Southwest Middle School in Charlotte

Category	Rating	Details
Test Scores	3/10	The Test Score Rating examines how students at this school performed on standardized tests compared with other schools in the state. The Test Rating was created using 2025 North Carolina End-of-Course Tests data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and using 2025 North Carolina End-of-Grade Tests data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
Student Growth	1/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2024 Student growth data from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Posted: August 26, 2026

This school is horrible. Disorganised staff . Transportation is always late . They barely answer the phones . Poor communication between parents and Teachers . Oh and also they dont have coaches for sports this year .

Posted: August 26, 2026

Posted: February 24, 2026

I like to give to this school -5.
This school CURRENTLY has;
>LACK OF DISCIPLINE
>SELFISH STAFF and PARENTS
>STAFF NOT LEADING BY EXAMPLE<
>UNHELPFUL WHEN YOU NEED INFORMATION
>MOST PARENTS ARE VERY HOSTILE AT SCHOOL GROUND AND DON'T FOLLOW SCHOOL RULES.
>> kids with BAD BEHAVIOR doesn't have consequences when they do something, completely unsafe for responsible and respectful kids.
MECKLENBURG COUNTY SCHOOL can do more about this specific school, but unfortunately THE STAFF, including teachers and most parents don't have the will to do what is right, not only for the school, for the entire community too. >>My kids came from a school 9/10, and the difference between the previous school and SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL is ASTRONOMICAL and unfortunately this school is DOING very bad.
If I recommend SOUTHWEST MIDDLE SCHOOL? you will have a big NO....

Posted: February 24, 2026

Posted: February 6, 2026

this school is nothing less then disappointing.everyone is too scared to talk to teachers for help because they will humiliate them that isn't normal at all so if you hate your kid don't bring them here

Posted: February 6, 2026

Posted: May 29, 2025

If I could give less than one star, I would. My experience with Southwest Middle School has been nothing short of frustrating, disappointing, and at times, infuriating.

The biggest issue is the lack of consistent communication and accountability from some of the staff. When it comes to behavioral issues or drama, responses from certain teachers are immediate. But when parents reach out repeatedly about academics, missing assignments, or support theres silence. Its disheartening to witness how quick some are to react to negative behavior, yet completely ignore students who need help or guidance.

There is a serious lack of compassion and true concern for student development from several staff members. It often feels like the focus is on control and compliance, rather than growth and support. Ive spoken to multiple parents who share similar frustrations, so I know my experience is not unique.

That said, I do want to acknowledge a few educators who truly care: Spinks, Gregory, Baked, Sanders, Foggie, and Stokes. These individuals have shown kindness, professionalism, and a real commitment to helping students succeed. Unfortunately, their efforts are overshadowed by others who fail to meet even the basic expectations of teaching and communication.

Southwest Middle School has a lot of work to do to restore trust with parents and create an environment that truly puts students first. Until then, I cannot recommend this school to anyone looking for a supportive and accountable educational experience for their child.

Posted: May 29, 2025

Posted: September 28, 2024

i honestly feel like this school isnt a safe place they dont take things seriously and they lwk hire anyone for a teacher. The students are badd influence's and teachers are to comfortable with sharing there home life with there students like i know to much about my past 8th teachers. The teachers hugged students alot as if they were friends. and yes, the lunch is not healthy. Nor do i think its safe to be putting in our bodys. Southwest really led me down a bad path tho. So much drama and childish teachers i wouldnt send ur child here, its rlly not the best learning space.

Posted: September 28, 2024

Posted: April 25, 2024

Lot of bulling some techers help but this rarley happens.Would not recomed no one desviers this touture.

Posted: April 25, 2024

Posted: April 20, 2024

First, There is a lot of bullying and worse going on, shooting threats , fights and worse and 2nd the teachers dont even do anything about it they dont treat you like 6, 7, 8th graders they treat us like litte kids and people dont listen in the classroom and it is reallly hard to learn. 3rd, the bathrooms are DISGUSTING like there is not even soap or paper towels, and there is mold in the water fountains and lastly we cant even go to the bathroom expect for our bathroom breaks time which is 2 times a day and one is in the morning and one is in the afternoon . I would NOT reccommend this school to your child.

