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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Southwest High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
860
High
DISTRICT 938 · STATE 1,120
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BIBB COUNTY·NCES 130042001944
Southwest High School
1775 Williamson Rd, Macon, GA 31206 · (478) 779-4459 · Bibb County
GRADES 09–12HIGH12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL860 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 1% of Georgia public high schools
- FTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Georgia public high schools
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.2:1 · STATE 15.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
607 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 74%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 284 | 33% |
| Grade 10 | 223 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 198 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 155 | 18% |
Student demographics
15%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 71% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Georgia Milestones 2024-25 . % Proficient or DistinguishedMath
9.0%
GA avg 44.6% . +7.9pp since 2021
What this means: On the Georgia Milestones, Georgia's statewide test, about 9 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The Georgia average is about 45 of 100. Math scores are up about 8 points since 2021.
Georgia Milestones results by year
| School year | Math |
|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 9.0% |
| 2023-24 | 7.6% |
| 2022-23 | 2.6% |
| 2021-22 | 1.1% |
% Proficient or Distinguished, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Georgia Milestones. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of GA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
7.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.9%
based on GA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-33.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 8% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 41% typical for Georgia schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Southwest High School
Southwest High School's state test result (7.8% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest High School this school | 860 | 70.6% | 7.8% |
| Northeast High School Macon | 794 | 63.6% | 12.3% |
| Arabia Mountain High School - Academy of Engineering- Medic Lithonia | 1,224 | 65.2% | 40.6% |
| McDonough High School McDonough | 1,359 | 72.4% | 23.4% |
| Westside High School Macon | 1,013 | 61.6% | 8.0% |
| Johnson High School Savannah | 762 | 83.2% | 25.2% |
Matched among Georgia high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Southwest High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Georgia | In Bibb County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 7.8% | #395 of 411 | #6 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 9.0% | #385 of 417 ▼ 5 | #5 of 6 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 860 | #295 of 480 | #5 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.5:1 | #254 of 413 | #4 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 14.9% | #396 of 413 | #5 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 70.6% | #222 of 425 | #1 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.6% | #179 of 226 | N/A |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
860
+70 (+9%) vs 2020
-45% since 1990-91, when it was 1,553
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 15.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 860 | 52 | 16.5:1 | 71% (607) |
| 2023-24 | 820 | 51 | 16.1:1 | 65% (530) |
| 2022-23 | 800 | 52.4 | 15.3:1 | 100% (800) |
| 2020-21 | 790 | 52 | 15.2:1 | 100% (790) |
| 2017-18 | 830 | 51.7 | 16.1:1 | 99% (823) |
| 2015-16 | 866 | 54 | 16.0:1 | 99% (858) |
| 2010-11 | 994 | 64 | 15.5:1 | 92% (917) |
| 2000-01 | 1,189 | 66 | 18.0:1 | 53% (628) |
| 1990-91 | 1,553 | 88 | 17.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southwest High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (830 to 860); teachers up 1% (51.7 to 52).
About Southwest High School
Southwest High School, a small high school, is located in Macon, Georgia. The school's 860 students are in grades 9 through 12. Statewide, high schools in Georgia average about 1,120 students each.
The district, Bibb County, has 21,334 students enrolled across 35 schools.
The large majority of students at Southwest High School, 92%, are Black. The remaining shares are 5% Hispanic. Bibb County as a whole is about 55% Black, so the school's share is higher. By the diversity index, Southwest High School comes in at 15%.
Its 52 full-time-equivalent teachers give the school a ratio of 16.5:1. The average ratio among high schools in Georgia is 15.2:1, lower than at this school. The school's lunch program data list 71% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That is 10 points above the 61% average for public schools in Bibb County.
Southwest High School is graded F by allk12, scoring above 1% of Georgia public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Compared with Georgia schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Southwest High School scores 33.0 points lower than predicted. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 7.8%; the prediction is 40.9%.
Census Bureau estimates for Bibb County show that median household income is about $51,234, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 26%, and about 20% of people live in poverty. A total of 41 public schools operate in Bibb County, serving about 23,725 students.
Of nearby public schools, Hartley Elementary School is the closest, at about 1.0 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools with test data average 13.7% proficiency; Southwest High School posts 7.8%.
Southwest High School is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000, a location NCES labels City: Mid-size.
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Southwest High School went from 790 students to 860. The ratio of students to teachers went from 15.2:1 to 16.5:1 over the same years.
The discussion area below is open to posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Bibb County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
156,578
Census ACS
Median income
$51,234
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
20%
Below federal line
Schools in county
41
23,725 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Bibb County
- Howard High SchoolHigh · 1,145 students
- Westside High SchoolHigh · 1,013 students
- Howard Middle SchoolMiddle · 973 students
- Rutland High SchoolHigh · 921 students
- Weaver Middle SchoolMiddle · 894 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 892 students
Other schools in Macon
- Academy For Classical EducationCombined · 1,808 students
- Howard High SchoolHigh · 1,145 students
- Westside High SchoolHigh · 1,013 students
- Howard Middle SchoolMiddle · 973 students
- Rutland High SchoolHigh · 921 students
- Weaver Middle SchoolMiddle · 894 students
Other Southwest High schools
8 other US public schools in 8 states are named Southwest High. Southwest High School is the 7th largest of the 9.
- Southwest High SchoolSAN ANTONIO, TX · 2,363 students
- SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOLLINCOLN, NE · 2,110 students
- Southwest HighEl Centro, CA · 1,846 students
- Southwest HighMINNEAPOLIS, MN · 1,195 students
- Southwest High SchoolFORT WORTH, TX · 1,155 students
Nearby schools
- Hartley Elementary School1.0 mi · 385
- Ballard Hudson Middle School1.2 mi · 671
- Bruce Elementary School1.4 mi · 411
- Cirrus Charter Academy1.4 mi · 429
- Ingram/Pye Elementary School1.5 mi · 450
- Southfield Elementary School2.0 mi · 630
Frequently asked questions
About Southwest High SchoolHow many students attend Southwest High School?
Southwest High School enrolls approximately 860 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Southwest High School serve?
Southwest High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Southwest High School?
Approximately 16.5:1 students per teacher at Southwest High School.
How diverse is Southwest High School?
Southwest High School reports a student body of 2% White, 5% Hispanic, 92% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Southwest High School?
Southwest High School is overseen by Bibb County in Bibb County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.