Enrollment
1,290
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 120144002858
Southwest Middle — Orlando, FL
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
66.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 18.3:1 Florida avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.0%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Middle compares with Florida and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Southwest Middle reports 1,290 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 66.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Florida state mean of 18.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 32% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Florida average and 27% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 430 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Orange spends $13,040 per pupil district-wide, above the Florida average of $12,756 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.2% from local sources (property taxes), 28.8% from the state, and 18.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Southwest Middle compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Florida state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21:1 | ▲ 15% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.0% | ▼ 27% | 52.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,290 | top 89% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
38.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
21:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 82% in Florida — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,040
per pupil, district-wide
— above Florida avg of $12,756
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 430 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
117
in-school suspensions + 74 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,290 Top 89% in Florida — larger than 11% of 4,029 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 66.0
Students per teacher 21:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.0% -27% vs state
NCES ID 120144002858
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.3%
White 25.5%
African American 20.7%
Asian 7.1%
Two or More 2.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 430:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.4%
In-school suspensions 117
Out-of-school suspensions 74
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Orange, which includes Southwest Middle.
$13,040
Per student
+2%
vs Florida
Avg $12,756
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.2%
State 28.8%
Federal 18.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,446
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Enrollment
- 3,383
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,277
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 3,239
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 3,217
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar middle schools in Orlando
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Florida Virtual Middle School
Standard public school
2,559 students 24.6:1 students per teacher
Innovation Middle
Standard public school
1,239 students 19:1 students per teacher
Howard Middle
Standard public school
1,185 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Lake Nona Middle
Standard public school
1,179 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Freedom Middle
Standard public school
1,150 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Westridge Middle
Standard public school
1,136 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Southwest Middle
How many students attend Southwest Middle?
Southwest Middle has 1,290 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ORLANDO, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Middle is 21:1, which is 15% higher than the Florida average of 18.3:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Middle?
38.0% of students at Southwest Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Middle?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 44.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in ORLANDO, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Middle?
Southwest Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.