Posted: April 20, 2024

Posted: April 10, 2024

This school is horrible. LUnch is bad and the students are bad. Most teachers don't come to school so we are dispersed. Math 1 is carrying the test scores. (that are below average)

Posted: April 10, 2024

Posted: February 5, 2024

Booo I dont like this school and a lot of fitting

Posted: February 5, 2024

Posted: January 16, 2024

I actually used be excited to go to school until I started going here. The kids are horrible, some teachers are good and try but others couldn't care less about you. The current principal is also decent, they are at least better than the last principal. I've never been sad to go to school but when I have to go here I feel horrible. The lunch is pretty good though the only thing is they give small rations. I would not recommend this school to ANYONE

Posted: September 29, 2023

My kid is having a terrible experience at this school. After having such an honorable year at palisades and every previous year Im terrified with the feedback Im getting daily. Vulgarity from staff members its absurd.

Posted: August 27, 2023

This is an amazing school my child came back last year n loved it so now she is in 7th grade

Posted: April 28, 2023

Too much threats, I don't feel comfortable there, It is a nice big school though!

Posted: April 23, 2023

I would give this school zero stars if it was an option! This place is more like a prison than a place of learning, at least learning things useful to society. Every single day there are fights or other disturbances and students cannot use the restroom without being escorted by someone. Why? It's because too many students cannot be trusted to simply go and return to class. Plus, there is widespread vandalism (sinks ripped from the wall, only a few faucets are functional, etc.).

The behavior of the students is another thing that simply defies the imagination. My child is often dispersed to another class due to teacher absences and a lack of subs (who would want to sub there or at any other middle school????). She tells me that when she has to go to another teacher's class, she can barely concentrate, let alone get anything done, because the teacher has to deal with inappropriate behavior nonstop.

For the teachers, I gave them high marks because they really do their best. I feel they are doing a great job in spite of, not because of the circumstances. Sadly but understandably, many of them will not return next year.

This leads to the last point: the principal. She is either in way over her head or actually believes that her approach will work. She does little or nothing meaningful about the horrible behavior. She will deal with it by penalizing everyone. For example, a few students got into (yet another) fight in the cafeteria. So her response was to make if off-limits for a time.

Look, the administration makes or breaks the school. With so many job openings posted for next year, it is obvious that someone else is needed to come in, take charge, and turn this school around by actually holding students accountable.

My child and I cannot wait until that happy day where she will never again have to set foot inside this glorified zoo!

Posted: September 9, 2022

The current principal's idea of managing the school is threatening students with juvenile facilities. Today my daughter came home and told about the conversation her class had with the principal, where ther principal stated "if you don't know how to listen, there is Turning Point for you" . When one of the students asked what Turning Point was, the principal blurted "you'll find out." FYI she was talking to the 8th Grade honors class where many kids are high achieving and already set goals for life.
During the first week of school the principal explained the students that hoodies were banned because "we don't want what happened in Uwalde happen in this school, kids can brings dangerous things to school in those hoodies". I do not think she even realized how ridiculous this statement was and how terrified her speech made kids feel.
We came back to CMS from private school hoping that the school has improved under different leadership, but now considering to withdraw my child. There are a lot of great teachers and administrators at this school, however there already were several disturbing conversations that the principal initiated with students.
As a parent I am my concerns to the district. Our children should come to school to learn, not to listen about possible Uwalde happening here or be threatened with Turning Point facilities.

Posted: January 27, 2022

I mainly only came here to review their rancid horrific food but I'll say this, this school is terrible. Now it's not so bad where you will have to pull your child out but I really wouldn't recommend enrolling your child into it. The kids are absolutely out of control and the 8th graders are much worse than the 6th graders, there are a lot of fights, and most of the staff and administration here won't really do anything about it, the teachers honestly have no idea what they are doing except a select few. I know there's gonna be a teacher review telling about how 'great' this school is but they're just trying to justify the negligence of their staff and children especially and besides that also doesn't excuse the many awful experiences children had here. The kids are so bad they usually cancel events and sometimes field trips so don't expect your children to have a lot of fun here. The only ceremonies they really had here were the a and a b honor roll parties. Now moving on to my last point, their food, god their food is awful. Definitely do NOT trust the pictures they post of their food, their chicken sandwiches are usually undercooked, their pulled pork tastes like cat food, and their hot dogs look weird. Their fruits are also usually moldy and their breakfasts aren't as good either. When I went here every time I ate their food I got some form of a stomach ache later and it was miserable.

Posted: September 17, 2021

nice place I love it it is nice

Posted: July 26, 2021

We moved to Charlotte from California didn't know much other than the area was nice. We quickly found out! My daughter was scared to go to school here. Bullying,fighting threatening even teachers would get hurt. They couldn't have lunch recess because of the violence. We moved.

Posted: June 25, 2020

I rate this school a ZERO! Listen to the bad reviews because they are all TRUE!! BEWARE

Posted: August 5, 2019

We tell the counselor when we're being bullied. She tells us she'll do something, then never does.

