Southern Hills Middle School

Summary:

Southern Hills Middle School is a highly-rated public middle school serving grades 6-8 with a student population of 456, located in Boulder, Colorado. It is part of the Boulder Valley School District, which is ranked 4th out of 116 districts in Colorado and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Southern Hills Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Colorado, ranking 9th out of 485 schools in the 2023-2024 school year. This is reflected in its exceptional test scores, with 84.3% of students proficient or better in CMAS/English Language Arts and 71.9% proficient or better in CMAS/Math, far exceeding the district and state averages. While the student population is predominantly white (78.51%), the school has a more diverse racial makeup compared to some nearby schools, with higher percentages of Asian (5.7%) and students of two or more races (8.33%). Additionally, Southern Hills has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at 9.87%, significantly lower than the nearby Broomfield Heights Middle School (56.64%) and Angevine Middle School (46.64%).

Southern Hills Middle School's exceptional academic performance, racial diversity, and low free and reduced lunch rates set it apart from the surrounding middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District. Its student-teacher ratio of 18.6 is also lower than many of the nearby public middle schools, and its Gifted and Talented program ranks 25th out of 126 Colorado middle schools, indicating a strong focus on supporting high-achieving students. These factors contribute to Southern Hills Middle School's reputation as an outstanding educational institution that consistently delivers exceptional results for its students.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 1500 Knox Drive
       Boulder, CO  80305-6617


(720) 561-3400

District: Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

SchoolDigger Rank:
9th of 485 Colorado Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $18,824 Help


Students who attend Southern Hills Middle School usually attend:

High:    Fairview High School

Feeder schools for Southern Hills Middle School:

Elementary:    Bear Creek Elementary School
    Mesa Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  18.6 Help
Number of students:  456

Racial breakdown:

White:
78.5%
Two or more races:
8.3%
Hispanic:
6.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  9.9% Help


 See top rated Colorado middle schools

 Compare Southern Hills Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Southern Hills Middle School ranks better than 98.1% of middle schools in Colorado. It also ranks 2nd among 9 ranked middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 97.62. (See more...)
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Southern Hills Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Southern Hills Middle School is $18,824. 5 middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Southern Hills Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Southern Hills Middle School 9th of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Southern Hills Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Female students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
White students:


Boulder Valley School District No. Re2:

SchoolDigger ranks Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 4th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Southern Hills Middle School?

Rank History for Southern Hills Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Southern Hills Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 79.58 54th 336 83.9%
2005 90.12 15th 340 95.6%
2006 89.06 23rd 346 93.4%
2007 93.15 14th 360 96.1%
2008 93.41 12th 362 96.7%
2009 92.12 16th 377 95.8%
2010 92.32 18th 409 95.6%
2011 93.01 17th 422 96.0%
2012 93.01 16th 425 96.2%
2013 95.11 12th 454 97.4%
2014 93.55 17th 461 96.3%
2015 88.02 35th 436 92.0%
2016 93.88 19th 400 95.3%
2017 96.74 10th 424 97.6%
2018 96.96 12th 418 97.1%
2019 97.20 10th 458 97.8%
2021 94.58 17th 369 95.4%
2022 96.73 10th 448 97.8%
2023 96.52 9th 480 98.1%
2024 97.62 9th 485 98.1%
See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Female students at Southern Hills Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.80 11th 315 96.5%
2019 95.32 9th 352 97.4%
2021 90.45 19th 254 92.5%
2022 93.28 12th 326 96.3%
2023 93.00 17th 363 95.3%
2024 96.46 8th 350 97.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Southern Hills Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.25 28th 121 76.9%
2019 76.48 13th 134 90.3%
2022 73.49 21st 93 77.4%
2023 78.53 14th 125 88.8%
2024 72.78 25th 126 80.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Southern Hills Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 97.11 9th 317 97.2%
2019 96.12 12th 343 96.5%
2021 93.14 14th 249 94.4%
2022 96.04 12th 328 96.3%
2023 95.44 10th 356 97.2%
2024 96.29 11th 357 96.9%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Southern Hills Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 93.29 14th 199 93.0%
2019 93.41 14th 283 95.1%
2021 85.41 21st 203 89.7%
2022 89.82 17th 265 93.6%
2023 89.66 18th 286 93.7%
2024 92.71 12th 273 95.6%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Colorado Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Southern Hills Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
50%

