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Custer Middle School

Summary:

Custer Middle School is a small public middle school in Westcliffe, Colorado, serving around 75 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Custer County School District Consolidated 1, which is ranked 88 out of 116 school districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Custer Middle School has seen a decline in performance, with proficiency rates on the CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) tests significantly below the state averages in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. The school's ranking among Colorado middle schools has dropped from 143 in 2016-2017 to 322 in 2023-2024. However, the school's student-teacher ratio is relatively low, ranging from 12.5 to 14.8 students per teacher, which may provide a more personalized learning environment.

Custer Middle School serves a predominantly white student population, with 88-94% of students identifying as white over the past few years. The school has seen a slight increase in racial diversity, with the percentage of African American and two or more races students rising. Additionally, the school has seen a decrease in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 53.49% in 2020-2021 to 33.33% in 2022-2023, suggesting the school serves a relatively economically disadvantaged population, though the trend is improving.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 709 Main Street
       Westcliffe, CO  81252-9530

(719) 783-2291

District: Custer County School District Consolidate 1

SchoolDigger Rank:
322nd of 485 Colorado Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,223 Help


Students who attend Custer Middle School usually attend:

High:    Custer County High School

Feeder schools for Custer Middle School:

Elementary:    Custer County Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  12.5 Help
Number of students:  75

Racial breakdown:

White:
88.0%
African American:
4.0%
Two or more races:
4.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  33.3% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Custer Middle School ranks worse than 66.4% of middle schools in Colorado. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.33. (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 high 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
Teachers
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Custer Middle School is $11,223.
Schooldigger Rankings:

Custer Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.
SchoolDigger ranks Custer Middle School 322nd of 485 Colorado public middle schools. (See Custer Middle School in the ranking list.)

Custer County School District Consolidate 1:

SchoolDigger ranks Custer County School District Consolidate 1 88th of 116 Colorado school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Custer Middle School

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Compare
Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools CO State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 61.67 129th 336 61.6%
2005 59.98 141st 340 58.5%
2006 56.31 150th 346 56.6%
2007 52.82 184th 360 48.9%
2008 34.07 259th 362 28.5%
2009 38.87 252nd 377 33.2%
2010 42.67 254th 409 37.9%
2011 46.33 246th 422 41.7%
2012 71.54 117th 425 72.5%
2013 66.19 146th 454 67.8%
2014 53.49 207th 461 55.1%
2015 28.06 315th 436 27.8%
2016 39.51 230th 400 42.5%
2017 58.73 143rd 424 66.3%
2018 42.01 231st 418 44.7%
2019 46.99 232nd 458 49.3%
2021 33.73 242nd 369 34.4%
2022 33.94 275th 448 38.6%
2023 25.80 335th 480 30.2%
2024 28.33 322nd 485 33.6%
See the entire list of Colorado Middle School Rankings!

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

Custer Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
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District Scores:
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Data source: Colorado Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)
0%

0%

0%

0%

100%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Thursday, September 15, 2016

Open Quote not many good teachers, sucky lunches, outdated library, outdated everything. still in the dark ages there. Great sports though, only thing that is good. John wayne lives there with his gun somewhere I guess Close Quote



Enrollment information for Custer Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2002 105 1 0 5 2 n/a n/a 0 113
2003 105 1 0 5 2 n/a n/a 0 113
2004 113 0 0 4 1 n/a n/a 0 118
2005 128 0 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 130
2006 118 2 0 0 1 n/a n/a 0 121
2007 106 3 1 4 2 n/a n/a 0 116
2008 106 4 1 7 3 n/a n/a 0 121
2009 109 2 1 7 2 n/a n/a 0 121
2010 108 1 0 3 1 n/a n/a 0 113
2011 100 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 101
2012 89 1 2 4 0 0 0 0 96
2013 84 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 90
2014 96 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 102
2015 81 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 86
2016 81 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 84
2017 73 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 76
2018 66 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 71
2019 58 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 67
2020 83 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 90
2021 81 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 86
2022 80 1 0 2 1 0 4 0 88
2023 66 3 1 2 0 0 3 0 75

