Kearney Middle School

Kearney Middle School is a grades 7–8 middle school in Commerce City, Colorado, serving 397 students as part of School District N. 14, a district ranked last in the state. The school serves a high-poverty community — about 86% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, a figure that has remained essentially flat over the past three years. Academically, Kearney ranks 450th out of 469 Colorado middle schools, placing it in the bottom 4% statewide with a 0-star rating on SchoolDigger.

On state CMAS tests, Kearney's proficiency rates are roughly one-quarter to one-third of the state average: 11.9% in ELA versus 44.7% statewide, 10.7% in math versus 37.3%, and 10.8% in science versus 35.4%. By contrast, nearby Denver Green School Northfield and McAuliffe International School — both within 4 miles — rank among the top 20 schools in Colorado and post ELA proficiency rates above 73%. However, those schools serve far fewer low-income students, with only 24–27% free/reduced lunch eligibility compared to Kearney's 86%.

More telling is the comparison to schools with similar poverty levels. Victory Preparatory Academy Middle State Charter School, just 0.9 miles away, has nearly the same free/reduced lunch rate (85.5%) yet posts significantly higher proficiency: 35.4% in ELA and 28.5% in math. Kearney's biggest barrier appears to be attendance — 45.5% of students are chronically absent, nearly double the rate at high-achieving nearby schools. On a positive note, the student-teacher ratio has improved dramatically from 19.3 to 13.3, and the dropout rate of 1.4% is below the district's 3.1%. While Kearney faces deep challenges, its math proficiency has more than doubled in recent years, suggesting targeted efforts in attendance and instruction could make a real difference.