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Challenger Middle School

Q: Is Challenger Middle School a good school?

Challenger Middle School ranks 56 th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

56^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 88% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Challenger Middle School is a grades 6–8 middle school in Colorado Springs, CO, serving 696 students as part of Academy School District No. 20, one of the highest-performing districts in Colorado. The school currently ranks 56th out of 469 Colorado middle schools (88th percentile), placing it in the upper-middle tier among its same-district peers—ahead of Eagleview Middle School, Chinook Trail Middle School, Village Middle School, Timberview Middle School, and Mountain Ridge Middle School, though behind Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School and The Classical Academy Middle School. The gap with schools in neighboring districts is enormous: Russell Middle School and Skyview Middle School rank in the 35th and 46th percentiles respectively.

Challenger exceeds both its district and state averages in English Language Arts, math, and science. Its 8th-grade science proficiency rate of 66% is the highest among nearby same-district middle schools, including Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School (64%) and The Classical Academy Middle School (61.9%). Perhaps the most distinctive pattern is the upward academic trajectory from 6th to 8th grade. In 6th grade, Challenger students score slightly below the district average in both ELA and math. By 8th grade, they are well above it—the 8th-grade math proficiency rate of 73.6% far exceeds the district's 59.9% and the state's 37.8%. This strong growth pattern is the reverse of many middle schools, where performance tends to decline as students advance.

Challenger's results for Hispanic students and low-income students are genuinely distinctive, ranking in the 95th percentile or higher statewide for consecutive years. The science program is a hidden strength, leading nearby same-district schools. Areas worth monitoring include chronic absenteeism at 21.4% in 2024–2025, higher than The Classical Academy Middle School (11.9%) and Eagleview Middle School (15.9%), and slightly declining proficiency rates from peak years. The dropout rate has been effectively zero recently. Overall, Challenger remains a consistently high-performing school with an especially strong record of helping students grow from 6th to 8th grade.

696

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,232

Per pupil spending ?

16.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10215 Lexington Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920-2417

(719) 234-3000

District: Academy School District No. 20

Students who attend Challenger Middle School usually attend:

High:

Pine Creek High School

Feeder schools for Challenger Middle School:

Elementary:	Chinook Trail Elementary School
	Edith Wolford Elementary School
	Mountain View Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.2%

Hispanic:

14.5%

Two or more races:

7.8%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Challenger Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 94th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (62% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Colorado middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school62%

District avg58%

Colorado avg41%

56^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 12%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 6% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 8Middle Schools in the Academy School District No. 20

10^th of 115Academy School District No. 20 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
2026	85.8	56 of 469	88.1%	★★★★☆
2025	88.7	44 of 469	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	92.7	29 of 485	94.0%	★★★★★
2023	84.8	56 of 480	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.4	57 of 448	87.3%	★★★★☆
2021	82.8	47 of 369	87.3%	★★★★☆
2019	87.8	40 of 458	91.3%	★★★★★
2018	89.8	27 of 418	93.5%	★★★★★
2017	89.7	34 of 424	92.0%	★★★★★
2016	91.8	22 of 400	94.5%	★★★★★
2015	94.0	21 of 436	95.2%	★★★★★
2014	89.4	33 of 461	92.8%	★★★★★
2013	86.1	49 of 454	89.2%	★★★★☆
2012	81.3	64 of 425	84.9%	★★★★☆
2011	80.9	70 of 422	83.4%	★★★★☆
2010	82.5	56 of 409	86.3%	★★★★☆
2009	82.0	54 of 377	85.7%	★★★★☆
2008	82.1	54 of 362	85.1%	★★★★☆
2007	87.3	34 of 360	90.6%	★★★★★
2006	84.1	46 of 346	86.7%	★★★★☆
2005	85.3	35 of 340	89.7%	★★★★☆
2004	84.5	43 of 336	87.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	7 of 26	73.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	81.8	53 of 365	85.5%	★★★★☆
2025	83.4	43 of 347	87.6%	★★★★☆
2024	88.4	32 of 350	90.9%	★★★★★
2023	74.8	77 of 363	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	72.1	69 of 326	78.8%	★★★★☆
2021	80.0	34 of 254	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	87.6	31 of 352	91.2%	★★★★★
2018	87.3	25 of 315	92.1%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	44 of 154	71.4%	★★★★☆
2025	74.9	16 of 132	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	80.5	4 of 126	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	75.4	19 of 125	84.8%	★★★★☆
2022	84.1	3 of 93	96.8%	★★★★★
2019	70.1	30 of 134	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	70.3	23 of 121	81.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	83.7	22 of 207	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	94.7	11 of 218	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	8 of 199	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	83.5	20 of 198	89.9%	★★★★★
2022	88.9	9 of 169	94.7%	★★★★★
2021	95.0	4 of 83	95.2%	★★★★★
2019	95.8	8 of 220	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	95.5	6 of 165	96.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	80.3	28 of 230	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	85.2	13 of 241	94.6%	★★★★★
2024	89.5	12 of 244	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	86.6	12 of 222	94.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	82.2	52 of 369	85.9%	★★★★☆
2025	86.6	42 of 352	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	91.0	25 of 357	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	84.1	40 of 356	88.8%	★★★★☆
2022	81.4	43 of 328	86.9%	★★★★☆
2021	71.9	53 of 249	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	83.1	47 of 343	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	86.9	28 of 317	91.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	65.4	6 of 23	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	63.1	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	74.1	61 of 275	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	72.0	63 of 275	77.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.4	34 of 273	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	70.4	65 of 286	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	63.6	76 of 265	71.3%	★★★★☆
2021	65.5	59 of 203	70.9%	★★★★☆
2019	71.7	63 of 283	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.8	37 of 199	81.4%	★★★★☆

