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Overland Trail Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

437^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Overland Trail Middle School serves 581 students in grades 6–8 in Brighton, Colorado, within School District 27J, where about 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school currently ranks in the 8th percentile of Colorado middle schools, making it the lowest-ranked middle school in its own district. Test scores are well below district and state averages in every subject, with math the most urgent concern: only 11.7% of students are proficient in math, compared with 26.8% districtwide and 37.3% statewide.

The contrast with nearby schools is striking. Rodger Quist Middle School, also in School District 27J, ranks in the 50th percentile with 40.3% ELA proficiency and 30.1% math proficiency, while Overland Trail posts 18.3% and 11.7% respectively. Perhaps the most meaningful comparison is with Vikan Middle School, located just 1.3 miles away. Vikan serves a nearly identical poverty population (71% FRL) and has a comparable student-teacher ratio, yet outperforms Overland Trail in every subject and ranks 21st statewide versus Overland Trail's 8th percentile. This suggests the challenges at Overland Trail are not insurmountable and that meaningful improvement is realistic under similar conditions.

There are some encouraging signs. Math proficiency has improved for three consecutive years, from 4.7% to 11.7%, and science proficiency has nearly doubled since 2023–24, rising to 16.1%. Chronic absenteeism has also declined to 30.4%, though it remains slightly above the state average of 28.4%. The school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.5, lower than most comparable middle schools nearby. However, all student subgroups rank in the bottom percentile ranges statewide, indicating that academic improvements must reach every demographic group. Sustained, targeted intervention will be needed to move the school out of the bottom decile.

581

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,714

Per pupil spending ?

70.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

455 North 19th Avenue
Brighton, CO 80601-3501

(303) 655-4000

District: School District 27J

Students who attend Overland Trail Middle School usually attend:

High:

Brighton High School

Feeder schools for Overland Trail Middle School:

Elementary:	Mary E Pennock Elementary School
	Northeast Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

70.2%

White:

23.9%

Asian:

2.2%

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Compare Overland Trail Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 19th percentile in 2015 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (15% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg30%

Colorado avg41%

437^th of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Middle Schools in the School District 27J

79^th of 114School District 27J 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	12.5	437 of 476	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	440 of 469	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	461 of 485	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	436 of 480	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	344 of 369	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	394 of 458	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	320 of 418	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.6	351 of 424	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.9	349 of 400	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.9	352 of 436	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	20.3	384 of 461	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	31.8	330 of 454	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.6	326 of 425	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.5	323 of 422	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.2	312 of 409	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.7	298 of 377	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.6	285 of 362	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	13.9	316 of 360	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.5	296 of 346	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	19.7	283 of 340	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	24.5	263 of 336	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	8.0	354 of 368	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.4	334 of 347	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	339 of 350	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	339 of 363	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.5	244 of 254	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	311 of 352	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	245 of 315	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	183 of 208	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	204 of 218	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	198 of 199	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	192 of 198	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.9	152 of 169	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	79 of 83	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.9	206 of 220	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	128 of 165	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	205 of 231	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.3	226 of 241	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	243 of 244	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	223 of 241	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.4	183 of 197	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	101 of 114	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	232 of 240	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	156 of 222	29.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	12.5	338 of 372	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.1	333 of 352	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	355 of 357	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	346 of 356	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.5	244 of 249	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	324 of 343	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	284 of 317	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	8.4	274 of 283	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)12th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)11th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)9th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

White (2019)3rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts18%-26 vs state

