Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Southwest Middle School

Q: Is Southwest Middle School a good school?

Southwest Middle School ranks 556 th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

556^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 29% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle School serves about 1,205 students in grades 6–8 in southwest Charlotte, NC, as part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, with nearly all students (99.75%) qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and ranking among the highest-poverty middle schools in the area. It currently ranks 556th of 778 middle schools statewide (29th percentile), well below the district average, and far below high-scoring nearby schools like Community House Middle, South Charlotte Middle, and Cramerton Middle, which serve far smaller low-income populations.

Academically, Southwest trails the district and state in every grade and subject. In 6th grade, 49.3% of students passed math versus 61.5% across Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, and 39.4% passed reading versus 55.2% districtwide; 8th-grade science also sits about 15 points behind. Poverty alone does not explain the gap: Sedgefield Middle serves a nearly identical low-income student body yet ranks in the 62nd percentile statewide, and Kennedy Middle outperforms Southwest in several subjects. The most urgent issue may be attendance. Southwest's 42.3% chronic absenteeism rate in 2024–25 is nearly double the state average and has risen steadily, with only Wilson STEM Academy and Quail Hollow Middle higher among nearby schools.

Still, the school is moving in the right direction. Its statewide rank has improved three consecutive years, from 16th percentile in 2023–24 to 29th percentile in 2025–26, and current test scores are the strongest in the available multi-year trend. Special education students jumped from the 3rd to 45th percentile, and English Learner and low-income students also made real gains, even though they remain below the state median. The student-teacher ratio has improved to 17.4. The biggest priorities ahead are reducing chronic absences, strengthening reading instruction and 8th-grade science, and expanding support for English Learner students. If the recent momentum holds, Southwest Middle School appears poised to keep climbing.

1,205

Students ?

17.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

99.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13624 Steele Creek Rd
Charlotte, NC 28273-6840

(980) 343-5006

District: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

Students who attend Southwest Middle School usually attend:

High:

Olympic High School

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle School:

Elementary:	Lake Wylie Elementary
	Nations Ford Elementary
	Palisades Park Elementary
	River Gate Elementary
	More...
	Winget Park Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

43.5%

Hispanic:

40.2%

White:

9.2%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Southwest Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 16th percentile in 2024 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 29th (2026) from a 16th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (47% vs 58% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 24% North Carolina)

!Science scores 16 pts below the North Carolina average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg58%

North Carolina avg58%

556^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

105^th of 246Charlotte-Mecklenburg 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
2026	30.3	556 of 778	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.1	596 of 773	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	664 of 793	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	654 of 784	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.5	613 of 786	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.9	567 of 741	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.9	506 of 737	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.7	484 of 691	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.5	410 of 694	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	43.6	406 of 692	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.8	386 of 705	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	45.4	329 of 627	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.4	290 of 673	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	57.8	331 of 662	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	45.9	417 of 648	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.1	372 of 640	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.0	337 of 630	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	51.8	336 of 620	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	51.9	341 of 606	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.0	305 of 598	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	45.1	280 of 553	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.7	282 of 546	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	373 of 560	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.7	386 of 559	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.7	290 of 550	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.1	251 of 533	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.9	144 of 519	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	50.3	219 of 494	55.7%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	41.7	79 of 121	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	37.3	76 of 111	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	81 of 110	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	90 of 110	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.9	66 of 109	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.6	62 of 99	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	53 of 102	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	56 of 95	41.1%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	20.8	415 of 449	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.1	442 of 478	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.4	417 of 504	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	449 of 475	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	311 of 363	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.7	352 of 371	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	349 of 356	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	315 of 318	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	292 of 312	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.2	190 of 236	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.5	164 of 211	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.4	109 of 151	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.5	536 of 731	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.6	577 of 733	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.2	622 of 738	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	613 of 731	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.2	575 of 733	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	556 of 706	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.7	500 of 684	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.7	499 of 656	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	62.3	190 of 465	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.5	389 of 458	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	54.0	267 of 461	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	57.5	238 of 452	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.4	273 of 450	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	286 of 448	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	63.3	154 of 416	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	429 of 566	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.3	489 of 562	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	534 of 564	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	523 of 553	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	510 of 541	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	476 of 522	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	412 of 493	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	386 of 472	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	44.3	33 of 59	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.6	20 of 44	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	29.8	43 of 50	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	50 of 50	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	479 of 725	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	29.3	551 of 729	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	622 of 743	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.7	663 of 735	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	34.9	458 of 689	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.8	470 of 633	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.1	454 of 639	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	434 of 604	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	544 of 736	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.9	576 of 733	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	651 of 751	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	648 of 747	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	607 of 748	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	543 of 711	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.3	476 of 697	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	472 of 665	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	72.4	72 of 333	78.4%	★★★★☆
2025	55.5	128 of 328	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.4	67 of 306	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	54.2	120 of 302	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.3	62 of 283	78.1%	★★★★☆
2021	21.9	222 of 248	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	152 of 237	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.5	165 of 221	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	273 of 500	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.8	430 of 478	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	461 of 473	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	67.8	197 of 644	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	62.8	224 of 649	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	333 of 652	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.7	303 of 656	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	287 of 658	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.1	277 of 632	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.2	221 of 624	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.2	224 of 596	62.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Multi-racial (2026)78th percentile+50 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile+41 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)59th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2026)49th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile+17 vs school

