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Southwest Middle

Public Grades 6-8

696^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 773 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 10% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle is a public middle school located in Gastonia, North Carolina, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 809 students. The school is part of the Gaston County Schools district, which is ranked 149 out of 242 school districts in North Carolina and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Southwest Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of North Carolina middle schools, with a ranking between 475 and 696 out of 700+ schools over the past 10 years. Its performance on state standardized tests is significantly below the Gaston County and North Carolina averages across all grade levels and subject areas. The school struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, with particularly low rankings for subgroups like female students, white students, and special education students. Southwest Middle has an extremely high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 97.21% to 99.63% over the past few years, indicating a very high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to other middle schools in the Gaston County district, Southwest Middle consistently underperforms. For example, Cramerton Middle and Belmont Middle, which are both within 10 miles of Southwest Middle, rank significantly higher (top 25% of North Carolina middle schools) and have much stronger academic outcomes. One bright spot for Southwest Middle is its performance in serving gifted and talented students, with the school's ranking for this subgroup reaching the top 25% of North Carolina middle schools in recent years. However, the school's overall performance has been declining over the past 5-10 years, with its statewide ranking dropping from the top half of North Carolina middle schools to the bottom quarter.

832

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,802

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Roadrunner Drive
Gastonia, NC 28052-6299

(704) 866-6290

District: Gaston County Schools

Students who attend Southwest Middle usually attend:

High:

Hunter Huss High

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle:

Elementary:	Chapel Grove Elementary
	H H Beam Elementary
	Pleasant Ridge Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

36.3%

African American:

33.7%

White:

22.5%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Southwest Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 20th percentile in 2015 → 10th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (32% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school32%

District avg48%

North Carolina avg54%

696^th of 773

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 11Middle Schools in the Gaston County Schools

149^th of 242Gaston 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	13.6	696 of 773	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	685 of 793	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.7	589 of 784	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	577 of 786	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	478 of 741	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.3	481 of 737	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.0	475 of 691	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.5	520 of 694	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.6	547 of 692	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.8	561 of 705	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.4	545 of 627	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.9	457 of 673	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.9	494 of 662	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.4	484 of 648	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	26.7	528 of 640	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	26.1	519 of 630	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	17.0	536 of 620	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	22.6	515 of 606	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	33.5	455 of 598	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	22.2	465 of 546	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	467 of 560	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.1	327 of 559	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.3	318 of 550	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.7	256 of 533	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.6	185 of 519	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.7	247 of 494	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	30.3	324 of 449	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.7	302 of 478	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.3	433 of 504	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.8	290 of 475	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	31.5	264 of 371	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	287 of 356	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	51.8	103 of 318	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.1	82 of 312	73.7%	★★★★☆
2021	45.7	96 of 236	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.3	68 of 211	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.1	58 of 151	61.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	676 of 733	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	647 of 738	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	602 of 731	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	549 of 733	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.6	463 of 706	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.9	436 of 684	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.4	457 of 656	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	63.9	171 of 458	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.0	172 of 461	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.0	68 of 452	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	69.3	83 of 450	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	55.5	239 of 448	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	71.1	58 of 416	86.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	479 of 562	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	443 of 564	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	345 of 553	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.0	288 of 541	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.5	259 of 522	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.6	383 of 493	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.9	289 of 472	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2019	60.3	21 of 71	70.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	627 of 729	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.0	601 of 743	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.1	443 of 735	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.0	465 of 689	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.6	302 of 633	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.7	383 of 639	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.6	394 of 604	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	658 of 733	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	663 of 751	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	540 of 747	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.0	561 of 748	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.8	469 of 711	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.3	497 of 697	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	489 of 665	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	252 of 328	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.3	227 of 306	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.8	212 of 302	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.4	207 of 283	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.1	162 of 248	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.3	160 of 237	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.0	159 of 221	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	15.7	475 of 478	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	460 of 473	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2025	7.3	631 of 649	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.9	626 of 652	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	608 of 656	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	581 of 658	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.8	497 of 632	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	441 of 624	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.8	483 of 596	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2019)70th percentile+36 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)63rd percentile+53 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)29th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2022)28th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)23rd percentile+13 vs school

African American (2025)15th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

White (2025)3rd percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)1st percentile-9 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2024-2025) ?

