Mesa Middle School

Summary:

Mesa Middle School is a public middle school located in Castle Rock, Colorado, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 957 students. It is part of the Douglas County School District No. Re 1, which is ranked 5 out of 116 school districts in Colorado and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Mesa Middle School has some areas of strength, such as its low dropout rates and relatively strong performance for certain student subgroups, it generally underperforms compared to nearby schools in the Douglas County School District, particularly in math and science. The school's performance on CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) tests is lower than the district and state averages, with only 30.8% of students proficient or better in CMAS Math, compared to 52.3% for the district and 34.2% for the state. However, the school's performance in CMAS English Language Arts is closer to the district and state averages. Mesa Middle School also has a relatively high chronic absenteeism rate of 27.2%, which is higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools in the Douglas County School District, such as Mountain Ridge Middle School, Cresthill Middle School, and Rocky Heights Middle School, Mesa Middle School's academic performance is generally lower. However, the school performs better than the nearby HOPE Online Learning Academy Middle School, which has significantly lower CMAS proficiency rates.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 365 Mitchell Street
       Castle Rock, CO  80104-2320


(303) 387-4750

District: Douglas County School District No. Re 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
177th of 485 Colorado Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,190 Help


Students who attend Mesa Middle School usually attend:

High:    Douglas County High School

Feeder schools for Mesa Middle School:

Elementary:    Castle Rock Elementary School
    Cherry Valley Elementary School
    Flagstone Elementary School
    Rock Ridge Elementary School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  16.5 Help
Number of students:  957

Racial breakdown:

White:
68.3%
Hispanic:
21.5%
Two or more races:
5.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  18.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Mesa Middle School ranks better than 63.5% of middle schools in Colorado. It also ranks 8th among 9 ranked middle schools in the Douglas County School District No. Re 1. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 57.07. (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 Mesa Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Douglas County School District No. Re 1.  (See more...)
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mesa Middle School is $14,190, which is the 5th highest among 9 middle schools in the Douglas County School District No. Re 1.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Mesa Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Mesa Middle School 177th of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Mesa Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Gifted and Talented students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Douglas County School District No. Re 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Douglas County School District No. Re 1 5th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Mesa Middle School.

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Rank History for Mesa Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2010 68.70 125th 409 69.4%
2011 68.19 131st 422 69.0%
2012 66.33 142nd 425 66.6%
2013 69.93 129th 454 71.6%
2014 57.96 179th 461 61.2%
2015 37.17 264th 436 39.4%
2016 28.23 282nd 400 29.5%
2017 27.89 302nd 424 28.8%
2018 58.78 146th 418 65.1%
2019 66.36 127th 458 72.3%
2021 46.40 178th 369 51.8%
2022 57.04 166th 448 62.9%
2023 63.89 141st 480 70.6%
2024 57.07 177th 485 63.5%
See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 69.24 9th 25 64.0%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 15.51 14th 14 0.0%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 49.56 89th 222 59.9%
2019 55.43 87th 240 63.8%
2021 65.97 21st 114 81.6%
2022 57.70 57th 197 71.1%
2023 61.73 60th 241 75.1%
2024 34.05 161st 244 34.0%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 58.34 117th 315 62.9%
2019 70.91 88th 352 75.0%
2021 39.36 144th 254 43.3%
2022 52.96 139th 326 57.4%
2023 59.26 126th 363 65.3%
2024 53.41 141st 350 59.7%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Gifted and Talented students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 55.59 60th 121 50.4%
2019 59.03 58th 134 56.7%
2023 56.53 67th 125 46.4%
2024 68.48 33rd 126 73.8%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Gifted and Talented Students!

Rank History for Male students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 50.33 135th 317 57.4%
2019 54.83 129th 343 62.4%
2021 41.82 132nd 249 47.0%
2022 49.52 141st 328 57.0%
2023 57.18 125th 356 64.9%
2024 51.55 142nd 357 60.2%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.68 56th 165 66.1%
2019 59.57 73rd 220 66.8%
2021 47.64 40th 83 51.8%
2022 61.29 47th 169 72.2%
2023 65.68 49th 198 75.3%
2024 43.58 98th 199 50.8%
See the entire list of Best Colorado Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Mesa Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.02 105th 199 47.2%
2019 47.99 136th 283 51.9%
2021 26.82 154th 203 24.1%
2022 42.51 153rd 265 42.3%
2023 47.51 144th 286 49.7%
2024 38.79 161st 273 41.0%
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.

Mesa 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: 2.5)
25%

0%

0%

50%

25%

  

by a parent
Thursday, April 14, 2022

Open Quote My kids attended Sage Canyon before Mesa, and Sage Canyon was amazing. People said to not send your kids to Douglas County Schools, and after Sage Canyon those comments didn't make sense. After my kids attended Mesa I understood their comments.
Mesa has a phenomenal principal but too many teachers seem to not care. They appear angry. This is understandable after the chaos of the shut downs during the pandemics and the poorly managed school board (it's terrible no matter what political side runs it -- It shouldn't be political and that's part of the problem).
My kids used to love school but are doing poorly now and say they hate it. From bullying at Mesa, to angry teachers, to a messed up school board, to the depression and separation the panic shut downs created, Douglas County Schools continue to fail students.
We are leaving Douglas County Schools for our kids. The school board and school can't do their job, in my opinion based on our experience, so we are saving our kids from them. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, April 9, 2018

