Middle Schools in School District No. 3

School District No. 3 has three middle schools—Janitell Junior High School, Sproul Junior High School, and Watson Junior High School—serving grades 6–8 in the Colorado Springs and Fountain area, with a combined enrollment of 1,632 students.

If you are looking for the strongest academic performance in the district, Sproul Junior High School is the clear leader. It is the only middle school with a 3-star rating, ranks in the 61st percentile statewide, and outperforms the district in all three subjects, as well as the state in ELA and science. In 8th grade math and science, Sproul’s proficiency rates are far above district and state averages, and it made dramatic gains in science (+11.1 points) and math (+4.3 points) this year. Meanwhile, Watson Junior High School is the most improved school—jumping from the 30th to the 41st percentile over three years—but it still trails well behind the district and state in most subjects, especially 8th grade science at just 19% proficient. Janitell Junior High School sits in the middle: it is the largest school and remains steady near the 46th–48th percentile, with a notable strength in 7th grade ELA (56.4% proficient) but a major weakness in 6th grade math (12.7% proficient).

Across the district, math is the biggest challenge—even Sproul is slightly below the state average in math (35.4% vs. 37.3%). Chronic absenteeism is also a serious concern, affecting roughly one in three students at every school, which likely drags down achievement. On a positive note, all three schools have improved their state percentile rankings over the past three years, and Sproul’s exceptional science results show that higher performance is possible even with similar poverty rates as the other schools. Class size alone does not explain outcomes: Watson has the lowest student–teacher ratio but the lowest scores, while Sproul achieves more with a slightly higher ratio. For parents, Sproul stands out as the best overall choice academically, Watson offers a promising upward trend, and Janitell provides a dependable option with a particularly strong 7th grade reading program.