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Southwest Middle School

Public Grades 5-8

754^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 14% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Southwest Middle School is a public middle school in Reading, Pennsylvania, serving 652 students in grades 5-8. The school is part of the Reading School District, which is ranked 571 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southwest Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Pennsylvania middle schools, with low proficiency rates on PSSA tests that are significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 7% of students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to the state average of 41.7% and the district average of 9.8%. The school's performance is particularly low in Math, with proficiency rates ranging from 2.5% to 13.3% across grade levels, compared to the state averages of 30.5% to 44%. In English Language Arts, the school's proficiency rates range from 14.4% to 26.2%, still significantly below the state averages of 44.7% to 50.8%.

While Southwest Middle School has a relatively high per-student spending of $17,649 in 2022-2023, this higher funding does not appear to translate into improved academic outcomes. In contrast, the nearby Exeter Township School District and Governor Mifflin School District, while still serving a significant population of economically disadvantaged students, perform significantly better on academic measures, with proficiency rates closer to or above the state averages. The data suggests that factors beyond just funding may be contributing to Southwest Middle School's poor performance, and a comprehensive approach is needed to address the school's challenges and provide a high-quality education for its students.

574

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,294

Per pupil spending ?

113.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 Chestnut St
Reading, PA 19602-1811

(610) 371-5934

District: Reading School District

Students who attend Southwest Middle School usually attend:

High:

Reading Senior High School

Feeder schools for Southwest Middle School:

Elementary:	Lauers Park Elementary School
	Tyson-Schoener Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.8%

African American:

7.3%

White:

5.1%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Southwest Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2021 → 14th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2021

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (14% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Math scores 35 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg14%

Pennsylvania avg45%

754^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▲ up 7 pts since 2021

From bottom 6% (2021) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the Reading School District

571^st of 606Reading School District among Pennsylvania 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	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	754 of 873	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.4	804 of 891	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	816 of 893	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.8	811 of 883	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.6	746 of 797	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	49.9	169 of 421	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.1	529 of 643	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	604 of 672	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	590 of 660	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	42.6	69 of 145	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.8	55 of 150	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.9	73 of 143	49.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	11.1	742 of 835	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	778 of 860	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.2	272 of 348	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	314 of 362	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	320 of 362	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.8	710 of 843	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	790 of 877	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.2	804 of 874	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.0	713 of 839	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	792 of 870	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	32.6	473 of 673	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2023)60th percentile+51 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)52nd percentile+39 vs school

White (2024)30th percentile+20 vs school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile+8 vs school

Disabled (2025)18th percentile+4 vs school

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

Male (2025)15th percentile~ school

Female (2025)11th percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts22%-27 vs state

