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Southern Hills Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

10^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 98% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Southern Hills Middle School is a high-performing public middle school in Boulder, Colorado, serving 493 students in grades 6-8 and part of the Boulder Valley School District, which is ranked 8th out of 115 districts in the state.

The school consistently ranks among the top 10-20 middle schools in Colorado, with a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its proficiency rates in CMAS exams are significantly higher than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, particularly in English Language Arts (ELA), where proficiency ranges from 84% to 88.3% compared to the district's 63.7% to 69.8% and the state's 44.2% to 48.8%. The school also excels in science, with an 8th-grade proficiency rate of 83.8%, much higher than the district's 56.6% and the state's 36.4%. Additionally, Southern Hills Middle School ranks among the top schools in Colorado for female, male, and white student performance, as well as for gifted and talented students.

While Southern Hills Middle School outperforms most nearby middle schools in the Boulder Valley School District, including Broomfield Heights, Angevine, Centennial, and Casey Middle Schools, the only nearby school that appears to be on par with it is Summit Middle Charter School, which is also a top-performing school in the state.

502

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,522

Per pupil spending ?

10.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1500 Knox Drive
Boulder, CO 80305-6617

(720) 561-3400

District: Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

Students who attend Southern Hills Middle School usually attend:

High:

Fairview High School

Feeder schools for Southern Hills Middle School:

Elementary:	Bear Creek Elementary School
	Mesa Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.7%

Two or more races:

10.8%

Hispanic:

8.0%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Southern Hills Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 92nd percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (79% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Colorado middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school79%

District avg60%

Colorado avg40%

10^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 8% (2015) to top 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 9Middle Schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

8^th of 115Boulder Valley School District No. Re2 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
2025	97.5	10 of 469	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	97.6	9 of 485	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	96.5	9 of 480	98.1%	★★★★★
2022	96.7	10 of 448	97.8%	★★★★★
2021	94.6	17 of 369	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	97.2	10 of 458	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	97.0	12 of 418	97.1%	★★★★★
2017	96.7	10 of 424	97.6%	★★★★★
2016	93.9	19 of 400	95.3%	★★★★★
2015	88.0	35 of 436	92.0%	★★★★★
2014	93.6	17 of 461	96.3%	★★★★★
2013	95.1	12 of 454	97.4%	★★★★★
2012	93.0	16 of 425	96.2%	★★★★★
2011	93.0	17 of 422	96.0%	★★★★★
2010	92.3	18 of 409	95.6%	★★★★★
2009	92.1	16 of 377	95.8%	★★★★★
2008	93.4	12 of 362	96.7%	★★★★★
2007	93.1	14 of 360	96.1%	★★★★★
2006	89.1	23 of 346	93.4%	★★★★★
2005	90.1	15 of 340	95.6%	★★★★★
2004	79.6	54 of 336	83.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	94.5	13 of 347	96.3%	★★★★★
2024	96.5	8 of 350	97.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	17 of 363	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	93.3	12 of 326	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	90.5	19 of 254	92.5%	★★★★★
2019	95.3	9 of 352	97.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	11 of 315	96.5%	★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	79.1	4 of 132	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	72.8	25 of 126	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	14 of 125	88.8%	★★★★☆
2022	73.5	21 of 93	77.4%	★★★★☆
2019	76.5	13 of 134	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	68.2	28 of 121	76.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	97.2	10 of 352	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	96.3	11 of 357	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	95.4	10 of 356	97.2%	★★★★★
2022	96.0	12 of 328	96.3%	★★★★★
2021	93.1	14 of 249	94.4%	★★★★★
2019	96.1	12 of 343	96.5%	★★★★★
2018	97.1	9 of 317	97.2%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	94.4	2 of 23	91.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	92.3	13 of 275	95.3%	★★★★★
2024	92.7	12 of 273	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	89.7	18 of 286	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	89.8	17 of 265	93.6%	★★★★★
2021	85.4	21 of 203	89.7%	★★★★★
2019	93.4	14 of 283	95.1%	★★★★★
2018	93.3	14 of 199	93.0%	★★★★★

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)

Male (2025)97th percentile~ school

Gifted and Talented (2025)97th percentile~ school

Female (2025)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)95th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)91st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts86%+41 vs state

Science84%+47 vs state

Math71%+35 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

the above is just sour apples. The school is tough, they really do challenge the kids ( if upper classes are taken). Mr. Gallach and Ina are a great asset.....just making kids accountable, they communicate with families with concerns. I think it is a GREAT public school. Clean, nice teacher, nice kids! Close Quote

by a parent
Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The school is awful, it offers a minimal mount of advanced classes, only some of the teachers are good teachers but most just follow the book. Also the principal and vice-principal have outrageous punishments and sometimes make kids sign crazy contracts that do nothing but victimise your child. Close Quote

