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Southwest Elementary

Q: Is Southwest Elementary a good school?

Southwest Elementary ranks 491 st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

491^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,490 North Carolina Elementary Schools

Better than 67% of North Carolina elementary schools

Summary

Southwest Elementary is a public elementary school located in Durham, North Carolina, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 669 students. The school is part of the Durham Public Schools district, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southwest Elementary has seen fluctuating performance over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 491 out of 1,490 North Carolina elementary schools in the 2024-2025 school year (rated 3 out of 5 stars) to 956 out of 1,489 in the 2020-2021 school year (rated 2 out of 5 stars). The school's performance has been relatively consistent, with a 3-star rating for most of the past 5 school years. Southwest Elementary outperforms the Durham Public Schools district and the state of North Carolina in several academic areas, particularly in mathematics, where 72.9% of 3rd graders, 62.8% of 4th graders, and 55.7% of 5th graders were proficient or better in EOG/Mathematics, compared to 55.2%, 52.3%, and 51.4% for the district, and 64.1%, 58.9%, and 59.3% for the state.

The school also has strong performance among specific student subgroups, with White students ranking 96 out of 1,172 North Carolina elementary schools (rated 5 out of 5 stars), Hispanic students ranking 216 out of 961 (rated 4 out of 5 stars), and Multi-racial students ranking 42 out of 175 (rated 4 out of 5 stars). However, Southwest Elementary has seen an increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 40.92% in 2021-2022 to 52.32% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the state average and indicates a growing population of economically disadvantaged students at the school. Nearby schools, such as Pearsontown Elementary, a magnet school, stand out as the highest-performing in the area, while other nearby schools like C.C. Spaulding Elementary, R.N. Harris Elementary, and Lakewood Elementary have lower performance levels compared to Southwest Elementary.

639

Students ?

14.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,711

Per pupil spending ?

99.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2320 Cook Road
Durham, NC 27713-2735

(919) 560-3972

District: Durham Public Schools

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rogers-Herr Middle
	Sherwood Githens Middle
High:	C E Jordan High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

31.9%

White:

31.8%

Hispanic:

26.0%

See top rated North Carolina elementary schools

Compare Southwest Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2015 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 47 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Durham Public Schools

✓Above the North Carolina median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg50%

North Carolina avg57%

491^st of 1,490

North Carolina public elementary schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 47 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 30Elementary Schools in the Durham Public Schools

163^rd of 242Durham Public 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	64.4	491 of 1490	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	544 of 1505	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.1	691 of 1502	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.8	694 of 1514	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.2	956 of 1489	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	919 of 1473	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.3	724 of 1434	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	36.4	980 of 1429	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	37.6	961 of 1425	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	24.5	1156 of 1440	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.9	1057 of 1390	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	49.0	678 of 1403	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	31.4	1071 of 1388	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	21.6	1184 of 1381	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.6	1129 of 1363	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.5	1076 of 1354	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.0	894 of 1324	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	32.2	999 of 1293	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.3	770 of 1276	39.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	57.7	310 of 918	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.3	425 of 924	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.8	354 of 933	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.4	299 of 927	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	32.7	608 of 896	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.4	444 of 949	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.3	317 of 927	65.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	29.0	488 of 634	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	72.4	133 of 897	85.2%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	301 of 563	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	67.5	100 of 533	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	40.0	293 of 514	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	325 of 485	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	48.5	219 of 497	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.1	90 of 421	78.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.9	471 of 1451	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.3	378 of 1455	74.0%	★★★★☆
2023	53.3	670 of 1459	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.5	720 of 1458	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.1	1129 of 1440	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.5	932 of 1424	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.5	732 of 1405	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	62.6	267 of 710	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.5	350 of 669	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	67.5	148 of 582	74.6%	★★★★☆
2022	65.3	155 of 500	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.4	578 of 612	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	69.2	216 of 961	77.5%	★★★★☆
2024	74.5	168 of 951	82.3%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	298 of 915	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.3	403 of 893	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.6	570 of 843	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	629 of 865	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	68.2	205 of 851	75.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	806 of 1437	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	824 of 1450	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	846 of 1437	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	43.6	774 of 1366	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.2	1126 of 1329	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.1	913 of 1361	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.0	514 of 1332	61.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	518 of 1450	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	713 of 1464	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	664 of 1461	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.0	641 of 1464	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	791 of 1444	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.0	864 of 1430	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.6	698 of 1413	50.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	71.9	42 of 175	76.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	44.3	406 of 821	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	34.9	525 of 801	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	86.8	96 of 1172	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	89.3	67 of 1166	94.3%	★★★★★
2023	84.4	126 of 1183	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.3	159 of 1194	86.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.0	250 of 1172	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	83.8	127 of 1183	89.3%	★★★★☆
2018	86.0	107 of 1178	90.9%	★★★★★

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)

White (2025)92nd percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)78th percentile+10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)76th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)68th percentile~ school

African American (2025)66th percentile~ school

Male (2025)64th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)62nd percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)51st percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)47th percentile-21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)44th percentile-23 vs school

Disabled (2022)23rd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science64%~ state avg