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 (2026)89th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)88th percentile~ school

Male (2026)86th percentile~ school

Female (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)78th percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)74th percentile-17 vs school

Asian (2025)73rd percentile-18 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)71st percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Science66%+31 vs state

English Language Arts66%+21 vs state

Math57%+19 vs state

4.2

5 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★4

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 15, 2018

Great school, challenging all kids to work hard and to perform. Engaged administration, teachers and parents! Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, August 14, 2017

This school is great. We transferred from the lauded Cherry Creek school district in Denver and were amazed at how much more attentive and structured D20 and Challenger MS were comparatively Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, June 16, 2016

Worst school ever! Unless your child is gifted... Yes, my student with an IEP in Reading, Language Arts and Math. Received an F & D even though they had an IEP in these areas and has a Para. School refuses to listen to what was successful in previous schools. Child had all B's & some A & C's in previous school. There Special Education program stinks!!! Group size services and there is definitely no "individualized" services. Assistant Principal refuses to listen to suggestions and is very condescending. So disappointed with placing my child in this school. Worst decision ever! Close Quote

by a citizen
Friday, January 30, 2015

excellent school. Caring administration and teachers. Lots of extra help offered if students need it. Terrific counseling department. Sports, Gifted program, band, choir, all fantastic and available to students. Close Quote