Schools Near Southern Hills Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)				CMAS Math (2025)				CMAS Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Southern Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1500 Knox Drive	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-3400	502	26	19.3	10.6%	365 (72.7%)	7 (1.4%)	40 (8.0%)	35 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (10.8%)	97.5	10^th of 469 public middle schools	97.9%		97.6	9^th of 485 public middle schools	98.1%	1	84.0	86.0	88.3	85.9	72.2	67.5	74.2	71.1	83.8	$18,522
Summit Middle Charter School	Public, Charter	6-8	4655 Hanover Avenue	Boulder	80305	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	Yes	No	No	No	(720) 561-3900	366	22	16.8	13.4%	233 (63.7%)	3 (0.8%)	40 (10.9%)	43 (11.7%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (12.3%)	98.9	5^th of 469 public middle schools	98.9%		98.2	6^th of 485 public middle schools	98.8%	1	87.5	84.7	95.6	89.2	85.0	80.5	95.6	86.9	88.3	$12,983
Manhattan Middle School of the Arts and Academics	Public	6-8	290 Manhattan Drive	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-6300	482	29	16.8	31.1%	287 (59.5%)	6 (1.2%)	123 (25.5%)	15 (3.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.0%)	86.6	49^th of 469 public middle schools	89.6%		69.4	127^th of 485 public middle schools	73.8%	78	64.5	72.7	73.9	69.7	49.7	53.2	64.6	55.1	58.8	$20,802
Nevin Platt Middle School	Public	6-8	6096 Baseline Road	Boulder	80303	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5536	483	29	16.8	14.7%	389 (80.5%)	4 (0.8%)	47 (9.7%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.5%)	80.9	71^st of 469 public middle schools	84.9%		74.9	99^th of 485 public middle schools	79.6%	28	65.3	67.8	55.5	63.4	54.2	49.0	51.4	51.3	53.2	$19,411
Casey Middle School	Public	6-8	1301 High Street	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-2700	363	29	12.6	65.0%	138 (38.0%)	3 (0.8%)	199 (54.8%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (3.9%)	33.1	291^st of 469 public middle schools	38.0%		34.2	285^th of 485 public middle schools	41.2%	6	26.3	40.4	43.8	36.5	9.7	24.4	30.8	21.1	33.7	$23,923
Centennial Middle School	Public	6-8	2205 Norwood Avenue	Boulder	80304	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-5441	598	31	19.3	33.1%	379 (63.4%)	7 (1.2%)	172 (28.8%)	11 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.3%)	78.4	85^th of 469 public middle schools	81.9%		73	110^th of 485 public middle schools	77.3%	25	59.6	66.7	54.1	60.4	45.7	54.2	49.4	49.7	55.5	$17,736
Louisville Middle School	Public	6-8	1341 Main Street	Louisville	80027	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-7400	626	34	18.6	18.5%	497 (79.4%)	3 (0.5%)	66 (10.5%)	14 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.9%)	86.4	50^th of 469 public middle schools	89.3%		90.9	36^th of 485 public middle schools	92.6%	14	63.5	75.1	67.9	68.8	50.0	54.1	63.6	55.8	56.5	$18,046
Angevine Middle School	Public	6-8	1150 W South Boulder Road	Lafayette	80026	Boulder County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-7100	619	40	15.3	49.6%	311 (50.2%)	9 (1.5%)	245 (39.6%)	15 (2.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.7%)	57.4	169^th of 469 public middle schools	64.0%		45.4	233^rd of 485 public middle schools	52.0%	64	42.1	50.9	58.3	50.5	29.5	35.0	43.3	36.0	41.4	$20,219
Broomfield Heights Middle School	Public	6-8	1555 Daphne Street	Broomfield	80020	Broomfield County	Boulder Valley School District No. Re2	No	No	No	No	(720) 561-8400	490	30	16.5	34.3%	315 (64.3%)	6 (1.2%)	123 (25.1%)	13 (2.7%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.1%)	70.3	122^nd of 469 public middle schools	74.0%		56.9	179^th of 485 public middle schools	63.1%	57	59.3	63.7	56.9	60.2	35.5	42.0	44.1	40.8	47.3	$20,017
Wayne Carle Middle School	Public	6-8	10200 W 100th Avenue	Westminster	80021	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9070	438	24	17.8	21.2%	315 (71.9%)	2 (0.5%)	89 (20.3%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	62.2	149^th of 469 public middle schools	68.2%		63.5	145^th of 485 public middle schools	70.1%	4	53.7	54.8	49.2	52.4	33.3	35.9	43.1	37.6	47.9	$16,517

Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Hills Middle School

How many students attend Southern Hills Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 502 students attended Southern Hills Middle School.

Is Southern Hills Middle School a good school?

Yes! Southern Hills Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 10^th of 469 Colorado middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Southern Hills Middle School attend?

Students who attend Southern Hills Middle School usually go on to attend Fairview High School

What is the racial makeup of Southern Hills Middle School?

Students at Southern Hills Middle School are 73% White, 11% Two or more races, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Southern Hills Middle School in?

Boulder Valley School District No. Re2

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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.