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Southern Hills Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
14th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 469 Colorado Middle Schools
Better than 97% of Colorado middle schools
Summary

Southern Hills Middle School is a 6–8 public middle school in Boulder, CO, serving 502 students within the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2. For 2025–2026, it ranks #14 out of 469 Colorado middle schools (97th percentile, 5 stars), and it has ranked between #9 and #19 in the state every year since 2015–2016. Academic proficiency is far above district and state averages: 78.1% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, 71.7% in math, and 73.8% in 8th-grade science, compared to BVSD averages of 65.3%, 56.1%, and 59.4%, and state averages of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 35.4%.

Among nearby schools, Summit Middle Charter School is the only one that edges out Southern Hills, ranking #8 in the state with slightly higher proficiency in every subject. Among traditional BVSD middle schools, however, Southern Hills is the clear leader: its 71.7% math proficiency is more than 11 points ahead of the next-closest traditional school, Louisville Middle School at 60.5%, and its overall state rank is well ahead of Manhattan Middle School of the Arts and Academics (#37), Louisville (#42), Nevin Platt Middle School (#59), Centennial Middle School (#85), Broomfield Heights Middle School (#139), Angevine Middle School (#160), and Casey Middle School (#221). Southern Hills also posts a chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.8%, less than one-third the state rate of 28.4%, and a 0% dropout rate in every reported year.

Southern Hills stands out for its effectiveness with specific student groups, ranking #2 in the state for low socioeconomic status students and #2 for multi-racial students. The school's free/reduced lunch rate is 10.6%, the lowest among nearby schools, and its student-teacher ratio of 19.3 is among the highest in the area — a sign of instructional efficiency, but worth watching. The main things to monitor are a slight dip in ELA proficiency (from 85.9% to 78.1%), a drop in the Gifted/Talented subgroup ranking from #4 to #38, and whether the high student-teacher ratio remains sustainable while maintaining these exceptional results.

502
Students ?
19.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$20,421
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%
more
 See top rated Colorado middle schools

 Compare Southern Hills Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 95th percentile in 2016 → 97th in 2026
Strengths
Test scores above the Colorado average (75% vs 41% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 3% of Colorado middle schools
Among the top-ranked schools in Boulder Valley School District No. Re2
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school75%
District avg61%
Colorado avg41%
14th of 469
Colorado public middle schools ?
Top 3%▲ up 2 pts since 2016
See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 9Middle Schools in the Boulder Valley School District No. Re2
5th 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202696.314 of 46997.0%★★★★★
202597.510 of 46997.9%★★★★★
202497.69 of 48598.1%★★★★★
202396.59 of 48098.1%★★★★★
202296.710 of 44897.8%★★★★★
202194.617 of 36995.4%★★★★★
201997.210 of 45897.8%★★★★★
201897.012 of 41897.1%★★★★★
201796.710 of 42497.6%★★★★★
201693.919 of 40095.3%★★★★★
201588.035 of 43692.0%★★★★★
201493.617 of 46196.3%★★★★★
201395.112 of 45497.4%★★★★★
201293.016 of 42596.2%★★★★★
201193.017 of 42296.0%★★★★★
201092.318 of 40995.6%★★★★★
200992.116 of 37795.8%★★★★★
200893.412 of 36296.7%★★★★★
200793.114 of 36096.1%★★★★★
200689.123 of 34693.4%★★★★★
200590.115 of 34095.6%★★★★★
200479.654 of 33683.9%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202692.815 of 36595.9%★★★★★
202594.513 of 34796.3%★★★★★
202496.58 of 35097.7%★★★★★
202393.017 of 36395.3%★★★★★
202293.312 of 32696.3%★★★★★
202190.519 of 25492.5%★★★★★
201995.39 of 35297.4%★★★★★
201894.811 of 31596.5%★★★★★

Gifted and Talented

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202669.738 of 15475.3%★★★★☆
202579.14 of 13297.0%★★★★★
202472.825 of 12680.2%★★★★☆
202378.514 of 12588.8%★★★★☆
202273.521 of 9377.4%★★★★☆
201976.513 of 13490.3%★★★★★
201868.228 of 12176.9%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202699.82 of 23099.1%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202696.112 of 36996.7%★★★★★
202597.210 of 35297.2%★★★★★
202496.311 of 35796.9%★★★★★
202395.410 of 35697.2%★★★★★
202296.012 of 32896.3%★★★★★
202193.114 of 24994.4%★★★★★
201996.112 of 34396.5%★★★★★
201897.19 of 31797.2%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202594.42 of 2391.3%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankColorado percentileRating
202689.221 of 27592.4%★★★★★
202592.313 of 27595.3%★★★★★
202492.712 of 27395.6%★★★★★
202389.718 of 28693.7%★★★★★
202289.817 of 26593.6%★★★★★
202185.421 of 20389.7%★★★★★
201993.414 of 28395.1%★★★★★
201893.314 of 19993.0%★★★★★
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)99th percentile~ school
Male (2026)97th percentile~ school
Female (2026)96th percentile~ school
White (2026)92nd percentile-5 vs school
Multi-racial (2025)91st percentile-7 vs school
Gifted and Talented (2026)75th percentile-22 vs school
By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts78%+33 vs state
Science74%+38 vs state
Math72%+34 vs state

3.0
2 ratings · 2 written reviews
51
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11
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Open Quote 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

Open Quote 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

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Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Hills Middle School

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

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

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

Yes! Southern Hills Middle School is one of the best middle schools in the state. It ranks 14th of 469 Colorado middle schools.

Rate Southern Hills 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.

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