Southwest Elementary

Southwest Elementary serves 669 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Durham, North Carolina. It earns a composite score of 9.2 out of 10 — rated Exceptional — with a growth score of 9.9 that places it among the rarest performers in the state. The numbers back that up.

Southwest ranks 21st out of 2,648 public schools across North Carolina, outperforming 99% of schools statewide. Within Durham, it holds the third spot among 68 public schools — a distinction that carries real weight in a district with no shortage of competitive options. Class sizes stay manageable at a 12.9-to-1 student-teacher ratio, giving teachers room to reach individual students.

Academic scores land at 7.8, solid on their own, but almost secondary to what the growth score signals: students here are advancing faster than nearly every comparable school in the state. A 9.9 growth rating doesn't happen by accident — it reflects consistent instructional execution across grade levels, year over year. For families weighing Durham's elementary options, Southwest's statewide rank of 19th among 1,474 elementary schools frames the choice clearly.

It takes sustained performance to reach that tier. The data puts this school in a category most Durham families never find on their first search — and one that holds up under scrutiny.