Mathematics64%+3 vs state

Reading60%+7 vs state

4.8

4 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, March 30, 2017

This school has a very warm and inviting atmosphere with an entire faculty that treats students with respect and encourages positive behaviors. I have never seen students shouted at or talked down to and the students by and large are respectful of the teachers and of each other. Close Quote

by a teacher
Wednesday, August 26, 2015

This school has a great program in dual immersion Spanish and English learning! Nice clean safe school! Close Quote

by a teacher
Friday, August 1, 2014

Wonderful atmosphere. Supportive and creative. An excellent PTA and excellent support staff. Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				EOG Mathematics (2025)						EOG Reading (2025)						EOG Science (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	EOG Mathematics 3rd Grade	EOG Mathematics 4th Grade	EOG Mathematics 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 3rd Grade	EOG Reading 4th Grade	EOG Reading 5th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 5th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2320 Cook Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3972	639	45	14.2	99.5%	203 (31.8%)	204 (31.9%)	166 (26.0%)	12 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.3%)	64.4	491^st of 1490 public elementary schools	67.0%		62	544^th of 1505 public elementary schools	63.9%	53	72.9	62.8	55.7				51.9	71.7	54.2				64.2		$11,711	$1,168	$10,542
Pearsontown Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	4915 Barbee Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(919) 560-3964	765	56	13.5	99.6%	276 (36.1%)	272 (35.6%)	112 (14.6%)	19 (2.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	85 (11.1%)	80.8	237^th of 1490 public elementary schools	84.1%		88.1	139^th of 1505 public elementary schools	90.8%	98	71.5	72.9	67.8				56.9	77.1	74.4				80.2		$11,050	$680	$10,370
Murray-Massenburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3901 S Roxboro St	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(919) 560-3749	517	30	17.1	99.4%	129 (25.0%)	213 (41.2%)	111 (21.5%)	12 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (9.9%)								(n/a)	50.0	52.9	32.6				34.4	52.9	32.6				44.2
W G Pearson Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	3501 Fayettville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3988	319	32	9.9	97.2%	14 (4.4%)	184 (57.7%)	93 (29.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (7.8%)	35.8	986^th of 1490 public elementary schools	33.8%		44.5	846^th of 1505 public elementary schools	43.8%	140	26.5	58.5	51.3				24.5	53.7	50.0				68.3		$14,391	$3,740	$10,650
Fayetteville Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2905 Fayetteville Street	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3944	261	21	12.6	97.3%	2 (0.8%)	119 (45.6%)	120 (46.0%)	16 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	19.8	1284^th of 1490 public elementary schools	13.8%		26.9	1161^st of 1505 public elementary schools	22.9%	123	40.0	51.1	56.1				26.7	34.0	29.3				40.0		$12,761	$2,103	$10,658
Parkwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5207 Revere Road	Durham	27713	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3962	491	35	13.8	99.4%	57 (11.6%)	271 (55.2%)	98 (20.0%)	9 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (11.4%)	12.5	1383^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	7.2%		14.9	1363^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	9.4%	20	25.0	28.8	39.8				22.4	35.0	39.8				42.4		$11,377	$1,372	$10,005
Hope Valley Elementary	Public	K-5	3005 Dixon Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3980	539	49	11.1	99.4%	145 (26.9%)	105 (19.5%)	218 (40.4%)	25 (4.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.0%)	28.3	1112^th of 1490 public elementary schools	25.4%		27.9	1142^nd of 1505 public elementary schools	24.1%	30	64.5	41.4	48.9				35.8	44.9	39.4				40.9		$12,023	$1,391	$10,632
Kestrel Heights School	Public, Charter	K-8	4700 South Alston Ave.	Durham	27713	Durham County	Kestrel Heights School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(919) 484-1300	421	29	14.4	56.3%	29 (6.9%)	244 (58.0%)	86 (20.4%)	29 (6.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.8%)	36.3	976^th of 1490 public elementary schools	34.5%		45.2	831^st of 1505 public elementary schools	44.8%	145	66.7	52.1	43.5	42.6	32.7	35.7	36.7	54.2	56.5	43.5	55.8	44.6	45.7	57.1
C C Spaulding Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1531 S Roxboro Road	Durham	27707	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 560-3974	247	24	10.2	98.8%	22 (8.9%)	88 (35.6%)	117 (47.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.7%)	26	1156^th of 1490 public elementary schools	22.4%		14.1	1376^th of 1505 public elementary schools	8.6%	220	27.0	40.6	75.8				19.4	18.8	40.6				59.4		$16,448	$4,879	$11,568
R N Harris Elementary	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	1520 Cooper Street	Durham	27703	Durham County	Durham Public Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(919) 560-3967	313	22	14.5	99.0%	11 (3.5%)	146 (46.6%)	136 (43.5%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	25.1	1183^rd of 1490 public elementary schools	20.6%		47.8	783^rd of 1505 public elementary schools	48.0%	400	30.8	45.8	57.1				23.1	44.1	40.8				55.1		$14,110	$1,680	$12,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Elementary

What district is Southwest Elementary in?

Durham Public Schools

How many students attend Southwest Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 639 students attended Southwest Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Southwest Elementary attend?

Students who attend Southwest Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rogers-Herr Middle
Middle : Sherwood Githens Middle
High : C E Jordan High

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Elementary?

Students at Southwest Elementary are 32% African American, 32% White, 26% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Is Southwest Elementary a good school?

Southwest Elementary ranks 491^st of 1490 North Carolina elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Southwest Elementary!

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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.