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 Custer Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 113 7.8 14.5 23
2003 113 7.8 14.5 23
2004 118 7.7 15.3 24.6
2005 130 7.7 16.9 29.2
2006 121 7.3 16.6 31.4
2007 116 7.4 15.7 32.8
2008 121 7.6 15.9 33.9
2009 121 7.6 15.9 36.4
2010 113 8.3 13.5 40.7
2011 101 8.6 11.6 38.6
2012 96 8.6 11.0 40.6
2013 90 8.6 10.3 42.2
2014 102 7.8 12.9 53.9
2015 86 7.0 12.2 62.8
2016 84 7.0 12.0 54.8
2017 76 5.8 13.0 44.7
2018 71 5.5 12.7 49.3
2019 67 4.5 14.6 49.3
2020 90 5.6 15.8 46.7
2021 86 5.9 14.5 53.5
2022 88 5.9 14.8 47.7
2023 75 6.0 12.5 33.3

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 Custer Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2002 113 7.8 14.5 23
2003 113 7.8 14.5 23
2004 118 7.7 15.3 24.6
2005 130 7.7 16.9 29.2
2006 121 7.3 16.6 31.4
2007 116 7.4 15.7 32.8
2008 121 7.6 15.9 33.9
2009 121 7.6 15.9 36.4
2010 113 8.3 13.5 40.7
2011 101 8.6 11.6 38.6
2012 96 8.6 11.0 40.6
2013 90 8.6 10.3 42.2
2014 102 7.8 12.9 53.9
2015 86 7.0 12.2 62.8
2016 84 7.0 12.0 54.8
2017 76 5.8 13.0 44.7
2018 71 5.5 12.7 49.3
2019 67 4.5 14.6 49.3
2020 90 5.6 15.8 46.7
2021 86 5.9 14.5 53.5
2022 88 5.9 14.8 47.7
2023 75 6.0 12.5 33.3

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 Custer Middle School

Help

YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $9,564
2020 $9,197
2021 $10,740
2022 $10,225
2023 $11,223

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Custer 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 232nd of 458 Middle schoolsRanks 335th of 480 Middle schools
 19.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Custer Middle School)37.530.4
 7.1%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)37.530.4
 7.1%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)43.643
 0.6%
6th Grade Math (Custer Middle School)12.515
 2.5%
   6th Grade Math (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)12.515
 2.5%
   6th Grade Math (Colorado)29.528.2
 1.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Custer Middle School)47.622.7
 24.9%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)47.622.7
 24.9%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.545
 1.5%
7th Grade Math (Custer Middle School)1913.6
 5.4%
   7th Grade Math (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)1913.6
 5.4%
   7th Grade Math (Colorado)31.626.3
 5.3%
8th Grade Science (Custer Middle School)45.526.1
 19.4%
   8th Grade Science (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)45.526.1
 19.4%
   8th Grade Science (Colorado)31.531.3
 0.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Custer Middle School)72.730.3
 42.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)72.730.3
 42.4%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Colorado)46.943.9
 3%
8th Grade Math (Custer Middle School)31.826.1
 5.7%
   8th Grade Math (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)31.826.1
 5.7%
   8th Grade Math (Colorado)36.932.7
 4.2%
All Grades English Language Arts (Custer Middle School)52.216.9
 35.3%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)51.627.7
 23.9%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Colorado)45.843.7
 2.1%
All Grades Math (Custer Middle School)20.918.5
 2.4%
   All Grades Math (Custer County School District Consolidate 1)33.521.2
 12.3%
   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 Students6775
 11.9%
African American03
American Indian00
Asian01
Hispanic52
 60%
Pacific Islander00
White5866
 13.8%
Two or More Races43
 25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients49.3%33.3%
 15.9%

Schools Near Custer Middle School








Frequently Asked Questions about Custer Middle School

Students at Custer Middle School are 88% White, 4% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Students who attend Custer Middle School usually go on to attend Custer County High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 75 students attended Custer Middle School.

Custer Middle School ranks 322nd of 485 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.


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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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