Open Quote Outstanding school. great teachers, great staff, great administration. The staff is caring and really looks to help students achieve success in the middle school level. Close Quote


by a parent
Monday, December 19, 2016

Open Quote Mesa has faced the same challenges that all schools face (poor funding, poor academic guidance, over-crowding, ...) the problems are the same year to year but with a few exceptions. Mesa is part of a County wide school district that has been caught at "cooking" the books and "cooking" student hours for eduction which has resulted in serious turnover and attrition (not because teachers were let go for poo performance but for high pay so that Administrative staff could get higher pay). With this the experience and talent pool has drained to the bottom. No child left behind is now common as most children at Mesa are left behind and either passed along like sheep or if they ask questions they are labeled as trouble makers and punished. I am removing my child form this caustic atmosphere and not allowing my other child to ago to this horrible shameful school. Where will they go, it certainly won't be the disgraceful criminal DCSD public schools, private and charter schools are the only choices left that are fully accredited so thats where we are forced to (as DCSD is also trying to keep those out as more and more families find out that DCSD is a failure of in Colorado). Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, July 31, 2014

Open Quote Now that Stephenson is gone, there is only one way to go, and that's up. Bring on the new school year and the new administration. Anything is better than the last. Looking forward to August. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Mesa Middle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2009 688 11 21 100 11 n/a n/a 0 831
2010 752 15 22 75 14 n/a n/a 0 878
2011 717 12 12 116 4 6 29 0 896
2012 743 14 11 129 7 1 36 0 941
2013 796 9 17 130 7 1 40 0 1000
2014 790 12 15 130 6 1 39 0 993
2015 748 11 14 149 6 1 33 0 962
2016 739 12 16 144 2 1 29 0 943
2017 705 9 12 122 6 1 39 0 894
2018 632 13 13 127 7 3 39 0 834
2019 602 6 17 143 5 5 39 0 817
2020 630 7 17 143 3 3 62 0 865
2021 731 14 20 195 6 4 59 0 1029
2022 689 15 21 209 4 1 59 0 998
2023 654 15 24 206 5 1 52 0 957

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 Mesa Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 831 54.2 15.3 9.4
2010 878 55.0 15.9 10.4
2011 896 51.5 17.3 13.8
2012 941 52.6 17.8 17.9
2013 1000 49.8 20.0 20.1
2014 993 56.6 17.5 20.9
2015 962 56.0 17.1 20.3
2016 943 50.0 18.8 19.9
2017 894 50.0 17.8 19.2
2018 834 46.1 18.0 20
2019 817 46.5 17.5 20
2020 865 54.5 15.8 20.5
2021 1029 71.5 14.3 19.9
2022 998 58.7 16.9 20.1
2023 957 58.0 16.5 18.9

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 Mesa Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2009 831 54.2 15.3 9.4
2010 878 55.0 15.9 10.4
2011 896 51.5 17.3 13.8
2012 941 52.6 17.8 17.9
2013 1000 49.8 20.0 20.1
2014 993 56.6 17.5 20.9
2015 962 56.0 17.1 20.3
2016 943 50.0 18.8 19.9
2017 894 50.0 17.8 19.2
2018 834 46.1 18.0 20
2019 817 46.5 17.5 20
2020 865 54.5 15.8 20.5
2021 1029 71.5 14.3 19.9
2022 998 58.7 16.9 20.1
2023 957 58.0 16.5 18.9

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 Mesa Middle School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $12,088
2020 $12,881
2021 $12,076
2022 $13,136
2023 $14,190

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Mesa 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 127th of 458 Middle schoolsRanks 141st of 480 Middle schools
 1.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa Middle School)58.258.3
 0.1%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)56.764.4
 7.7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.545
 1.5%
7th Grade Math (Mesa Middle School)40.727.8
 12.9%
   7th Grade Math (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)43.544.9
 1.4%
   7th Grade Math (Colorado)31.626.3
 5.3%
8th Grade Science (Mesa Middle School)38.741.9
 3.2%
   8th Grade Science (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)41.945.9
 4%
   8th Grade Science (Colorado)31.531.3
 0.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Mesa Middle School)54.855.8
 1%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)52.558.4
 5.9%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.942.4
 4.5%
8th Grade Math (Mesa Middle School)4242
   8th Grade Math (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)48.850.5
 1.7%
   8th Grade Math (Colorado)36.932.7
 4.2%
All Grades English Language Arts (Mesa Middle School)56.655.9
 0.7%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)56.761.6
 4.9%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Mesa Middle School)41.332.6
 8.7%
   All Grades Math (Douglas County School District No. Re 1)46.550.7
 4.2%
   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 Students817957
 17.1%
African American615
 150%
American Indian55
Asian1724
 41.2%
Hispanic143206
 44.1%
Pacific Islander51
 80%
White602654
 8.6%
Two or More Races3952
 33.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients20%18.9%
 1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Mesa Middle School

Students at Mesa Middle School are 68% White, 22% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 957 students attended Mesa Middle School.

Mesa Middle School ranks 177th of 485 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Mesa Middle School usually go on to attend Douglas County 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.





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