SOUTHWEST HIGH: YOU CAN'T BUY A BETTER EDUCATION

NBC6's Lorena Inclan is a Southwest graduate. Here is her report on her alma mater.
Carys Martinez (class of 2024), a member of Southwest's International Banking and Finance magnet program, was one of 50 students worldwide selected for the Wharton Global Youth program and received a full scholarship to study in Cambridge, England. CBS4 reported on Carys' achivements.
SOUTHWEST RATED AN A SCHOOL The Florida Department of Education's 2022 school grades rank Southwest the number two public high school in the county among non-charter, non-magnet schools. Southwest, one of only four A-schools among neighborhood schools, was edged out by Barbara Goleman High for the top spot.
SOUTHWEST #1 IN USA FOR PERSONAL FINANCE Southwest has been named the number one large high school in America for teaching personal finance. The rankings are published by W!se, a groundbreaking educational nonprofit that provides financial education, college and career readiness programs, and services to students, educators and at-risk adults.
SW RANKED IN TOP 7% OF SCHOOLS NATIONALLY Southwest earned a silver medal in the US News and World Report 2017 high school rankings. Southwest was rated 1442 out of 22,000 high schools nationally, placing it in the top 7%. This is an extraordinary achievement given that 77% of the students participate in the free and reduced lunch program.
EAGLES TAKE FIRST PLACE IN STEM COMPETITION Southwest took first place in both the Robotic Arm and Mousetrap Car competitions at the 2017 Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics, and Enrichment (SECME) competiton at Miami-Dade College. Juan Guerra and Javier Rodriguez won the Mousetrap Car event and advance to the nationals at the University of Alabama. Anabel Alonso, Jose Fernandez and Ulysis Molina outperformed the engineering magnet students at neighboring Coral Park to capture the Robotic Arm event.
SOUTHWEST CHESS TEAM WINS FSCL SOUTH TITLE The Southwest chess team finished first in the 2017 Florida Scholastic Chess League South Championship at Hialeah Gardens High School. Jose Fernandez led the Eagles with an individual ranking of fourth place.
SOUTHWEST STUDENTS #2 IN NATION FOR MOST PERFECT AP SCORES Only four high schools in the country had five or more perfect scores on the 2016 Advanced Placement tests. According to the College Board, which administers the AP program, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a selective public school in Northern Virginia, led the nation this year in the number of perfect scores achieved on Advanced Placement exams with 6. Three high schools recorded five perfect scores: Carmel in Indiana, Lane Technical in Illinois and Southwest. The Miami Herald reported on the achievement. The AP test allows high school students to obtain college credit for college-level work done in high school.
SOUTHWEST STUDENT INVENTS BIOMEDICAL DEVICE Southwest student Jonathan Mairena, while serving an internship between his junior and senior years, invented a biomedical device that allows hospitals to monitor oxygen tanks remotely. He was featured on Channel 4 news. Jonathan went on to attend Ivy League school Penn where he earned a BSE in Bioengineering and an MSE in Robotics. Upon graduation, he was hired by GE Healthcare as a software engineer.	Jonathan Mairena
YEARBOOK IN TOP 1/2 OF 1% IN UNITED STATES Southwest's yearbook, Aquila, was named First Place by the American Scholastic Press Association. Only 197 schools received this honor of the more than 37,000 secondary schools nationwide. This puts Aquila in the top one-half of one percent!
CHANNEL 6 REPORTS ON ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AT SOUTHWEST Miami's NBC 6 featured two different stories on Southwest in April 2016. The stories focused on Southwest's Academy of Finance, the arts program and the fact that it has an astounding 42 members of its faculty who were once students at the school.You can view the first of two reports here and the second report here.
FINANCE ACADEMY ONE OF ONLY 40 IN U.S. TO ATTAIN DISTINGUISHED STATUS Southwest's Academy of Finance has been named one of the top 40 high school academies in the country by the National Academy Foundation, a national network of education, business, and community leaders who work together to ensure high school students are college, career, and future ready. Southwest received the same honor in 2015 and 2016. The Southwest AOF has sustained the Distinguished rating longer than any other academy in Dade County.
STATE FARM AWARDS SOUTHWEST $25,000 SAFE DRIVING GRANT Southwest High placed in the top 100 schools nationwide in 2013 and was awarded a $25,000 grant from State Farm Insurance.
SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS CHOSEN AS HOMECOMING KING AND QUEEN While special needs students are bullied at some schools, they are embraced at Southwest. In 2013, two special ed students, Howard Rouse and Isis Chirino, were named homecoming king and queen in a vote of the student body.
SOUTHWEST OFFERS A WIDE VARIETY OF ADVANCED COURSE OFFERINGS Southwest students can choose from a wide variety of advanced course offerings. In addition to honors, gifted classes and 25 different advanced placement courses, Southwest offers dual enrollment courses through both Miami-Dade College and Florida International University. The Honors Executive Internship Program pairs students with community professionals to gain experience and first-hand knowledge in their intended collegiate field of study. The Advanced Placement Capstone Program equips students with the independent research, collaborative teamwork, and communication skills that are increasingly valued by colleges. It cultivates curious, independent, and collaborative scholars and prepares them to make logical, evidence-based decisions.