Science16%-19 vs state

Math12%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Overland Trail 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 4th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	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 4th Grade	CMAS Math 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Overland Trail Middle School	Public	6-8	455 North 19th Avenue	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4000	581	40	14.5	70.4%	139 (23.9%)	8 (1.4%)	408 (70.2%)	13 (2.2%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (1.0%)	12.5	437^th of 476 public middle schools	8.2%		10.4	440^th of 469 public middle schools	6.2%	3			18.7	16.1	20.0	18.3			10.2	10.3	14.3	11.7		16.1	$15,714
Vikan Middle School	Public	6-8	879 Jessup Street	Brighton	80601	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-4050	528	40	13.0	71.0%	143 (27.1%)	5 (0.9%)	359 (68.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.7%)	19.7	374^th of 476 public middle schools	21.4%		15.5	404^th of 469 public middle schools	13.9%	30			28.5	21.3	18.3	22.7			29.9	12.7	16.2	19.4		17.0	$16,765
Lochbuie Intermediate Academy	Public	4-7	201 Bonanza Boulevard	Lochbuie	80603	Weld County	Weld County School District Re-3j	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 536-2400	239	19	12.9	61.9%	68 (28.5%)	3 (1.3%)	161 (67.4%)	4 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)	19.4	378^th of 476 public middle schools	20.6%					(n/a)	20.7	36.9	25.3	26.4		26.8	15.9	21.5	17.7	16.1		17.6	24.6		$17,842
Prairie View Middle School	Public	6-8	12915 East 120th Avenue	Henderson	80640	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5400	679	36	18.7	58.9%	227 (33.4%)	15 (2.2%)	378 (55.7%)	33 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	22 (3.2%)	24	337^th of 476 public middle schools	29.2%		19.7	370^th of 469 public middle schools	21.1%	33			29.6	30.9	26.7	29.1			20.9	17.0	22.9	20.2		21.4	$14,109
Fort Lupton Middle School	Public	6-8	201 South McKinley	Fort Lupton	80621	Weld County	Weld re-8 schools	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 857-7200	438	29	15.1	62.8%	62 (14.2%)	4 (0.9%)	360 (82.2%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)								(n/a)			10.8	714.0	698.0	9.6			6.8	713.0	706.0	707.0		709.0	$17,259
Rodger Quist Middle School	Public	6-8	13451 Yosemite Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(303) 655-6950	855	46	18.5	38.6%	355 (41.5%)	12 (1.4%)	379 (44.3%)	68 (8.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.4%)	41.3	234^th of 476 public middle schools	50.8%		31.6	303^rd of 469 public middle schools	35.4%	69			41.9	38.4	40.9	40.3			28.0	27.1	35.4	30.1		27.2	$13,601
Otho E Stuart Middle School	Public	6-8	15955 East 101st Way	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District 27J	No	No	No	No	(720) 685-5500	794	44	18.2	52.6%	222 (28.0%)	46 (5.8%)	451 (56.8%)	43 (5.4%)	3 (0.4%)	6 (0.8%)	23 (2.9%)	18	390^th of 476 public middle schools	18.1%		15.9	399^th of 469 public middle schools	14.9%	9			22.0	38.6	22.2	27.4			5.9	15.4	14.0	11.7		17.5	$14,182
Shadow Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	12551 Holly Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5040	632	39	16.3	57.4%	218 (34.5%)	11 (1.7%)	353 (55.9%)	21 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	11.5	443^rd of 476 public middle schools	6.9%		12.9	424^th of 469 public middle schools	9.6%	19			9.9	20.2	20.2	17.0			6.7	10.4	15.5	10.9		14.8	$16,872
Rocky Top Middle School	Public	6-8	14150 York Street	Thornton	80602	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-2200	1,052	57	18.4	27.6%	584 (55.5%)	17 (1.6%)	293 (27.9%)	81 (7.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	72 (6.8%)	69.9	127^th of 476 public middle schools	73.3%		75.5	100^th of 469 public middle schools	78.7%	27			58.1	59.4	41.8	53.4			47.5	45.8	45.6	46.3		44.4	$15,203
Century Middle School	Public	6-8	13000 Lafayette Street	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5240	717	39	18.5	49.5%	309 (43.1%)	10 (1.4%)	307 (42.8%)	43 (6.0%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.7%)	28.1	316^th of 476 public middle schools	33.6%		34.5	279^th of 469 public middle schools	40.5%	37			32.7	41.7	21.0	31.7			25.2	25.0	17.6	22.7		19.8	$16,969

Frequently Asked Questions about Overland Trail Middle School

How many students attend Overland Trail Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended Overland Trail Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Overland Trail Middle School?

Students at Overland Trail Middle School are 70% Hispanic, 24% White, 2% Asian, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Overland Trail Middle School attend?

Students who attend Overland Trail Middle School usually go on to attend Brighton High School

Is Overland Trail Middle School a good school?

Overland Trail Middle School ranks in the bottom 8.2% of Colorado middle schools.

What district is Overland Trail Middle School in?

School District 27J

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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.