West Middle School

Summary:

West Middle School is a public middle school in Denver, Colorado, serving 255 students in grades 6-8. The school has a predominantly Hispanic student population, with 86.27% of students identifying as Hispanic, and a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at 96.47%.

Despite its small class sizes, with a student-teacher ratio of 12.8, West Middle School consistently performs significantly below the district and state averages in academic assessments. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 11.1% of students were proficient or better in CMAS/English Language Arts, compared to 40.7% for the district and 44.1% for the state. In CMAS/Math, only 2.8% of students were proficient or better, compared to 31.2% for the district and 34.2% for the state. This academic underperformance has led to the school being ranked 478 out of 485 middle schools in Colorado, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is one of the lowest-performing schools in the state.

When compared to nearby schools within the same district, such as DSST: Cole Middle School, Kepner Beacon Middle School, and Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood, which all outperform West Middle School on CMAS assessments, it becomes clear that West Middle School is an outlier in terms of academic performance. Additionally, some nearby schools, such as Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences and Morey Middle School, have more diverse student bodies with higher percentages of White and African American students, in contrast to West Middle School's predominantly Hispanic population.

Detail:

Public 6-8

951 Elati St
Denver, CO 80204-3939

(720) 423-5460

District: School District No. 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
478^th of 485 Colorado Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,969

Students who attend West Middle School usually attend:

High:

West High School

Feeder schools for West Middle School:

Elementary:	Barnum Elementary School
	Center for Talent Development at Greenlee
	Denver Center for International Studies at Fairmon
	Knapp Elementary School
	More...
	Munroe Elementary School
	Newlon Elementary School
	Valverde Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.9

Number of students: 225

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.8%

African American:

10.2%

White:

4.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 96%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details West Middle School ranks worse than 98.6% of middle schools in Colorado. It also ranks 29^th among 30 ranked middle schools in the School District No. 1. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 5.41. (See more...)

Compare Details West Middle School is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2019 the calculated Average Standard Score was 15.31. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at West Middle School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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 Racial makeup is: Hispanic (81.8%), African American (10.2%), White (4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 96% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the School District No. 1. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at West Middle School is 16.9. 22 middle schools in the School District No. 1 have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare West Middle School employs 13.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at West Middle School is $19,969, which is the 6^th highest among 30 middle schools in the School District No. 1.

Schooldigger Rankings:

West Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks West Middle School 478^th of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See West Middle School in the ranking list.)

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 West Middle School

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Rank History for all middle school students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile
2015	10.47	424^th	436	2.8%
2016	14.25	363^rd	400	9.3%
2017	9.01	407^th	424	4.0%
2018	8.13	404^th	418	3.3%
2019	5.33	456^th	458	0.4%
2022	11.81	406^th	448	9.4%
2023	8.39	468^th	480	2.5%
2024	5.41	478^th	485	1.4%

See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for middle school Female students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	6.13	359^th	363	1.1%

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

Rank History for middle school Male students at West Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	CO State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	9.10	343^rd	356	3.7%

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

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

Rank History for West Middle School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	CO State Percentile
2015	16.44	254^th	292	13.0%
2017	18.75	203^rd	256	20.7%
2018	11.57	329^th	388	15.2%
2019	15.31	336^th	411	18.2%

See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

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

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

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Enrollment information for West Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2013	8	6	0	161	4	0	1	180
2014	18	7	1	333	3	3	2	367
2015	18	22	3	522	3	2	2	572
2016	17	33	9	622	2	3	4	690
2017	30	28	7	610	4	1	5	685
2018	24	30	10	608	3	3	8	686
2019	27	29	7	608	8	2	5	686
2020	25	46	6	550	4	2	9	642
2021	22	36	5	520	4	0	9	596
2022	13	28	6	261	2	1	3	314
2023	7	19	1	220	1	0	7	255
2024	9	23	0	184	3	2	4	225

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 West Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	180	14.0	12.8	96.7
2014	367	23.8	15.3	97.3
2015	572	40.0	14.3	95.5
2016	690	51.0	13.5	95.4
2017	685	48.3	14.1	94.7
2018	686	46.6	14.6	96.8
2019	686	50.6	13.5	94
2020	642	42.4	15.1	94.5
2021	596	43.6	13.6	91.9
2022	314	18.3	17.1	90.8
2023	255	19.8	12.8	96.5
2024	225	13.2	16.9	96