Posted: August 5, 2019

I didn't get to sleep until midnight most nights because of the overwhelming amount of homework.

Posted: August 5, 2019

They're just put in below standards classes.

Posted: August 5, 2019

I didn't like going to this school. We're stuck with the same assistant principal and counselor for all three years, and it seemed like my year's didn't care about us at all. The homework was overwhelming, and once, a teacher took 20% off my grade in a class discussion because I "didn't talk loud enough".

Posted: March 29, 2019

The level of homework was off the charts. Tons of it. So much that we had a meeting and were told to deal with it. We all have lives outside of work. The schools need to respect that. I don't want to get off work and spend the next 6 hours doing homework. My son spent 8 hours at school to come home to 4 -6 hours of homework each night.

Posted: March 29, 2019

Most are young, unskilled and unable to communicate. It's not easy getting them to understand how the real world works.

Posted: March 29, 2019

The Principle of the school is a stange man who roams the halls telling everyone about how clean the school is and how he likes to see it clean yet can't return phone calls, can't answer emails and it only gets back to you after you contact his senior. Of course with no actual real information.

Posted: March 29, 2019

We had meetings. Not that it did any good.

Posted: March 29, 2019

No, it's allowed. Then again the entire school system is filled with it.

Posted: March 29, 2019

Overall we made it and were just as disappointed as we expected to be.

Posted: May 25, 2018

We were told that students wouldnt be given homework that takes more than 30 minutes. That has been the furthest thing from the truth. My son has spent entire weekends finishing homework assignments.

Posted: May 25, 2018

Lot of inexperienced teachers. Theyre ignorant as well. That yall about other students and their parents around their peers

Posted: May 25, 2018

School needs major improvements. A complete change in culture and approach. Better communication with parents

Posted: December 29, 2017

This school was brought to me by a good school I used to go to, which was rivergate, so I was expecting this school was gonna be the same but surprisingly, I was wrong. It's probably the worst school I've ever went to! It's like there's so many rules. It feels like north korea! The teachers are annoying and dumb and the children are mean. I was expecting the 8th and 7th graders to be well behaved but no. They're not. They're crazy and act like elementary schoolers. They also start yell alot and start fights. The bus driver doesn't do anything about it. This is my first year and this is what I think about southwest middle school, THE WORST SCHOOL EVER.

Posted: November 4, 2017

Posted: October 27, 2017

I went here for all three years of middle school. They were the worst years of my life, but that's probably just middle school in general. Your child will survive if you send them here, I am now at an early college taking college classes in my sophomore year, so it's not going to ruin your life. If you have a bad experience, it's probably because of the students, although some of the teachers are *insert inappropriate word here*. But yeah if you send your kid here they won't die. There are a lot of good teachers there, and I made some pretty good friends. I hope this was helpful since I actually went there.

Posted: June 6, 2017

Teachers do not keep up with PowerSchool and are non communicative.

Posted: June 6, 2017

Constant bullying of my child and no response from the school. They do not return calls either.

Posted: June 6, 2017

We have moved out of the area to the Clover School District so as to get our child out of this school. Horrible experience!

Posted: May 5, 2016

This school rocks. Initially I was hesitate in placing my daughter in this school after reading the negative reviews. After a bad experience in a charter school I had no choice because this is her home school. A true blessing it is. All the support staff and teachers are wonderful. The teachers are very supportive of the children. The teachers get through to the kids in a positive way. My daughter comes home all the time with positive comments about her teachers. She has learned so much since attending Southwest. I personally am grateful and appreciative to have Southwest Middle as my child home-school.

Posted: May 2, 2016

I have been a teacher here for the past four years and feel disheartened by the negative reviews I see on a variety of websites about Southwest. There a so many wonderful things happening at our school that will far surpass my word limit. What the negative reviews won't tell you about is the thousands of dollars our students have raised for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this year. The reviews also won't tell you about our outstanding orchestra who consistently score exemplary in national competitions, beating out high schools. The reviews also won't say that our Science and Math departments have essentially closed the achievement gap among our various groups. Yes, we are a large, diverse school that is undergoing a positive shift that these reviews do not accurately portray.

Those that have commented on the ineffectiveness of the administration or teachers have not witnessed one of our grade level administrators working directly with a team of teachers and parents to remedy an issue as quickly as possible. Nor have they been apart of a team who tirelessly attend parent meetings to try to do everything they can to motivate and help your child.

