Southwest Academy

Southwest Academy is one of the moderately sized junior highs in Baltimore, Maryland, overseen by Baltimore County Public Schools, with 842 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8.

Across the 177 schools in Baltimore County Public Schools (110,872 students total), Southwest Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Southwest Academy records that 51% of students identify as Black, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest comes out to 24% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 7% White. That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school reports having 52 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.3:1, putting Southwest Academy higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 64% of students at Southwest Academy qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Baltimore County runs at roughly 53%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, On a poverty-adjusted basis, Southwest Academy sits in the bottom 10% statewide. Predicted proficiency from the FRL regression is roughly 36.5%; actual is 21.8%, a gap of -14.7 points.

Around the school, Baltimore County reports that median household earnings sit near $91,768, 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Across Baltimore County's 180 public schools (combined enrollment of about 110,872 students), Southwest Academy is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Johnnycake Elementary, around 0.5 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Southwest Academy at 7th of 7; the average score across the group is 36.0%.

Southwest Academy operates from a commuter-belt location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Southwest Academy has ticked down 5%, going from 888 students in 2018 to 842 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share decreased from 73% to 51%.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Southwest Academy community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.