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West Middle School

Q: Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks 292 nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

292^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 39% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

West Middle School serves 468 students in grades 6–8 in Grand Junction, Colorado, as part of Mesa County Valley School District No. 51. The school currently ranks in the 38th percentile among Colorado middle schools, earning 2 stars—a step back from the previous year's 51st percentile. Over the past decade, West has generally hovered in the lower-middle tier of state rankings, showing stability more than improvement. About 52% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio is 16.4.

Academically, West Middle School trails district and state averages across all core subjects. In 2025–2026, only 33.3% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 42.5% districtwide, and 26.0% were proficient in math, compared to 35.5% districtwide. Eighth grade math is a particular concern, with just 27.0% proficiency versus 37.8% statewide. Among nearby schools, West outperforms Grand Mesa Middle School and Bookcliff Middle School, but trails Fruita Middle School, Orchard Mesa Middle School, and especially Redlands Middle School, where 71.8% of 8th graders are proficient in math.

One of the most significant challenges facing West is chronic absenteeism. Nearly 47% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, well above the state rate of 28.4% and among the highest in the area. Redlands Middle School, which has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate locally at 23.7%, also has the highest test scores in the region. West's poverty rate is actually lower than several nearby schools, yet its achievement is not consistently higher—suggesting that improving attendance and instructional supports could be key levers for raising student outcomes.

468

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,455

Per pupil spending ?

52.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

123 W Orchard Ave
Grand Junction, CO 81505-1518

(970) 254-5090

District: Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Students who attend West Middle School usually attend:

High:

Grand Junction High School

Feeder schools for West Middle School:

Elementary:	Pomona Elementary School
	Tope Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.9%

Hispanic:

23.9%

Two or more races:

5.1%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare West Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 51st percentile in 2021 → 39th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (29% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (41% vs 28% Colorado)

!Ranking has slipped from its 51st-percentile peak (2021) to 39th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg39%

Colorado avg41%

292^nd of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 39%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 30% (2016) to bottom 39% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Middle Schools in the Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

38^th of 114Mesa County Valley School District No. 51 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	32.7	292 of 476	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.3	232 of 469	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	270 of 485	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.9	243 of 480	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.2	248 of 448	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.2	181 of 369	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.7	315 of 458	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.4	293 of 418	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.1	300 of 424	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.3	280 of 400	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.8	255 of 436	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.5	221 of 461	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	50.6	235 of 454	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	53.0	216 of 425	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	53.7	209 of 422	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	50.8	212 of 409	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.4	154 of 377	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	48.2	206 of 362	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	67.0	109 of 360	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	61.5	130 of 346	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2005	59.5	143 of 340	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	62.9	125 of 336	62.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.9	251 of 368	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.4	168 of 347	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.4	203 of 350	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.2	198 of 363	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.7	193 of 326	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.6	118 of 254	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.5	257 of 352	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	261 of 315	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	42.7	117 of 218	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	135 of 199	32.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	21.7	192 of 231	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.9	117 of 241	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	28.0	184 of 244	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	44.8	115 of 241	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	73 of 197	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	249 of 372	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.9	247 of 352	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	236 of 357	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	197 of 356	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	206 of 328	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.0	176 of 249	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	245 of 343	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.5	214 of 317	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	11.9	256 of 278	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.2	205 of 275	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	213 of 273	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	202 of 286	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.4	209 of 265	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.2	147 of 203	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.6	242 of 283	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	168 of 199	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)46th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)33rd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)32nd percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile-22 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-11 vs state

Science28%-8 vs state

Math26%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near West 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
West Middle School	Public	6-8	123 W Orchard Ave	Grand Junction	81505	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-5090	468	29	16.4	52.1%	313 (66.9%)	6 (1.3%)	112 (23.9%)	7 (1.5%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.1%)	32.7	292^nd of 476 public middle schools	38.7%		42.3	232^nd of 469 public middle schools	50.5%	60	36.6	30.3	32.9	33.3	27.6	22.9	27.0	26.0	27.5	$15,455
Orchard Mesa Middle School	Public	6-8	2736 Unaweep Ave #a	Grand Junction	81503	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6320	560	35	15.9	58.9%	389 (69.5%)	0 (0.0%)	139 (24.8%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.0%)	47.4	205^th of 476 public middle schools	56.9%		50.8	196^th of 469 public middle schools	58.2%	9	45.5	41.6	36.9	41.5	29.6	32.3	38.3	33.2	35.6	$16,017
Bookcliff Middle School	Public	6-8	2935 Orchard Ave	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6220	525	38	13.7	72.6%	233 (44.4%)	5 (1.0%)	257 (49.0%)	4 (0.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	22.9	347^th of 476 public middle schools	27.1%		14.7	411^th of 469 public middle schools	12.4%	64	34.5	32.7	28.2	32.0	12.9	17.3	19.5	16.4	16.3	$17,300
Redlands Middle School	Public	6-8	2200 Broadway	Grand Junction	81507	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-7000	632	37	17.3	25.3%	532 (84.2%)	4 (0.6%)	64 (10.1%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	22 (3.5%)	86.4	51^st of 476 public middle schools	89.3%		85.9	53^rd of 469 public middle schools	88.7%	2	57.9	59.8	64.2	60.6	61.0	48.5	71.8	60.7	70.3	$15,052
Grand Mesa Middle School	Public	6-8	585 31-1/2 Road	Grand Junction	81504	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6270	476	32	14.9	64.5%	272 (57.1%)	3 (0.6%)	173 (36.3%)	9 (1.9%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.4%)	16.2	408^th of 476 public middle schools	14.3%		16.9	393^rd of 469 public middle schools	16.2%	15	22.7	15.8	22.8	20.8	14.9	10.0	17.7	14.6	20.9	$16,353
Fruita Middle School	Public	6-8	1835 J Rd	Fruita	81521	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	No	(970) 254-6570	690	40	17.3	39.1%	554 (80.3%)	2 (0.3%)	99 (14.3%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	25 (3.6%)	45	216^th of 476 public middle schools	54.6%		42.6	231^st of 469 public middle schools	50.7%	15	38.2	37.2	38.7	38.0	33.0	26.5	47.0	35.0	33.1	$15,197
Mount Garfield Middle School	Public	6-8	3475 Front Street	Clifton	81520	Mesa County	Mesa County Valley School District No. 51	No	No	No	Yes	(970) 254-4720	569	34	16.7	68.7%	338 (59.4%)	5 (0.9%)	201 (35.3%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.2%)	33.4	288^th of 476 public middle schools	39.5%		29.8	317^th of 469 public middle schools	32.4%	29	31.4	35.9	35.2	34.1	24.3	18.6	32.1	25.0	31.1	$16,021

Frequently Asked Questions about West Middle School

What district is West Middle School in?

Mesa County Valley School District No. 51

Is West Middle School a good school?

West Middle School ranks 292^nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend West Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 468 students attended West Middle School.

What high school do graduates of West Middle School attend?

Students who attend West Middle School usually go on to attend Grand Junction High School

What is the racial makeup of West Middle School?

Students at West Middle School are 67% White, 24% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

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.