Science35%-25 vs state

Mathematics31%-22 vs state

Reading31%-22 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, October 23, 2017

Its not as bad as people make it seem Close Quote

Schools Near Southwest Middle

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 5th Grade	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th 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 Middle	Public	6-8	1 Roadrunner Drive	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 866-6290	832	54	15.3	99.6%	187 (22.5%)	280 (33.7%)	302 (36.3%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (6.9%)	13.6	696^th of 773 public middle schools	10.0%		17.3	685^th of 793 public middle schools	13.6%	11		31.3	30.4	32.4		25.9	27.3	38.8		34.8	$8,802	$1,244	$7,559
York Chester Middle	Public	6-8	601 S Clay Street	Gastonia	28052	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9609	398	25	15.9	99.2%	72 (18.1%)	188 (47.2%)	121 (30.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	25.9	582^nd of 773 public middle schools	24.7%		25.2	617^th of 793 public middle schools	22.2%	35		37.3	40.7	49.0		29.9	31.9	44.2		45.2	$12,146	$3,225	$8,921
W P Grier Middle School	Public	6-8	1622 E Garrison Boulevard	Gastonia	28054	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9604	659	42	15.7	99.5%	63 (9.6%)	348 (52.8%)	192 (29.1%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (6.8%)	10.3	717^th of 773 public middle schools	7.2%		12.4	720^th of 793 public middle schools	9.2%	3		25.1	23.7	30.0		25.1	30.7	29.8		36.9	$8,330	$1,260	$7,071
Bessemer City Middle	Public	6-8	525 Ed Wilson Road	Bessemer City	28016	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 836-9602	497	29	17.1	99.4%	205 (41.2%)	136 (27.4%)	118 (23.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.0%)	19.6	641^st of 773 public middle schools	17.1%		28.2	579^th of 793 public middle schools	27.0%	62		27.0	36.8	40.7		33.3	37.4	37.7		41.4	$9,249	$1,434	$7,815
Holbrook Middle	Public	6-8	418 S Church Street	Lowell	28098	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9607	712	53	13.5	97.8%	242 (34.0%)	217 (30.5%)	197 (27.7%)	9 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (6.5%)	23.2	605^th of 773 public middle schools	21.7%		26.6	597^th of 793 public middle schools	24.7%	8		37.3	36.6	27.1		41.0	38.1	45.6		45.6	$7,945	$752	$7,193
Cramerton Middle	Public	6-8	601 Cramer Mountain Road	Cramerton	28032	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9603	959	51	18.8	43.2%	587 (61.2%)	154 (16.1%)	117 (12.2%)	44 (4.6%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (5.5%)	88.9	61^st of 773 public middle schools	92.1%		91.4	54^th of 793 public middle schools	93.2%	7		77.9	76.4	76.8		67.6	69.8	77.5		82.9	$7,892	$734	$7,158
W C Friday Middle School	Public	6-8	1221 Ratchford Drive	Dallas	28034	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 922-5297	618	34	18.0	99.5%	292 (47.2%)	147 (23.8%)	120 (19.4%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (8.1%)	26.2	579^th of 773 public middle schools	25.1%		34.5	537^th of 793 public middle schools	32.3%	42		50.7	36.0	28.3		44.7	42.5	40.6		35.8	$8,144	$730	$7,414
Kings Mountain Middle	Public	7-8	1000 Phifer Road	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 476-8340	631	37	16.9	99.5%	348 (55.2%)	162 (25.7%)	58 (9.2%)	7 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (8.9%)	54.9	329^th of 773 public middle schools	57.4%		51.1	383^rd of 793 public middle schools	51.7%	54			53.6	47.3			57.3	61.9		52.1	$8,838	$691	$8,147
Kings Mountain Intermediate	Public	5-6	227 Kings Mountain Boulevard	Kings Mountain	28086	Cleveland County	Cleveland County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(704) 476-8366	601	32	19.0	99.3%	352 (58.6%)	144 (24.0%)	56 (9.3%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (6.7%)								(n/a)	60.0	66.9			52.7	51.9			60.7		$8,233	$1,444	$6,788
Belmont Middle	Public	6-8	1020 South Point Road	Belmont	28012	Gaston County	Gaston County Schools	No	No	No	No	(704) 836-9611	770	42	18.1	42.2%	504 (65.5%)	84 (10.9%)	122 (15.8%)	18 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.3%)	74.5	167^th of 773 public middle schools	78.4%		70.4	208^th of 793 public middle schools	73.8%	41		76.3	69.7	57.1		63.9	63.0	60.2		67.0	$7,551	$657	$6,894

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle?

Students at Southwest Middle are 36% Hispanic, 34% African American, 22% White, 7% Two or more races.

How many students attend Southwest Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 832 students attended Southwest Middle.

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle attend?

Students who attend Southwest Middle usually go on to attend Hunter Huss High

Is Southwest Middle a good school?

Southwest Middle ranks in the bottom 10.0% of North Carolina middle schools.

What district is Southwest Middle in?

Gaston 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.