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Bell Middle School

Q: Is Bell Middle School a good school?

Bell Middle School ranks 62 nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

62^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 87% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Bell Middle School is a mid-size public middle school in Golden, Colorado, serving 774 students in grades 6–8 as part of Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The school has become one of the strongest traditional neighborhood middle schools in the area, earning a 4-star rating and ranking 62nd out of 469 Colorado middle schools — the 87th percentile — for the 2025-2026 school year. This continues a steady climb from a 3-star rating and 167th-place ranking in 2021-2022, demonstrating sustained improvement rather than a one-year spike.

Academically, Bell outperforms both its district and the state on every CMAS assessment. In 2025-2026, 62.7% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, 53.8% in math, and 63% of 8th graders in science — a 27.6-point gap above the state average in science. Math has been the fastest-growing subject, jumping 17 points in three years from 36.8% to 53.8%. Science is the school's signature strength, and no nearby comprehensive middle school comes close: Dunstan Middle School posted 46.1%, Oberon Middle School 48.1%, and Carmody Middle School just 23% in 8th-grade science. Among nearby schools, only Manning Options School, a 5-star choice program, outranks Bell.

Bell also stands out for attendance. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 21.8% is well below the district rate of 26.6% and far lower than nearby schools like Everitt Middle School (45.6%), Creighton Middle School (43.4%), and Carmody Middle School (37.0%). The school has strengthened support for several groups of students: Hispanic students improved from the 38th to the 76th percentile statewide, and female, male, White, and gifted/talented students all rank above the 73rd percentile. The main areas to watch are support for students with disabilities, who rank at the 6th percentile, and continued improvement for low-income students, who sit near the middle statewide. Overall, Bell is a high-performing, improving option for Golden families seeking a strong comprehensive middle school.

774

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,793

Per pupil spending ?

26.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1001 Ulysses Street
Golden, CO 80401-2660

(303) 982-4280

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Students who attend Bell Middle School usually attend:

High:

Golden High School

Feeder schools for Bell Middle School:

Elementary:	Kyffin Elementary School
	Maple Grove Elementary School
	Mitchell Elementary School
	Ralston Elementary School
	More...
	Shelton Elementary School
	Welchester Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.5%

Hispanic:

17.4%

Two or more races:

5.2%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Bell Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 83rd percentile in 2016 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (59% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Colorado middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg49%

Colorado avg41%

62^nd of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From top 17% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 18Middle Schools in the Jefferson County School District No. R-1

24^th of 114Jefferson County School District No. R-1 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	83.9	62 of 476	87.0%	★★★★☆
2025	75.5	98 of 469	79.1%	★★★★☆
2024	70.1	124 of 485	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.5	125 of 480	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	57.0	167 of 448	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.4	109 of 369	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.7	97 of 458	78.8%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	75 of 418	82.1%	★★★★☆
2017	76.9	71 of 424	83.3%	★★★★☆
2016	74.7	67 of 400	83.3%	★★★★☆
2015	72.6	81 of 436	81.4%	★★★★☆
2014	68.9	133 of 461	71.1%	★★★★☆
2013	57.4	192 of 454	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.8	167 of 425	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.2	180 of 422	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.6	149 of 409	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.8	116 of 377	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.4	107 of 362	70.4%	★★★★☆
2007	73.7	86 of 360	76.1%	★★★★☆
2006	72.7	88 of 346	74.6%	★★★★☆
2005	70.1	99 of 340	70.9%	★★★★☆
2004	64.1	116 of 336	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	24.6	17 of 18	5.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	50 of 368	86.4%	★★★★☆
2025	70.6	92 of 347	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	71.9	86 of 350	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	62.5	117 of 363	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.5	154 of 326	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	63.3	75 of 254	70.5%	★★★★☆
2019	68.4	96 of 352	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.1	67 of 315	78.7%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	69.2	41 of 154	73.4%	★★★★☆
2025	62.2	51 of 132	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.6	55 of 126	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.4	70 of 125	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.7	78 of 93	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	111 of 134	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.0	96 of 121	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	66.5	49 of 208	76.4%	★★★★☆
2025	60.6	65 of 218	70.2%	★★★★☆
2023	35.0	122 of 198	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.0	115 of 169	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.7	106 of 220	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.2	72 of 165	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	106 of 231	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	32.3	166 of 241	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	139 of 244	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	182 of 241	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	143 of 197	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	49.5	105 of 240	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	98 of 222	55.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	76.9	71 of 372	80.9%	★★★★☆
2025	70.4	84 of 352	76.1%	★★★★☆
2024	58.9	118 of 357	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	63.3	106 of 356	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	54.0	119 of 328	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.7	100 of 249	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.7	86 of 343	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	71.7	65 of 317	79.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	51 of 278	81.7%	★★★★☆
2025	62.6	89 of 275	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	100 of 273	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.5	117 of 286	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.9	140 of 265	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.4	96 of 203	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	98 of 283	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.1	69 of 199	65.3%	★★★☆☆