0%

0%

0%

50%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Open Quote the above is just sour apples. The school is tough, they really do challenge the kids ( if upper classes are taken). Mr. Gallach and Ina are a great asset.....just making kids accountable, they communicate with families with concerns. I think it is a GREAT public school. Clean, nice teacher, nice kids! Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Open Quote The school is awful, it offers a minimal mount of advanced classes, only some of the teachers are good teachers but most just follow the book. Also the principal and vice-principal have outrageous punishments and sometimes make kids sign crazy contracts that do nothing but victimise your child. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Southern Hills Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 351 6 22 9 3 n/a n/a 0 391
1989 361 4 19 10 3 n/a n/a 0 397
1990 370 6 17 15 3 n/a n/a 0 411
1991 383 6 14 15 1 n/a n/a 0 419
1992 393 10 14 19 3 n/a n/a 0 439
1993 440 6 16 20 3 n/a n/a 0 485
1994 450 6 16 22 3 n/a n/a 0 497
1995 427 5 14 14 3 n/a n/a 0 463
1996 427 5 14 14 3 n/a n/a 0 463
1997 333 2 9 13 1 n/a n/a 0 358
1998 364 3 8 8 0 n/a n/a 0 383
1999 381 3 8 11 0 n/a n/a 0 403
2000 395 2 10 12 1 n/a n/a 0 420
2001 442 4 14 0 6 n/a n/a 0 466
2002 428 7 23 13 9 n/a n/a 0 480
2003 428 7 23 13 9 n/a n/a 0 480
2004 467 7 29 19 3 n/a n/a 0 525
2005 475 6 31 24 1 n/a n/a 0 537
2006 441 8 32 19 3 n/a n/a 0 503
2007 411 9 36 17 5 n/a n/a 0 478
2008 424 10 37 13 3 n/a n/a 0 487
2009 425 9 43 17 2 n/a n/a 0 496
2010 454 10 51 20 3 n/a n/a 0 538
2011 423 1 41 43 3 0 35 0 546
2012 425 1 33 41 3 0 32 0 535
2013 437 2 29 42 4 0 28 0 542
2014 452 2 31 33 3 0 29 0 550
2015 465 3 27 33 3 0 29 0 560
2016 448 3 33 37 3 0 31 0 555
2017 444 2 36 39 2 0 36 0 559
2018 444 4 40 33 2 0 32 0 555
2019 434 5 28 34 0 1 36 0 538
2020 423 4 32 32 0 1 38 0 530
2021 378 3 30 31 0 1 33 0 476
2022 379 1 39 30 1 0 32 0 482
2023 358 4 26 28 2 0 38 0 456