Math7%-35 vs state

★

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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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSSA Math (2025)						PSSA English Language Arts (2025)						Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southwest Middle School	Public	5-8	300 Chestnut St	Reading	19602	Berks County	Reading School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 371-5934	574	48	12.0	113.6%	29 (5.1%)	42 (7.3%)	498 (86.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	12.8	754^th of 873 public middle schools	13.6%		9.4	804^th of 891 public middle schools	9.8%	50		13.3	10.0	2.5	4.1	7.0		14.4	26.2	24.2	22.8	21.9	$22,294	$2,812	$19,482
Southern Middle School	Public	5-8	931 Chestnut St	Reading	19602	Berks County	Reading School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 371-5803	661	53	12.5	105.6%	28 (4.2%)	52 (7.9%)	569 (86.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.8%)	7.9	826^th of 873 public middle schools	5.4%		7.6	836^th of 891 public middle schools	6.2%	10		7.9	3.8	2.8	2.2	4.2		14.4	13.5	13.4	18.8	15.0	$21,428	$3,134	$18,294
West Reading Elementary Center	Public	5-6	421 Chestnut St	West Reading	19611	Berks County	Wyomissing Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 374-0739	310	22	14.1	39.7%	181 (58.4%)	13 (4.2%)	91 (29.4%)	9 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)								(n/a)		61.6	45.3			54.0		75.0	70.1			72.7	$18,559	$570	$17,989
Central Middle School	Public	5-8	215 North 12th St	Reading	19604	Berks County	Reading School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 258-7365	1,785	116	15.4	95.7%	93 (5.2%)	102 (5.7%)	1,567 (87.8%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (1.0%)	8.7	812^th of 873 public middle schools	7.0%		9.1	810^th of 891 public middle schools	9.1%	2		9.7	4.8	3.1	1.8	5.0		10.4	16.4	13.7	21.7	15.3	$20,260	$2,271	$17,989
Northwest Middle School	Public	5-8	1000 N Front St	Reading	19601	Berks County	Reading School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 371-5772	821	59	13.9	100.7%	32 (3.9%)	51 (6.2%)	727 (88.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.1%)	11.3	771^st of 873 public middle schools	11.7%		10.5	789^th of 891 public middle schools	11.4%	18		3.9	8.8	8.9	4.9	6.7		9.9	20.5	20.0	14.4	16.2	$20,894	$2,551	$18,343
Northeast Middle School	Public	5-8	1216 N 13th St	Reading	19604	Berks County	Reading School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 371-5774	868	67	12.9	106.3%	50 (5.8%)	35 (4.0%)	767 (88.4%)	3 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (1.5%)	14.4	738^th of 873 public middle schools	15.5%		13.1	758^th of 891 public middle schools	14.9%	20		13.5	9.5	5.3	4.3	8.2		13.6	29.4	20.1	27.8	22.8	$21,360	$2,390	$18,971
Kerry C. Hoffman Intermediate School	Public	4-8	2310 Cumberland Ave	Mount Penn	19606	Berks County	Antietam School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 779-3547	434	38	11.4	59.7%	122 (28.1%)	30 (6.9%)	254 (58.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.0%)								(n/a)	37.0	28.9	17.7	21.8	3.3	22.7	35.6	26.5	38.0	38.5	35.0	34.4	$31,665	$3,861	$27,804
Intermediate School	Public	5-6	600 Governor Dr	Shillington	19607	Berks County	Governor Mifflin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 775-5083	623	36	17.3	97.8%	297 (47.7%)	25 (4.0%)	245 (39.3%)	18 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)								(n/a)		29.3	38.6			34.1		39.4	54.5			47.2	$15,951	$327	$15,623
Governor Mifflin Middle School	Public	7-8	130 East Lancaster Avenue	Shillington	19607	Berks County	Governor Mifflin School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 775-1465	631	39	16.3	94.5%	329 (52.1%)	35 (5.5%)	229 (36.3%)	9 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (4.6%)	47.6	466^th of 873 public middle schools	46.6%		44.4	522^nd of 891 public middle schools	41.4%	56				27.9	23.9	25.9				44.9	42.1	43.5	$17,020	$349	$16,671
Exeter Township Junior High School	Public	7-8	151 E 39th St	Reading	19606	Berks County	Exeter Township School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 779-3320	618	47	13.1	43.2%	424 (68.6%)	35 (5.7%)	125 (20.2%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.2%)	63.5	299^th of 873 public middle schools	65.8%		69.6	256^th of 891 public middle schools	71.3%	43				35.9	37.4	36.7				45.0	51.4	48.2	$13,656	$00	$13,656

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Middle School

What district is Southwest Middle School in?

Reading School District

What is the racial makeup of Southwest Middle School?

Students at Southwest Middle School are 87% Hispanic, 7% African American, 5% White.

Is Southwest Middle School a good school?

Southwest Middle School ranks in the bottom 13.6% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Southwest Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southwest Middle School usually go on to attend Reading Senior High School

How many students attend Southwest Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 574 students attended Southwest Middle School.

Rate Southwest Middle School!

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Schools in Reading, PA

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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