Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Summary:

Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside is a public charter middle school serving 144 students in grades 6-8 in Denver, Colorado. The school faces significant academic challenges, with consistently low proficiency rates on state assessments, particularly for certain student subgroups.

Despite being part of the Denver Public Schools district, Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside underperforms compared to the district and state averages on the CMAS assessments. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates were significantly lower than the district and state in English Language Arts (26.8% vs. 40.7% and 44.1%), Math (8.9% vs. 31.2% and 34.2%), and Science (14% vs. 26.5% and 32.2%). This trend has been consistent over the past few years. The school's performance is especially low for female and male students, ranking in the bottom 30% of Colorado middle schools in these subgroups. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 82.63% to 89.58% over the past three school years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside to other nearby middle schools in the same district, such as McAuliffe International School and Morey Middle School, the academic performance gap is quite stark, with proficiency rates that are 2-3 times higher in many cases. However, the school's support for English Language Learners appears to be a relative strength, as the school ranked in the top 25% of Colorado middle schools for this student population in the 2018-2019 school year. Despite these challenges, Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside's declining enrollment and ranking over the past several years suggest ongoing struggles in attracting and retaining students.

Detail:

Public, Charter 6-8

4735 Pecos St
Denver, CO 80211-3709

(720) 723-2000

District: School District No. 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
389^th of 485 Colorado Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $24,522

Students who attend Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside usually attend:

High:

North High School

Feeder schools for Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside:

Elementary:	Beach Court Elementary School
	Bryant Webster Dual Language Ece-8 School
	Centennial A School for Expeditionary Learning
	Columbian Elementary School
	More...
	Edison Elementary School
	Trevista at Horace Mann

Student/teacher ratio: 7.1

Number of students: 144

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.3%

African American:

12.5%

Two or more races:

7.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 89.6%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside ranks worse than 80.2% of middle schools in Colorado. It also ranks 19^th among 30 ranked middle schools in the School District No. 1. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 17.97. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

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

Compare Details Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside has the largest middle school student body size in the School District No. 1. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside is $24,522, which is the highest among 30 middle schools in the School District No. 1!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside:

SchoolDigger ranks Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside 389^th of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Female students:

Male students:

School District No. 1:

SchoolDigger ranks School District No. 1 78^th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

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Rank History for all students at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile
2013	39.82	289^th	454	36.3%
2014	23.21	371^st	461	19.5%
2015	37.91	261^st	436	40.1%
2016	30.65	272^nd	400	32.0%
2017	16.10	365^th	424	13.9%
2018	13.22	376^th	418	10.0%
2019	10.84	421^st	458	8.1%
2022	12.88	393^rd	448	12.3%
2023	11.39	439^th	480	8.5%
2024	17.97	389^th	485	19.8%

See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	53.52	5^th	20	75.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Female students at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile
2018	12.85	280^th	315	11.1%
2019	9.73	325^th	352	7.7%
2024	24.26	252^nd	350	28.0%

See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile
2018	13.36	287^th	317	9.5%
2019	15.16	293^rd	343	14.6%
2024	11.45	329^th	357	7.8%

See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Male 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.

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	6	4	1	95	0	0	2	108
2012	9	4	2	201	3	0	3	222
2013	13	6	2	285	3	0	2	311
2014	10	7	3	297	3	0	0	320
2015	10	10	1	314	4	0	1	340
2016	9	11	1	303	2	0	2	328
2017	8	12	0	281	1	0	2	304
2018	12	9	0	238	3	0	2	264
2019	6	11	0	227	1	0	3	248
2020	4	13	1	232	2	0	2	254
2021	6	16	2	204	2	0	6	236
2022	10	20	1	151	0	2	6	190
2023	5	18	0	107	2	1	11	144

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 Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	108	9.1	11.7	93.5
2012	222	19.0	11.6	92.3
2013	311	29.9	10.3	92
2014	320	27.5	11.6	90
2015	340	35.0	9.7	84.4
2016	328	25.0	13.1	89.3
2017	304	26.6	11.3	92.1
2018	264	26.6	9.8	95.1
2019	248	22.6	10.9	91.5
2020	254	21.2	11.9	90.2
2021	236	25.1	9.3	87.3
2022	190	25.1	7.5	82.6
2023	144	20.1	7.1	89.6

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 Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	108	9.1	11.7	93.5
2012	222	19.0	11.6	92.3
2013	311	29.9	10.3	92
2014	320	27.5	11.6	90
2015	340	35.0	9.7	84.4
2016	328	25.0	13.1	89.3
2017	304	26.6	11.3	92.1
2018	264	26.6	9.8	95.1
2019	248	22.6	10.9	91.5
2020	254	21.2	11.9	90.2
2021	236	25.1	9.3	87.3
2022	190	25.1	7.5	82.6
2023	144	20.1	7.1	89.6

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 Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$11,124
2020	$11,084
2021	$12,810
2022	$19,642
2023	$24,522