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Southern Hills Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 391 27.5 14.2 n/a
1989 397 24.4 16.2 4.3
1990 411 26.1 15.7 2.9
1991 419 24.1 17.3 3.8
1992 439 24.8 17.7 3.9
1993 485 29.1 16.7 3.9
1994 497 29.6 16.8 6
1995 463 27.0 17.2 5.4
1996 463 27.0 17.2 5.4
1997 358 22.2 16.1 4.5
1998 383 22.6 16.9 3.7
1999 403 24.7 16.3 4
2000 420 27.6 15.2 4.5
2001 466 27.5 16.9 4.3
2002 480 31.2 15.4 5.6
2003 480 31.2 15.4 5.6
2004 525 30.0 17.5 5.5
2005 537 31.8 16.9 4.1
2006 503 30.9 16.3 5
2007 478 29.2 16.4 5.4
2008 487 28.9 16.9 2.7
2009 496 29.9 16.6 4
2010 538 29.7 18.0 4.6
2011 546 29.4 18.5 6
2012 535 29.6 18.0 4.5
2013 542 29.9 18.1 4.4
2014 550 29.2 18.7 4.7
2015 560 29.0 19.3 7
2016 555 29.0 19.1 7.7
2017 559 26.8 20.8 6.1
2018 555 27.0 20.5 4.7
2019 538 27.8 19.3 5.2
2020 530 27.7 19.0 4.5
2021 476 25.3 18.7 5.9
2022 482 25.5 18.8 6
2023 456 24.4 18.6 9.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Southern Hills Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 391 27.5 14.2 n/a
1989 397 24.4 16.2 4.3
1990 411 26.1 15.7 2.9
1991 419 24.1 17.3 3.8
1992 439 24.8 17.7 3.9
1993 485 29.1 16.7 3.9
1994 497 29.6 16.8 6
1995 463 27.0 17.2 5.4
1996 463 27.0 17.2 5.4
1997 358 22.2 16.1 4.5
1998 383 22.6 16.9 3.7
1999 403 24.7 16.3 4
2000 420 27.6 15.2 4.5
2001 466 27.5 16.9 4.3
2002 480 31.2 15.4 5.6
2003 480 31.2 15.4 5.6
2004 525 30.0 17.5 5.5
2005 537 31.8 16.9 4.1
2006 503 30.9 16.3 5
2007 478 29.2 16.4 5.4
2008 487 28.9 16.9 2.7
2009 496 29.9 16.6 4
2010 538 29.7 18.0 4.6
2011 546 29.4 18.5 6
2012 535 29.6 18.0 4.5
2013 542 29.9 18.1 4.4
2014 550 29.2 18.7 4.7
2015 560 29.0 19.3 7
2016 555 29.0 19.1 7.7
2017 559 26.8 20.8 6.1
2018 555 27.0 20.5 4.7
2019 538 27.8 19.3 5.2
2020 530 27.7 19.0 4.5
2021 476 25.3 18.7 5.9
2022 482 25.5 18.8 6
2023 456 24.4 18.6 9.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Southern Hills Middle School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $13,633
2020 $13,981
2021 $15,161
2022 $16,527
2023 $18,824

Data source: Colorado Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Southern Hills Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 10th of 458 Middle schoolsRanks 9th of 480 Middle schools
 0.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Southern Hills Middle School)82.984.9
 2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)59.760.2
 0.5%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)43.643.4
 0.2%
6th Grade Math (Southern Hills Middle School)62.762.3
 0.4%
   6th Grade Math (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)43.144.4
 1.3%
   6th Grade Math (Colorado)29.528.2
 1.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Southern Hills Middle School)84.590.3
 5.8%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)58.760.9
 2.2%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.545
 1.5%
7th Grade Math (Southern Hills Middle School)67.764.8
 2.9%
   7th Grade Math (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)47.440.7
 6.7%
   7th Grade Math (Colorado)31.626.3
 5.3%
8th Grade Science (Southern Hills Middle School)67.561.1
 6.4%
   8th Grade Science (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)44.947.3
 2.4%
   8th Grade Science (Colorado)31.531.3
 0.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Southern Hills Middle School)82.877.4
 5.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)59.156.1
 3%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.942.4
 4.5%
8th Grade Math (Southern Hills Middle School)76.268.9
 7.3%
   8th Grade Math (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)52.849.2
 3.6%
   8th Grade Math (Colorado)36.932.7
 4.2%
All Grades English Language Arts (Southern Hills Middle School)83.484.3
 0.9%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)61.160.8
 0.3%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Southern Hills Middle School)68.765.4
 3.3%
   All Grades Math (Boulder Valley School District No. Re2)5050.6
 0.6%
   All Grades Math (Colorado)34.732.9
 1.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students538456
 15.2%
African American54
 20%
American Indian02
Asian2826
 7.1%
Hispanic3428
 17.6%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White434358
 17.5%
Two or More Races3638
 5.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients5.2%9.9%
 4.7%


Schools Near Southern Hills Middle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Hills Middle School

Students at Southern Hills Middle School are 79% White, 8% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 6% Asian.

Yes! Southern Hills Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 9th of 485 Colorado middle schools.

Students who attend Southern Hills Middle School usually go on to attend Fairview High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 456 students attended Southern Hills Middle School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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