Middle Schools in Delta County Joint District No. 50

The three middle schools in Delta County Joint District No. 50 serve grades 5–8 across a rural Colorado district that ranks 36th out of 115 districts statewide. The schools vary greatly in size and focus: Delta Middle School is the largest with 498 students, Cedaredge Middle School is mid-sized with 154 students, and Delta Academy of Applied Learning is a tiny alternative program with just 25 students.

The standout school is Cedaredge Middle, which has the best state rank (210 of 469) and has improved steadily over three years. Despite having the highest poverty rate (64.94% free/reduced-price lunch), it beats Delta Middle in math (28.0% vs. 22.8% proficient), 8th-grade science (43.8% vs. 29.8%), and 8th-grade ELA (56.3% vs. 45.3%). Delta Middle is the largest school but struggles most academically, particularly in math, where only 22.8% of students are proficient compared to 37.3% statewide. It also has the highest student–teacher ratio (18.0) and chronic absenteeism of 33.8%. Delta Academy stands out for its low chronic absenteeism (16.0%) and low student–teacher ratio (12.9), but no test scores or rankings are available, so academic performance cannot be compared.

For parents, the key takeaway is that Cedaredge Middle is delivering the strongest results overall, even with a more economically challenged population, and shows a positive upward trend. Delta Middle has shown recent rank improvement but remains a concern in math and attendance. Across the district, math is the weakest subject, with both tested schools well below the state average, while chronic absenteeism is notably higher than the state average at the two larger schools. Grade-level results vary, with Cedaredge's 8th graders performing especially well and Delta Middle's 6th graders showing the lowest ELA scores. Delta Academy offers a closer-knit, smaller environment with better attendance, but parents should be aware that its academic outcomes are not publicly reported.