	★★★★☆
2006	78.6	120 of 675	82.2%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Geometry96%+40 vs state

Algebra 187%+24 vs state

Civics66%-11 vs state

English Language Arts50%-11 vs state

Math48%-10 vs state

Science37%-15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student on FaceBook
Friday, March 21, 2014

The teachers are nice but the map score are chorus women, excellent, chorus men, superior, orchestra beginning and advanced, excellent, and band's wind ensemble, good the lowest the school has ever had Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, February 24, 2014

it is so sad that southwest claims to be a school that has special needs education, but if they have a special needs child with a color thats not their favorite, they will push that child out in the schools for children with real behavioral problems. dont send your special needs child there, its not for them. sad, sad sad. Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest Middle School

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	EOC Algebra 1 (2026)	EOC Geometry (2026)	EOC Biology 1 (2026)	EOC Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Biology 1 End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest Middle School	Public	7-8	451 Eldron Blvd SE	Palm Bay	32909	Brevard County	Brevard	No	No	No	No	(321) 952-5800	997	52	19.1	53.9%	420 (42.1%)	279 (28.0%)	195 (19.6%)	10 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	90 (9.0%)	34.3	853^rd of 1216 public middle schools	29.9%		36.1	802^nd of 1205 public middle schools	33.4%	51		56.0	45.0		43.0	51.0	37.0	87.0	96.0		66.0	$10,670	$562	$10,108
Central Middle School	Public	7-8	2600 Wingate Blvd	West Melbourne	32904	Brevard County	Brevard	No	No	No	No	(321) 722-4150	1,059	63	16.8	53.1%	571 (53.9%)	155 (14.6%)	210 (19.8%)	36 (3.4%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	83 (7.8%)	56.9	516^th of 1216 public middle schools	57.6%		52.6	553^rd of 1205 public middle schools	54.1%	37		64.0	60.0		34.0	67.0	54.0	81.0	92.0		74.0	$10,562	$551	$10,011
Stone Magnet Middle School	Public, Magnet	7-8	1101 E University Blvd	Melbourne	32901	Brevard County	Brevard	No	Yes	No	Yes	(321) 723-0741	557	31	17.9	59.4%	224 (40.2%)	173 (31.1%)	98 (17.6%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.3%)	35.1	845^th of 1216 public middle schools	30.5%		34.4	825^th of 1205 public middle schools	31.5%	20		54.0	52.0		25.0	37.0	48.0	63.0	57.0		66.0	$12,950	$1,390	$11,560
Herbert C. Hoover Middle School	Public	7-8	2000 Hawk Haven Dr	Indialantic	32903	Brevard County	Brevard	No	No	No	No	(321) 727-1611	473	29	16.3	30.9%	363 (76.7%)	22 (4.7%)	59 (12.5%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.3%)	73.7	289^th of 1216 public middle schools	76.2%		80.3	206^th of 1205 public middle schools	82.9%	83		78.0	75.0		43.0	54.0	69.0	80.0	97.0		86.0	$11,960	$616	$11,343
Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School	Public	7-8	2155 Croton Rd	Melbourne	32935	Brevard County	Brevard	No	No	No	No	(321) 242-6430	580	34	17.0	49.5%	298 (51.4%)	83 (14.3%)	130 (22.4%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (9.8%)	46.9	670^th of 1216 public middle schools	44.9%		42.9	704^th of 1205 public middle schools	41.6%	34		64.0	54.0		25.0	58.0	44.0	84.0	90.0		68.0	$12,624	$1,379	$11,247
Delaura Middle School	Public	7-8	300 Jackson Ave	Satellite Beach	32937	Brevard County	Brevard	No	No	No	No	(321) 773-7581	548	31	17.6	19.5%	431 (78.6%)	10 (1.8%)	53 (9.7%)	12 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.3%)	86.7	111^th of 1216 public middle schools	90.9%		87.4	113^th of 1205 public middle schools	90.6%	2		80.0	81.0		63.0	83.0	77.0	89.0	98.0		86.0	$11,020	$527	$10,493
Sebastian River Middle School	Public	6-8	9400 Fellsmere Rd	Sebastian	32958	Indian River County	Indian River	No	No	No	Yes	(772) 564-5111	775	39	19.8	61.4%	341 (44.0%)	93 (12.0%)	307 (39.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (3.9%)	61.7	441^st of 1216 public middle schools	63.7%		53.7	538^th of 1205 public middle schools	55.4%	97	66.0	64.0	63.0	74.0	68.0	46.0	58.0	89.0	97.0		83.0	$10,918	$978	$9,940
Sebastian Charter Junior High School	Public, Charter	6-8	782 Wave St	Sebastian	32958	Indian River County	Indian River	Yes	No	No	No	(772) 388-8838	295	18	16.3	48.1%	186 (63.1%)	28 (9.5%)	57 (19.3%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.4%)	87.9	97^th of 1216 public middle schools	92.0%		86.1	133^rd of 1205 public middle schools	89.0%	36	86.0	91.0	77.0	91.0	50.0	77.0	80.0	84.0	91.0		96.0	$9,571	$272	$9,299
Viera Middle School	Public	7-8	2700 Judge Fran Jamieson Way	Viera	32940	Brevard County	Brevard	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(321) 633-1000	741	36	20.5	20.8%	508 (68.6%)	46 (6.2%)	91 (12.3%)	31 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.9%)	58 (7.8%)	83	153^rd of 1216 public middle schools	87.4%					(n/a)		77.0	77.0		54.0	88.0	71.0	88.0	99.0	100.0	85.0	$8,899	$490	$8,409

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle School?

Students at Southwest Middle School are 42% White, 28% African American, 20% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Southwest Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 997 students attended Southwest Middle School.

Is Southwest Middle School a good school?

Southwest Middle School ranks 853^rd of 1216 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Southwest Middle School in?

Brevard

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southwest Middle School usually go on to attend Bayside High School

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Florida Department of Education.

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.