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Overland Trail Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

440^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 6% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Overland Trail Middle School is a public middle school in Brighton, Colorado, serving 559 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the School District 27J, which is ranked 85 out of 115 school districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Overland Trail Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Colorado middle schools, with its performance on state assessments significantly below the state and district averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 19% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 44.8% statewide and 32.4% in the district. In math, the school's proficiency rate was just 7.6%, compared to 35.9% statewide and 25.2% in the district. The school also struggles with high dropout rates, ranging from 1.3% to 2.2% in recent years, and high rates of chronic absenteeism, with 26.8% to 32.9% of students chronically absent.

Compared to nearby schools, both within the School District 27J and in the neighboring Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, Overland Trail Middle School is an outlier, performing significantly worse across multiple metrics. The only nearby school that performs similarly is Fort Lupton Middle School, which is part of the Weld re-8 school district and also struggles with low academic performance and high dropout rates.

581

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,714

Per pupil spending ?

70.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

455 North 19th Avenue
Brighton, CO 80601-3501

(303) 655-4000

District: School District 27J

Students who attend Overland Trail Middle School usually attend:

High:

Brighton High School

Feeder schools for Overland Trail Middle School:

Elementary:	Mary E Pennock Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.2%

White:

23.9%

Asian:

2.2%

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Compare Overland Trail Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2014 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (13% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg28%

Colorado avg40%

440^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the School District 27J

85^th of 115School District 27J among Colorado districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	440 of 469	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	461 of 485	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	436 of 480	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	344 of 369	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	394 of 458	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	320 of 418	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.6	351 of 424	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.9	349 of 400	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.9	352 of 436	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.3	384 of 461	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.8	330 of 454	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.6	326 of 425	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.5	323 of 422	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.2	312 of 409	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.7	298 of 377	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.6	285 of 362	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	13.9	316 of 360	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.5	296 of 346	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.7	283 of 340	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.5	263 of 336	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	7.4	334 of 347	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	339 of 350	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	339 of 363	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.5	244 of 254	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	311 of 352	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	245 of 315	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	13.9	204 of 218	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	198 of 199	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	192 of 198	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	152 of 169	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	79 of 83	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	206 of 220	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	128 of 165	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.3	226 of 241	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	243 of 244	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	223 of 241	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	183 of 197	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	101 of 114	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	232 of 240	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	156 of 222	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	333 of 352	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	355 of 357	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	346 of 356	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	244 of 249	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	324 of 343	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	284 of 317	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	8.4	274 of 283	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

White (2019)3rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts19%-26 vs state

Science12%-25 vs state

Math8%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Overland Trail Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)						CMAS Math (2025)						CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Overland Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	455 North 19th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4000	581	40	14.5	70.4%	139 (23.9%)	8 (1.4%)	408 (70.2%)	13 (2.2%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	10.4	440^th of 469 public middle schools	6.2%		8.6	461^st of 485 public middle schools	4.9%	21			21.5	20.9	13.9	19.0				8.9		7.6		11.9	$15,714
Vikan Middle School	Public	6-8	879 Jessup Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4050	528	40	13.0	71.0%	143 (27.1%)	5 (0.9%)	359 (68.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	15.5	404^th of 469 public middle schools	13.9%		11.9	438^th of 485 public middle schools	9.7%	34			24.1	21.8	18.2	21.5			16.8	14.3	16.1	15.8		17.4	$16,765
Lochbuie Elementary School	Public	4-6	201 Bonanza Boulevard	Lochbuie	80603	Weld County	Weld County School District Re-3j	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 536-2400	239	19	12.9	61.9%	68 (28.5%)	3 (1.3%)	161 (67.4%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)								(n/a)	9.7	35.8	25.0			24.0	9.7	20.3	16.9			15.8	30.9		$17,842
Prairie View Middle School	Public	6-8	12915 East 120th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5400	679	36	18.7	58.9%	227 (33.4%)	15 (2.2%)	378 (55.7%)	33 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	22 (3.2%)	19.7	370^th of 469 public middle schools	21.1%		22.9	355^th of 485 public middle schools	26.8%	15			26.5	32.0	25.6	28.0			15.1	15.7	19.7	16.8		19.9	$14,109
Fort Lupton Middle School	Public	6-8	201 South McKinley	Fort Lupton	80621	Weld County	Weld re-8 schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 857-7200	438	29	15.1	62.8%	62 (14.2%)	4 (0.9%)	360 (82.2%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	9.4	444^th of 469 public middle schools	5.3%		10.2	451^st of 485 public middle schools	7.0%	7			10.2	14.1	16.3	13.5					17.4				$17,259
Rodger Quist Middle School	Public	6-8	13451 Yosemite Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-6950	855	46	18.5	38.6%	355 (41.5%)	12 (1.4%)	379 (44.3%)	68 (8.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.4%)	31.6	303^rd of 469 public middle schools	35.4%		27.9	324^th of 485 public middle schools	33.2%	21			25.7	28.2	43.9	32.3			18.6	25.6	28.7	24.2		32.3	$13,601
Otho E Stuart Middle School	Public	6-8	15955 East 101st Way	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5500	794	44	18.2	52.6%	222 (28.0%)	46 (5.8%)	451 (56.8%)	43 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.8%)	23 (2.9%)	15.9	399^th of 469 public middle schools	14.9%		13.9	418^th of 485 public middle schools	13.8%	19			32.7	28.9	21.8	28.0			13.0	10.0	8.7	10.6		15.7	$14,182
Shadow Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	12551 Holly Street	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5040	632	39	16.3	57.4%	218 (34.5%)	11 (1.7%)	353 (55.9%)	21 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	12.9	424^th of 469 public middle schools	9.6%		12.4	435^th of 485 public middle schools	10.3%	11			12.9	26.9	19.1	19.4			9.0	11.2	11.2	10.4		22.3	$16,872
Rocky Top Middle School	Public	6-8	14150 York Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-2200	1,052	57	18.4	27.6%	584 (55.5%)	17 (1.6%)	293 (27.9%)	81 (7.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	72 (6.8%)	75.5	100^th of 469 public middle schools	78.7%		76.2	92^nd of 485 public middle schools	81.0%	8			62.7	54.4	48.9	55.7			53.0	48.2	50.9	50.6		55.3	$15,203
Century Middle School	Public	6-8	13000 Lafayette Street	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5240	717	39	18.5	49.5%	309 (43.1%)	10 (1.4%)	307 (42.8%)	43 (6.0%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.7%)	34.5	279^th of 469 public middle schools	40.5%		34.1	287^th of 485 public middle schools	40.8%	8			37.5	34.6	38.8	37.0			27.1	13.7	29.1	23.5		34.1	$16,969

Frequently Asked Questions about Overland Trail Middle School

What high school do graduates of Overland Trail Middle School attend?

Students who attend Overland Trail Middle School usually go on to attend Brighton High School

What district is Overland Trail Middle School in?

School District 27J

Is Overland Trail Middle School a good school?

Overland Trail Middle School ranks in the bottom 6.2% of Colorado middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Overland Trail Middle School?

Students at Overland Trail Middle School are 70% Hispanic, 24% White, 2% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Overland Trail Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended Overland Trail 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.