To say this school is "terrible," and a "nightmare," is fundamentally slanderous. As with everything we read online, please consider the bias of the author before making a judgement call. Rather, come visit and make an opinion for yourself.

Posted: December 2, 2015

I am a teacher and substitute teacher. I have worked in a variety of different schools over the years, and I believe the staff at SWMS does a great job. Middle School is one of the most difficult age groups to teach thanks to puberty, and the conflicts and drama can often throw a school off balance. I never thought I would like to teach middle school again, and yet I have had a very pleasant time at SWMS. The teachers work together to teach students what is expected in middle school. Administration is strict and consistent, which keeps everyone in line and organized. Teachers are given the freedom to teach, and are not over scrutinized. I feel safe working here. Considering many of these students are coming from lower income families (free/reduced lunch is 58%), it is quite impressive that this school functions so well.

Posted: March 1, 2015

The problem I have with SW is the size of the school. They need a new middle school in the area because its growing. My son also told me their are some students in class that are disruptive, but not all. The bottom line; the parent has the last word when it comes to public school issues. Call the teacher and ask for a personal meeting, be prepared and if your child needs extra help (ADHD, They need a tutor, in a subject) In other words, If their needs in the classroom are not being ment call a "504" A 504 is where the principal, teachers and counselors have to meet with you to discuss your concerns. They must address your issues, due to the fact this rule is a federal statute. (Usually, used if child has developmental issues but not always). Example: If your child is depressed because of bulling and it's causing a issue with their education/studies. Call a 504. If you are not satisfied with that, then request a group meeting with the principal, counselor, and teacher. In the VERY rare case they refuse. It is time to get ugly and contact the superintendents office and bring your lawyer.

Posted: February 24, 2015

This school is horrible,the whole school should be shut down. The kids are out of control, very few understand the meaning of school and the purpose of coming to school.. half of the teachers don't know how to teach the kids for the kids to understand the lesson. The principal and his assistance don't care for the students, they never listen to the parents about the teachers are staff when addressing an issue.. If a parent can check your area of schools if you don't live in the area of this school and were planning on moving to this area..

Posted: April 27, 2014

I just came to this school from park road montessori. This is my first year although i am starting in 7th grade. This school sucks! The teachers barely even care if you missed anything. They don't explain projects well at all. The organization at this school is the worst because there is none. On picture day over the load speaker they said ok all 7th graders go head down to the media center for your picture. The halls were completely filled! The teachers did nothing about it. It was really loud and crowded.The children's language is disgusting. They curse almost all the time and it makes me very uncomfortable. Even when the teachers here them curse they say hey don't talk like that in my class room and go back to what they were doing like nothing happened! Yeah cause a 13 year old can curse any where else but not your class room! The school is completely over populated and gross. There is sick writing all over the bathroom walls and there is gum under almost all the lockers! I wish i was over at quail hollow now. I feel like dying every time i her the words southwest and middle school together. Don't go here unless you hate your child.

Posted: March 15, 2014

very good school, I have sent all 13 of my kids here and they all love it.in fact, my eldest son even purposely got himself held back because he wanted another year there! 10/10

Posted: September 10, 2013

Horrifying. Unless your child is in the "high" Honors classes. Check, bc there are two levels of Honors classes. These are quietly referred to as "high honors" and "low honors". Low honors is just the old Standard Plus kids, those who scored 3's on EOGs. I spent 2 days going to school with my son who wasn't doing homework (I tried many other tactics before this). What I saw in the class labeled as Honors was like a movie about an inner city school run by thugs.. Except this was real and as hard as the teachers tried to maintain control, these little darlings ran the 3 classrooms I visited. They were sitting on desks, disobeying teacher demands to sit in their seat, walking around talking, throwing things, and would NOT stop talking all during the lecture. The child seated next to me quietly said, "I wish they would just shut up" and put his head on his desk and just kind of shut down. When I approached admin, the quickest solution was to move my son, into the "high honors" class. The red tape required to remove an unruly child from the room or school, I was told, is monumental. Was informed teachers have learned if they discipline or seek help from admin, it backfires on them.

Posted: January 17, 2013

This school is terrible. I have personally seen two very violent fights where teachers stood by. The bullying is so bad that kids will act out simply to escape the classroom and the bullying. Teachers do very little to try and stop it. They have given up just as much as the students. Some of the students are so vulgar that teachers have been reduced to cursing and name calling just to be heard...and still they aren't heard for very long. I have sat in on classes, lunches, field trips and after school sporting events and at best, this school is a nightmare.

Southwest Middle School

Charlotte, NC 28273

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Southwest Middle School

Charlotte, NC 28273

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