SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY

SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY operates as a compact elementary-level community in ORLANDO, Florida, part of ORANGE. Current enrollment sits at 481 students spanning grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 20% below the typical public school in Florida, which averages around 604 students.

SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY is one of 272 schools operated by ORANGE, a district that hosts 207,778 students overall.

On the student-mix side, SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY shows that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 57% of enrollment. Other groups include 18% Black, 14% White, 7% Asian, 3% multiracial. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 34%.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 15.0:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.5:1, putting SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY tighter than the state norm the norm. About 48% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Orange County runs at roughly 39%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 57.3%; this one delivers 61.8%.

In the area at large, ACS estimates for Orange County put the typical household earns roughly $79,719 per year, 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), SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is CYPRESS CREEK HIGH, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY at 3rd of 9; the average score across the group is 56.1%.

The campus sits in a suburban setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 9%: 527 students in 2018 compared to 481 in 2025. The White share of enrollment ticked down from 19% to 14% over that span.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.