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Highland Middle School

Q: Is Highland Middle School a good school?

Highland Middle School ranks 337 th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

337^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Highland Middle School serves 234 students in grades 6–8 in Ault, Colorado, as part of Weld County School District No. Re-9. The school currently holds a 1-star rating and ranks in the 28th percentile among Colorado middle schools, a significant decline from a decade ago when it ranked in the 64th percentile during the 2014-2015 school year.

On the 2025-2026 CMAS assessments, Highland's proficiency rates were well below state averages: 19.7% in English Language Arts compared to 44.7% statewide, and 25.9% in math compared to 37.3% statewide. Among nearby schools, only Heath Middle School scored lower in ELA, while high-performing schools like Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School (78.1%), Windsor Charter Academy Middle School (62.9%), and Preston Middle School (56.4%) were far above. Highland is unusual in that math proficiency exceeds ELA proficiency — the opposite of the typical Colorado pattern. Seventh grade is a relative bright spot, with math proficiency at 33.3% (essentially the state average) and ELA at 31.3%, compared to just 12.5% in 8th grade ELA. Notably, math proficiency jumped from 12.4% in 2023-2024 to 25.9% in 2025-2026, while ELA stayed flat.

Chronic absenteeism at Highland is 32.0%, above the state rate of 28.4% and well above higher-performing nearby schools such as Eaton Middle School (12.8%) and Windsor Charter Academy Middle School (9.5%). The comparison with Eaton is particularly striking: Eaton is just 3.95 miles away and serves a similar economic profile (32.6% free/reduced lunch vs. Highland's 30.8%), yet Eaton's ELA proficiency is more than double Highland's (42.1% vs. 19.7%) and its math proficiency is also much higher (36.6% vs. 25.9%). Highland's student-teacher ratio of 14.1 is the lowest in the region, yet that has not translated into higher achievement. The school's dropout rate of 1.1% is also slightly higher than most nearby middle schools, and internal data shows significant gaps in outcomes between student groups.

234

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,845

Per pupil spending ?

30.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

209 West 1st
Ault, CO 80610

(970) 834-2820

District: Weld County School District No. Re-9

Students who attend Highland Middle School usually attend:

High:

Highland High School

Feeder schools for Highland Middle School:

Elementary:

Highland Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.5%

Hispanic:

35.5%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Highland Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (22% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 25 pts below the Colorado average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg23%

Colorado avg41%

337^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 24 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

100^th of 115Weld County School District No. Re-9 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	23.4	337 of 469	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.8	382 of 485	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	250 of 480	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	284 of 448	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.8	333 of 458	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.9	308 of 418	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.9	251 of 424	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	46.4	193 of 400	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.6	155 of 436	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	33.8	315 of 461	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.3	253 of 454	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	51.7	219 of 425	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	52.7	219 of 422	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.3	251 of 409	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	39.1	250 of 377	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	41.7	230 of 362	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	35.9	258 of 360	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.8	255 of 346	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	22.0	276 of 340	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	12.7	302 of 336	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	41.3	186 of 365	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.0	241 of 352	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	28.6	222 of 315	29.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2018	28.2	168 of 222	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	16.5	312 of 369	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	243 of 343	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	233 of 317	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	15.2	244 of 275	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.1	172 of 286	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.9	234 of 283	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Female (2026)49th percentile+21 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)24th percentile~ school

Male (2026)15th percentile-13 vs school

White (2026)11th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Math26%-11 vs state

Science20%-15 vs state

English Language Arts20%-25 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, November 6, 2018

