SOUTHWEST MIDDLE

Set in ORLANDO, Florida, SOUTHWEST MIDDLE is a large junior high, overseen by ORANGE. It teaches 1,290 students across grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 794 students per school, that is 62% bigger than typical.

ORANGE comprises 272 schools with combined enrollment of 207,778 students; SOUTHWEST MIDDLE is among them.

Demographically, SOUTHWEST MIDDLE records that the largest single group is Hispanic at 44%, but no single group is in the majority. Other groups include 26% White, 21% Black, 7% Asian, 2% multiracial. By comparison, Orange County as a whole is about 34% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 67 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 19.6:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 33% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, SOUTHWEST MIDDLE performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 64.6%, the actual is 55.8%, a residual of -8.8 points.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Orange County put median household earnings sit near $79,719, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. Across Orange County's 286 public schools (combined enrollment of about 216,813 students), SOUTHWEST MIDDLE is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is DR. PHILLIPS ELEMENTARY, roughly 0.6 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, SOUTHWEST MIDDLE comes 4th of 7 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 59.1%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. SOUTHWEST MIDDLE's enrollment has edged down 9% since 2018, when it stood at 1,410 (now 1,290). The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 36% to 44% over that span. Class-load math has widened: from 17.4:1 in 2018 to 19.3:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.