Homeless (2026)44th percentile+16 vs school

Asian (2026)35th percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)34th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)27th percentile~ school

Male (2026)26th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)24th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)14th percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2022)8th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science53%-16 vs state

Reading46%-10 vs state

Mathematics45%-11 vs state

5.0

1 rating

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Southwest Middle School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Southwest Middle School

Load more schools when map is moved

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)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	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 (2025)	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	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest Middle School	Public	6-8	13624 Steele Creek Rd	Charlotte	28273	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-5006	1,205	69	17.4	99.8%	111 (9.2%)	524 (43.5%)	485 (40.2%)	45 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	39 (3.2%)	30.3	556^th of 778 public middle schools	28.5%		24.1	596^th of 773 public middle schools	22.9%	40	49.3	44.6	42.6	39.4	48.8	48.8	52.8	$7,742	$614	$7,128
Kennedy Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	4000 Gallant Ln	Charlotte	28273	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-5540	990	55	18.1	99.7%	68 (6.9%)	388 (39.2%)	410 (41.4%)	78 (7.9%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.3%)	46.5	425^th of 778 public middle schools	45.4%		46.1	425^th of 773 public middle schools	45.0%		58.3	58.7	38.7	47.4	57.5	50.0	69.5	$8,305	$735	$7,571
Quail Hollow Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	2901 Smithfield Church Rd	Charlotte	28210	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	No	(980) 343-3620	1,090	65	16.8	99.2%	173 (15.9%)	290 (26.6%)	573 (52.6%)	20 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (2.9%)	33.1	526^th of 778 public middle schools	32.4%		27.4	569^th of 773 public middle schools	26.4%	43	51.0	48.9	45.7	50.4	46.0	38.3	54.7	$8,166	$922	$7,244
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%)	76.4	164^th of 778 public middle schools	78.9%		74.5	167^th of 773 public middle schools	78.4%	3	77.6	67.8	63.1	63.2	69.0	64.3	80.5	$7,551	$657	$6,894
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%)	88.1	69^th of 778 public middle schools	91.1%		88.9	61^st of 773 public middle schools	92.1%	8	79.3	75.4	73.5	73.3	73.1	78.6	88.9	$7,892	$734	$7,158
Sedgefield Middle	Public	6-8	2700 Dorchester Pl	Charlotte	28209	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(980) 343-5840	534	29	18.7	97.0%	231 (43.3%)	201 (37.6%)	79 (14.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.4%)	60	298^th of 778 public middle schools	61.7%		65.3	249^th of 773 public middle schools	67.8%	49	60.0	64.5	52.2	65.2	61.1	58.9	61.4	$12,649	$1,297	$11,352
Alexander Graham Middle	Public	6-8	1800 Runnymede Lane	Charlotte	28211	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-5810	1,187	61	19.3	52.4%	375 (31.6%)	275 (23.2%)	442 (37.2%)	46 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (4.1%)	42.1	462^nd of 778 public middle schools	40.6%		42.9	451^st of 773 public middle schools	41.7%	11	51.9	55.1	47.1	45.8	49.7	55.7	61.5	$8,178	$499	$7,679
Wilson STEM Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	7020 Tuckaseegee Rd	Charlotte	28214	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	Yes	No	Yes	(980) 343-6070	456	23	19.4	99.3%	16 (3.5%)	272 (59.6%)	135 (29.6%)	12 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.2%)	17.3	669^th of 778 public middle schools	14.0%		18.3	653^rd of 773 public middle schools	15.5%	16	37.7	42.0	38.7	35.1	41.4	31.6	42.2	$10,408	$1,128	$9,279
Community House Middle	Public	6-8	9500 Community House Rd	Charlotte	28277	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-0689	1,425	71	20.1	20.4%	515 (36.1%)	175 (12.3%)	171 (12.0%)	505 (35.4%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	54 (3.8%)	94.4	34^th of 778 public middle schools	95.6%		96.1	27^th of 773 public middle schools	96.5%	7	89.3	89.2	86.7	76.9	81.4	83.1	90.7	$7,349	$398	$6,951
Carmel Middle	Public	6-8	5001 Camilla Dr	Charlotte	28226	Mecklenburg County	Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools	No	No	No	No	(980) 343-6705	1,004	60	16.7	36.4%	478 (47.6%)	119 (11.9%)	364 (36.3%)	18 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (2.5%)	59.8	303^rd of 778 public middle schools	61.1%		72.1	184^th of 773 public middle schools	76.2%	119	65.9	66.5	56.7	55.4	59.4	55.9	64.4	$8,630	$632	$7,999

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle School

What district is Southwest Middle School in?

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle School attend?

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

Is Southwest Middle School a good school?

Southwest Middle School ranks 556^th of 778 North Carolina middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle School?

Students at Southwest Middle School are 43% African American, 40% Hispanic, 9% White, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more races.

How many students attend Southwest Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,205 students attended Southwest Middle School.

Rate Southwest Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NCNorth Carolina Middle School Rankings

NCNorth Carolina District Rankings

Schools in Charlotte, NC

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Southwest Middle School!

Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

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.