Public middle schools in Colorado Springs: What are this year's top rated and most improved?

Public middle schools in Colorado Springs: What are this year's top rated and most improved?Photo: iStock
Hoodline
Published on August 13, 2019

How strong are the public middle schools in Colorado Springs?

With a fresh school year kicking off, we analyzed newly released data from Niche.com, which incorporates comprehensive report cards, rankings and reviews to help you choose the right school, to identify those schools that made the biggest strides last year, as well as those that top the city's best public middle school rankings.

Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School's overall rating improved the most among its peers in Colorado Springs, rising from a B+ to an A, according to data from Niche.

For the 2019-2020 school year, the school, located at 1810 N. Gate Blvd., enrolls 1,027 students. Niche graded the school A for academics (on an A-D scale).

The overall ranking comes from Niche's proprietary algorithms. A school's ranking might change due to many factors, including the relative rankings of similar schools and whether a school gained or lost peers due to openings or closings. Other numbers come from current public data from the U.S. government.

Academically, 49% of Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School's students scored proficient or above in math, and 63% did so in reading. That's compared to city averages of 27% in math and 41% in reading.

It's not the only school that's climbed Niche's rankings this year. Sproul Junior High School saw its overall rating jump from a C+ to a B. The school is located at 235 Sumac Drive and is a bit smaller, currently serving 586 students, of whom 48% identify as white and 32% identify as Hispanic.

Niche graded Sproul Junior High School a B for academics on an A-D scale. Its latest math proficiency was 32%, and reading proficiency was 46%. The school's upswing is notable since it serves a less-affluent population, with 56% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Timberview Middle School also improved, from a B+ to an A-. The school is located at 8680 Scarborough Drive and has 1,140 students currently enrolled.

Niche graded Timberview Middle School A- for academics on an A-D scale. Its latest math proficiency was 41%, and reading proficiency was 55%.

While some public middle schools are moving up the ranks, others are consistently top-rated overall, including:

  • Challenger Middle School, with an overall rating of A.
  • Cheyenne Mountain Junior High School, with an A rating overall.
  • Mountain Ridge Middle School, rated A- overall.

This story was created automatically using data from Niche.com, then reviewed by an editor before publication. Click here for more about how and why Hoodline is automating local news. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.