Southwest Middle
Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Gastonia, North Carolina
Southwest Middle in Gastonia, North Carolina enrolled 832 students in 2024-25 with 54.1 full-time teachers, 15.4 students per teacher against the North Carolina middle-school median of 16.2. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 35-39% of its students tested were proficient in math in 2021-22 (North Carolina: 50%).
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method
Enrollment rose 3% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers rose 6%
804 students in 2022-23, 809 students in 2023-24, 832 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 51.1 to 54.1.
The numbers as a table
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 804 | 51.1 | 15.7 |
| 2023-24 | 809 | 53.3 | 15.2 |
| 2024-25 | 832 | 54.1 | 15.4 |
15.4 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 64 of every 100 North Carolina middle schools
Among the 467 North Carolina middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 16.2; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).
One counselor per 257 students in 2021-22
In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Southwest Middle enrolled 771 students and had 3.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 204 out-of-school suspensions that year.
- Advanced Placement coursesNone
- Gifted and talented programYes
- Counselors (FTE)3.0, one per 257 of the 771 students enrolled in 2021-22
- Out-of-school suspensions204
- Chronically absent39.7% (2022-23)
Who attends
36.3% of students were Hispanic, 33.7% Black, 22.5% White in 2024-25.
- Hispanic36.3%
- Black33.7%
- White22.5%
- Two or more races6.9%
- Asian0.6%
- American Indian0.1%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested at Southwest Middle scored proficient or above: 35-39% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within North Carolina, not across states. No whole-school reading result is shown: ED's files give none for this school for 2021-22 or 2022-23. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.
| Subject | This school | Its district | North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math | 35‑39% | 47% | 50% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive): ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Middle schools in Gastonia
3 public middle schools in Gastonia report 2024-25 enrollment; Southwest Middle is the largest.
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Middle | 832 | 15.4 | 99.6% |
| W P Grier Middle School | 659 | 15.8 | 99.5% |
| York Chester Middle | 398 | 16.0 | 99.2% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.
What to look at next about Southwest Middle
- York Chester MiddleThe nearest public middle school, 1.9 miles away: 398 students, 16.0 per teacher (2024-25).1.9 mi
- W P Grier Middle SchoolThe next nearest public middle school, 3.3 miles away: 659 students, 15.8 per teacher (2024-25).3.3 mi
- Compare Southwest Middle with York Chester MiddleStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
- How much Gaston County Schools spends per student$12,190 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$12,190
- The largest public schools in North CarolinaSouthwest Middle is the number 88 by size of 472 North Carolina middle schools open in 2024-25.#88 of 472
- North Carolina schools by students per teacher15.4 students per teacher here against the North Carolina median of 16.2 for middle schools.15.4:1
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.
Questions about Southwest Middle
How many students attend Southwest Middle?
832 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 804 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Gastonia, NC.What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Middle?
15.4 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the North Carolina median for middle schools is 16.2. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.Is Southwest Middle a Title I school?
Southwest Middle ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.How do students at Southwest Middle do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested at Southwest Middle scored proficient or above: 35-39% in math, against 50% in math across North Carolina. North Carolina's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.What district is Southwest Middle in?
Gaston County Schools, NCES district ID 3701620. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 370162000712 are the district's.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22
District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.