Schools Near Challenger Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)				CMAS Math (2026)				CMAS Science (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Challenger Middle School	Public	6-8	10215 Lexington Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-3000	696	41	17.1	16.8%	468 (67.2%)	24 (3.4%)	101 (14.5%)	46 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	54 (7.8%)	85.8	56^th of 469 public middle schools	88.1%		88.7	44^th of 469 public middle schools	90.6%	12	55.7	69.6	73.4	65.5	46.4	53.6	73.6	56.6	66.0	$13,232
Mountain Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	9150 Lexington Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-3200	690	44	15.8	35.2%	398 (57.7%)	28 (4.1%)	169 (24.5%)	27 (3.9%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	63 (9.1%)	72.1	119^th of 469 public middle schools	74.6%		63.5	145^th of 469 public middle schools	69.1%	26	51.7	65.9	62.0	59.4	30.9	40.1	55.7	42.0	54.2	$14,252
Village Middle School	Public, Virtual	6-8	3475 Hampton Park Drive	Colorado Springs	80924	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	Yes	No	(719) 234-1940	163	6	26.2	16.0%	124 (76.1%)	4 (2.5%)	23 (14.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (5.5%)	79.3	87^th of 469 public middle schools	81.4%		75.7	96^th of 469 public middle schools	79.5%	9	58.3	56.7	69.6	60.7	44.4	46.7	58.3	48.9	62.5	$12,179
Timberview Middle School	Public	6-8	8680 Scarborough Drive	Colorado Springs	80920	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-3600	837	51	16.5	31.8%	545 (65.1%)	25 (3.0%)	179 (21.4%)	22 (2.6%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	59 (7.0%)	73	115^th of 469 public middle schools	75.5%		64.5	142^nd of 469 public middle schools	69.7%	27	54.1	60.1	48.3	54.4	50.0	44.5	44.5	46.3	55.6	$13,554
Chinook Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	9750 Grand Lawn Circle	Colorado Springs	80924	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-1576	1,075	58	18.5	16.9%	653 (60.7%)	48 (4.5%)	185 (17.2%)	65 (6.0%)	4 (0.4%)	5 (0.5%)	115 (10.7%)	81	71^st of 469 public middle schools	84.9%		74.6	104^th of 469 public middle schools	77.8%	33	57.3	61.9	66.2	61.7	51.0	49.1	56.2	51.9	52.6	$11,952
The Classical Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	7-8	975 Stout Road	Colorado Springs	80921	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 484-0091	445	31	14.5	14.2%	362 (81.3%)	6 (1.3%)	37 (8.3%)	16 (3.6%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.5%)	88.1	43^rd of 469 public middle schools	90.8%		86	51^st of 469 public middle schools	89.1%	8		72.9	71.5	72.3		53.1	56.2	54.5	61.9	$8,066
Discovery Canyon Campus Middle School	Public	6-8	1810 North Gate Blvd	Colorado Springs	80921	El Paso County	Academy School District No. 20	No	No	No	No	(719) 234-1810	821	50	16.5	18.1%	519 (63.2%)	27 (3.3%)	148 (18.0%)	57 (6.9%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.9%)	93	28^th of 469 public middle schools	94.0%		90	39^th of 469 public middle schools	91.7%	11	61.7	78.9	73.4	71.5	63.0	64.1	77.3	68.6	64.0	$12,878
Jenkins Middle School	Public	6-8	6410 Austin Bluffs Parkway	Colorado Springs	80923	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-5300	791	41	19.2	43.6%	443 (56.0%)	40 (5.1%)	217 (27.4%)	15 (1.9%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	68 (8.6%)	57.7	169^th of 469 public middle schools	64.0%		60.3	155^th of 469 public middle schools	67.0%	14	43.3	49.2	50.8	47.6	42.7	34.2	41.2	39.4	35.5	$17,959
Russell Middle School	Public	6-8	3825 East Montebello Drive	Colorado Springs	80918	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	No	(719) 328-5200	520	33	15.6	64.4%	236 (45.4%)	37 (7.1%)	198 (38.1%)	6 (1.2%)	3 (0.6%)	3 (0.6%)	37 (7.1%)	29.3	305^th of 469 public middle schools	35.0%		34.1	285^th of 469 public middle schools	39.2%	20	20.4	40.3	31.7	31.2	20.4	26.9	27.9	25.3	21.7	$19,844
Skyview Middle School	Public	6-8	6350 Windom Peak Boulevard	Colorado Springs	80923	El Paso County	El Paso County Colorado School District 49	No	No	No	No	(719) 495-5566	862	53	16.2	44.0%	389 (45.1%)	73 (8.5%)	249 (28.9%)	37 (4.3%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	106 (12.3%)	38.3	253^rd of 469 public middle schools	46.1%		46.2	214^th of 469 public middle schools	54.4%	39	32.6	32.2	41.5	35.3	24.1	28.5	39.6	30.4	29.8	$16,517

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Middle School

What district is Challenger Middle School in?

Academy School District No. 20

Is Challenger Middle School a good school?

Challenger Middle School ranks 56^th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Challenger Middle School attend?

Students who attend Challenger Middle School usually go on to attend Pine Creek High School

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Middle School?

Students at Challenger Middle School are 67% White, 15% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 3% African American.

How many students attend Challenger Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 696 students attended Challenger Middle School.

Rate Challenger Middle School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.