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

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 421^st of 458 Middle schools	Ranks 439^th of 480 Middle schools	0.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	18.1	17.8	0.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (School District No. 1)	40	38.8	1.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	43.6	43.4	0.2%
6th Grade Math (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	5.6	6.8	1.2%
6th Grade Math (School District No. 1)	27.9	26.9	1%
6th Grade Math (Colorado)	29.5	28.2	1.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	32.5	14.9	17.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (School District No. 1)	45.1	40.3	4.8%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	46.5	45	1.5%
7th Grade Math (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	10.8	6.5	4.3%
7th Grade Math (School District No. 1)	30.2	25.1	5.1%
7th Grade Math (Colorado)	31.6	26.3	5.3%
8th Grade Science (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	7.2	10.4	3.2%
8th Grade Science (School District No. 1)	22.7	26	3.3%
8th Grade Science (Colorado)	31.5	31.3	0.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	22	24	2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (School District No. 1)	46	40.8	5.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)	46.9	42.4	4.5%
8th Grade Math (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	8.5	10	1.5%
8th Grade Math (School District No. 1)	34.4	30.9	3.5%
8th Grade Math (Colorado)	36.9	32.7	4.2%
All Grades English Language Arts (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	24.5	19	5.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (School District No. 1)	42.8	40.3	2.5%
All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)	45.8	43.7	2.1%
All Grades Math (Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside)	8.4	7.9	0.5%
All Grades Math (School District No. 1)	32.7	30.3	2.4%
All Grades Math (Colorado)	34.7	32.9	1.8%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	248	144	41.9%
African American	11	18	63.6%
American Indian	1	2	100%
Asian	0	0
Hispanic	227	107	52.9%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	6	5	16.7%
Two or More Races	3	11	266.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	91.5%	89.6%	1.9%

Schools Near Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				CMAS English Language Arts (2024)						CMAS Math (2024)						CMAS Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2023)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside	Public, Charter	6-8	4735 Pecos St	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 723-2000	144	20	7.1	89.6%	5 (3.5%)	18 (12.5%)	107 (74.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	1 (0.7%)	11 (7.6%)	18	389^th of 485 public middle schools	19.8%		11.4	439^th of 480 public middle schools	8.5%	50			19.6	28.3	32.1	26.8					13.2	8.9		14.0	$24,522
Skinner Middle School	Public	6-8	3435 West 40th Avenue	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-1420	631	38	16.7	43.3%	308 (48.8%)	15 (2.4%)	279 (44.2%)	4 (0.6%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.3%)	86.4	51^st of 485 public middle schools	89.5%		81.2	76^th of 480 public middle schools	84.2%	25			65.8	67.0	66.3	66.3			53.7	58.0	60.4	56.7		46.8	$15,307
DSST: Cole Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3240 Humboldt Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 524-6354	274	19	14.6	92.7%	5 (1.8%)	56 (20.4%)	202 (73.7%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.4%)	4 (1.5%)	4 (1.5%)	15.6	403^rd of 485 public middle schools	16.9%		17.8	383^rd of 480 public middle schools	20.2%	20			13.8	24.7	34.7	23.9			9.1	14.1	10.8	11.3		13.3	$21,806
Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	1820 Lowell Blvd	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0260	514	31	16.6	87.7%	51 (9.9%)	54 (10.5%)	387 (75.3%)	2 (0.4%)	8 (1.6%)	3 (0.6%)	9 (1.8%)	15.4	405^th of 485 public middle schools	16.5%		13.8	418^th of 480 public middle schools	12.9%	13			18.8	24.2	31.6	24.9			9.3	10.9	14.8	11.7		12.5	$18,076
Morey Middle School	Public	6-8	840 East 14th Avenue	Denver	80218	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-0700	446	22	20.1	29.4%	257 (57.6%)	40 (9.0%)	118 (26.5%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.8%)	97.1	11^th of 485 public middle schools	97.7%		96.7	7^th of 480 public middle schools	98.5%	4			76.1	87.5	83.7	82.5			65.4	72.2	79.2	72.2		68.5	$15,417
West Middle School	Public	6-8	951 Elati St	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-5460	255	20	12.8	96.5%	7 (2.7%)	19 (7.5%)	220 (86.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)	5.4	478^th of 485 public middle schools	1.4%		8.4	468^th of 480 public middle schools	2.5%	10			5.5	16.7	11.3	11.1						2.8			$19,969
Girls Athletic Leadership School Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	750 Galapago St.	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 282-6437	187	18	10.5	38.5%	89 (47.6%)	18 (9.6%)	57 (30.5%)	4 (2.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.1%)	61.1	150^th of 485 public middle schools	69.1%		55.6	169^th of 480 public middle schools	64.8%	19			57.9	61.2	52.9	57.7			30.3	28.4	38.0	31.6		39.2	$15,688
Global Intermediate Academy	Public	4-8	7480 Conifer Road	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1930	357	20	18.1	88.8%	16 (4.5%)	8 (2.2%)	327 (91.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	13.1	431^st of 485 public middle schools	11.1%		12.4	427^th of 480 public middle schools	11.0%	4	27.5	9.4	12.1	24.1	27.8	21.0	19.2	14.5			11.1	11.2	5.5	8.6	$14,687
North Arvada Middle School	Public	6-8	7285 Pierce Street	Arvada	80003	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-0528	404	25	16.1	63.1%	185 (45.8%)	5 (1.2%)	172 (42.6%)	14 (3.5%)	8 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.7%)	25.9	339^th of 485 public middle schools	30.1%		27.7	324^th of 480 public middle schools	32.5%	15			32.5	34.2	31.1	32.6			21.0	17.3	21.9	20.1		17.3	$15,640
McAuliffe International School	Public	6-8	2540 Holly St	Denver	80207	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-1540	1,487	78	19.0	25.1%	843 (56.7%)	209 (14.1%)	274 (18.4%)	36 (2.4%)	6 (0.4%)	2 (0.1%)	117 (7.9%)	94.2	20^th of 485 public middle schools	95.9%		95.2	17^th of 480 public middle schools	96.5%	3			73.1	73.3	75.9	74.0			67.4	66.1	74.7	69.0		57.7	$15,292

Frequently Asked Questions about Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside

Is Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside a good school?

Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside ranks in the bottom 19.8% of Colorado middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside attend?

Students who attend Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside usually go on to attend North High School

How many students attend Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside?

In the 2022-23 school year, 144 students attended Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside.

What is the racial makeup of Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside?

Students at Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside are 74% Hispanic, 13% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% White, 1% American Indian.

What district is Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside in?

School District No. 1

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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.