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 West Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2013	180	14.0	12.8	96.7
2014	367	23.8	15.3	97.3
2015	572	40.0	14.3	95.5
2016	690	51.0	13.5	95.4
2017	685	48.3	14.1	94.7
2018	686	46.6	14.6	96.8
2019	686	50.6	13.5	94
2020	642	42.4	15.1	94.5
2021	596	43.6	13.6	91.9
2022	314	18.3	17.1	90.8
2023	255	19.8	12.8	96.5
2024	225	13.2	16.9	96

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 West Middle School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$13,772
2020	$15,015
2021	$16,315
2022	$16,512
2023	$19,969

Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on West 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 456^th of 458 Middle schools	Ranks 468^th of 480 Middle schools	2.1%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (West Middle School)	5.6	16.9	11.3%
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%
7th Grade English Language Arts (West Middle School)	13.5	12	1.5%
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%
8th Grade English Language Arts (West Middle School)	21.9	16.5	5.4%
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 (West Middle School)	6.1	9.4	3.3%
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 (West Middle School)	14.5	15	0.5%
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 (West Middle School)	4.5	6	1.5%
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	686	255	62.8%
African American	29	19	34.5%
American Indian	8	1	87.5%
Asian	7	1	85.7%
Hispanic	608	220	63.8%
Pacific Islander	2	0	100%
White	27	7	74.1%
Two or More Races	5	7	40%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	94%	96.5%	2.4%

Schools Near West Middle School

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 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 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
West Middle School	Public	6-8	951 Elati St	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-5460	225	13	16.9	96.0%	9 (4.0%)	23 (10.2%)	184 (81.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	4 (1.8%)	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	203	15	13.3	36.9%	99 (48.8%)	13 (6.4%)	68 (33.5%)	3 (1.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.4%)	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
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	481	24	19.9	29.7%	273 (56.8%)	39 (8.1%)	116 (24.1%)	8 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.9%)	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
DSST: Cedar Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	150 S Pearl Street	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 524-6350	479	36	13.1	53.4%	197 (41.1%)	84 (17.5%)	137 (28.6%)	20 (4.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.5%)	78.5	83^rd of 485 public middle schools	82.9%		81.3	74^th of 480 public middle schools	84.6%	9		63.7	64.9	53.6	60.7		48.3	53.9	46.4	49.6		45.9	$17,590
KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	375 S Tejon Street	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 623-5772	364	30	12.0	93.7%	8 (2.2%)	9 (2.5%)	329 (90.4%)	5 (1.4%)	7 (1.9%)	3 (0.8%)	3 (0.8%)	10.9	445^th of 485 public middle schools	8.2%		14	413^th of 480 public middle schools	14.0%	32	23.3	12.7	25.9	19.5	20.7	11.9	5.7	9.5	6.6	8.0	20.0	9.7	$15,894
McAuliffe Manual Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 E. 28th Ave.	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-6550	235	20	11.8	76.6%	33 (14.0%)	88 (37.4%)	93 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.1%)	15 (6.4%)	10.3	450^th of 485 public middle schools	7.2%		11.4	440^th of 480 public middle schools	8.3%	10		22.0	19.7	6.8	17.1		9.7			7.2			$20,773
Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	1820 Lowell Blvd	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0260	603	39	15.4	87.9%	45 (7.5%)	51 (8.5%)	474 (78.6%)	3 (0.5%)	9 (1.5%)	8 (1.3%)	12 (2.0%)	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
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	268	20	13.6	91.4%	10 (3.7%)	46 (17.2%)	197 (73.5%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	5 (1.9%)	5 (1.9%)	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
Kepner Beacon Middle School	Public	6-8	911 South Hazel Court	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0027	462	30	15.3	87.9%	16 (3.5%)	29 (6.3%)	408 (88.3%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	13.9	417^th of 485 public middle schools	14.0%		13.8	417^th of 480 public middle schools	13.1%			22.1	24.2	29.8	25.4		6.9	6.7	10.2	7.9		14.2	$19,395
Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood	Public, Charter	6-8	3201 W Arizona Ave.	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 962-9880	380	36	10.6	94.7%	4 (1.1%)	5 (1.3%)	359 (94.5%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	19.5	375^th of 485 public middle schools	22.7%		10.5	450^th of 480 public middle schools	6.3%	75		26.1	32.6	27.3	28.8		10.0	13.0	22.5	15.4		12.6	$16,361

Frequently Asked Questions about West Middle School

What district is West Middle School in?

School District No. 1

Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks in the bottom 1.4% of Colorado middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of West Middle School?

Students at West Middle School are 82% Hispanic, 10% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend West Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 225 students attended West Middle School.

What high school do graduates of West Middle School attend?

Students who attend West Middle School usually go on to attend West High 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.