It's bad

Schools Near Highland 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	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
Highland Middle School	Public	6-8	209 West 1st	Ault	80610	Weld County	Weld County School District No. Re-9	No	No	No	No	(970) 834-2820	234	17	14.1	30.8%	144 (61.5%)	2 (0.9%)	83 (35.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	23.4	337^th of 469 public middle schools	28.1%					(n/a)	15.3	31.3	12.5	19.7	18.6	33.3	27.5	25.9	20.0	$13,845
Eaton Middle School	Public	6-8	601 1st Street	Eaton	80615	Weld County	Weld County School District No. Re-2	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 454-3358	485	32	15.3	32.6%	344 (70.9%)	3 (0.6%)	129 (26.6%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.2%)	50.4	193^rd of 469 public middle schools	58.8%		43.9	224^th of 469 public middle schools	52.2%	31	44.5	41.5	40.2	42.1	37.7	27.7	45.5	36.6	34.9	$13,400
Severance Middle School	Public	6-8	1801 Avery Plaza Street	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	No	No	No	No	(970) 833-7200	670	43	15.7	33.6%	444 (66.3%)	8 (1.2%)	190 (28.4%)	7 (1.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	16 (2.4%)	47.6	202^nd of 469 public middle schools	56.9%		55.1	178^th of 469 public middle schools	62.0%	24	44.3			41.8	34.5			32.9	28.1	$14,931
Franklin Middle School	Public	6-8	818 35th Avenue	Greeley	80634	Weld County	GreeleySchool District No. 6	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 348-3200	367	23	16.0	87.7%	45 (12.3%)	11 (3.0%)	286 (77.9%)	17 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)	3 (0.8%)	14.8	412^th of 469 public middle schools	12.2%		21.1	352^nd of 469 public middle schools	24.9%	60	17.4	21.2	25.3	21.4	7.6	8.2	24.2	13.8	14.1	$20,301
Windsor Charter Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	810 Automation Drive	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	Yes	No	No	No	(970) 833-5190	395	23	17.2	16.7%	308 (78.0%)	4 (1.0%)	64 (16.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.3%)	79	90^th of 469 public middle schools	80.8%		90.5	35^th of 469 public middle schools	92.5%	55	61.7	69.8	57.3	62.9	42.2	51.6	65.2	53.1	42.0	$5,546
Heath Middle School	Public	6-8	2223 16th Street	Greeley	80631	Weld County	GreeleySchool District No. 6	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 348-3400	499	33	15.1	80.4%	73 (14.6%)	19 (3.8%)	371 (74.3%)	26 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.2%)	11.3	437^th of 469 public middle schools	6.8%		10.5	439^th of 469 public middle schools	6.4%	2	17.5	17.4	17.0	17.3	12.3	10.3	14.4	12.3	9.9	$19,438
Windsor Middle School	Public	6-8	900 Main Street	Windsor	80550	Weld County	Weld County Reorganized School District No. Re-4	No	No	No	No	(970) 686-8200	785	50	15.8	21.8%	613 (78.1%)	7 (0.9%)	135 (17.2%)	5 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.1%)	42.9	224^th of 469 public middle schools	52.2%		54.4	182^nd of 469 public middle schools	61.2%	42	31.7	38.1	46.0	38.7	24.6	23.3	42.3	30.5	36.1	$14,678
Brentwood Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 24th Avenue Court	Greeley	80634	Weld County	GreeleySchool District No. 6	No	No	No	No	(970) 348-3000	564	31	18.4	74.1%	136 (24.1%)	18 (3.2%)	364 (64.5%)	29 (5.1%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.0%)	25.3	324^th of 469 public middle schools	30.9%		22.1	345^th of 469 public middle schools	26.4%	21	21.5	29.2	38.9	29.8	19.7	12.4	32.6	21.8	17.9	$17,202
Prairie Heights Middle School	Public	6-8	3737 65th Avenue	Evans	80634	Weld County	GreeleySchool District No. 6	No	No	No	No	(970) 348-3600	537	34	15.7	73.7%	106 (19.7%)	18 (3.4%)	380 (70.8%)	21 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.7%)	14.9	411^th of 469 public middle schools	12.4%		19	378^th of 469 public middle schools	19.4%	33	18.2	31.5	20.9	22.9	12.1	6.2	18.6	12.9	14.0	$19,553
Preston Middle School	Public	6-8	4901 Corbett Drive	Fort Collins	80528	Larimer County	Poudre School District R-1	No	No	No	No	(970) 488-7300	568	35	16.3	29.8%	419 (73.8%)	8 (1.4%)	94 (16.5%)	22 (3.9%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.5%)	71	122^nd of 469 public middle schools	74.0%		72.5	112^th of 469 public middle schools	76.1%	10	54.0	62.3	51.5	56.4	44.4	44.5	52.8	47.0	37.5	$19,027

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Middle School?

Students at Highland Middle School are 62% White, 35% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Highland Middle School attend?

Students who attend Highland Middle School usually go on to attend Highland High School

What district is Highland Middle School in?

Weld County School District No. Re-9

How many students attend Highland Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 234 students attended Highland Middle School.

Is Highland Middle School a good school?

Highland Middle School ranks 337^th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Highland Middle School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresNewAug 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.