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)86th percentile~ school

White (2026)82nd percentile-5 vs school

Male (2026)81st percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)76th percentile-11 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)73rd percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile-33 vs school

Disabled (2025)6th percentile-74 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

Science63%+28 vs state

English Language Arts63%+18 vs state

Math54%+16 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, November 20, 2014

This is a very innovative middle school. If your child is creative, non-traditional, and open minded, this school is a great fit! Unlike private or some academic focused public schools, students at Bell do not need to constantly take quizzes and tests on core subjects to show their understanding of the subjects. They focus more on learning the subjects in depth rather than strictly memorizations. Also, students there are taught to work as a team, so they are often assigned with group projects as their assignments. And one of the best things I like at this school is that the school promotes using technology as part of their learning vehicle. The students can bring their electronic devices to school and use them, and also they regularly use the internet to research and turn in assignments. I feel that the school is doing a good job preparing the students to the real world. Close Quote

Schools Near Bell 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
Bell Middle School	Public	6-8	1001 Ulysses Street	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-4280	774	41	19.1	26.6%	569 (73.5%)	14 (1.8%)	135 (17.4%)	13 (1.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.2%)	83.9	62^nd of 476 public middle schools	87.0%		75.5	98^th of 469 public middle schools	79.1%	36			64.8	62.3	60.7	62.7			59.0	45.9	56.7	53.8		63.0	$15,793
Connections Learning Center on the Earle Johnson Campus	Public	6-9	1200 Johnson Road	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-7004	22	10	2.3	63.6%	7 (31.8%)	1 (4.5%)	11 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (13.6%)								(n/a)						709.0						711.0			$98,483
Manning Options School	Public	6-8	13200 West 32nd Place	Lakewood	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6340	685	32	21.1	12.3%	567 (82.8%)	4 (0.6%)	66 (9.6%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.1%)	94.2	23^rd of 476 public middle schools	95.2%		92.9	25^th of 469 public middle schools	94.7%	2			73.2	79.1	74.7	75.7			60.4	71.4	67.8	66.3		65.9	$15,921
Dunstan Middle School	Public	6-8	1855 South Wright Street	Lakewood	80228	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9270	798	44	18.2	28.2%	550 (68.9%)	8 (1.0%)	168 (21.1%)	17 (2.1%)	9 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (5.6%)	71	124^th of 476 public middle schools	73.9%		60	161^st of 469 public middle schools	65.7%	37			60.0	62.3	52.9	58.7			38.2	42.1	46.9	42.1		46.1	$16,058
Creighton Middle School	Public	6-8	75 Independence Street	Lakewood	80226	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6282	741	46	15.9	54.3%	285 (38.5%)	32 (4.3%)	376 (50.7%)	12 (1.6%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	26 (3.5%)	44.8	217^th of 476 public middle schools	54.4%		37.9	259^th of 469 public middle schools	44.8%	42			41.5	45.2	41.8	42.9			35.2	26.4	28.6	30.0		31.1	$16,435
Drake Junior High School	Public	6-8	12550 West 52nd Avenue	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-1510	1,002	51	19.6	18.9%	782 (78.0%)	12 (1.2%)	139 (13.9%)	22 (2.2%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.2%)	71.9	122^nd of 476 public middle schools	74.4%		69.9	129^th of 469 public middle schools	72.5%	7			47.1	54.8	57.0	52.7			44.8	43.1	55.8	47.5		51.2	$15,835
Everitt Middle School	Public	6-8	3900 Kipling Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-1580	456	29	15.5	56.6%	216 (47.4%)	13 (2.9%)	191 (41.9%)	6 (1.3%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	42.9	227^th of 476 public middle schools	52.3%		37.8	261^st of 469 public middle schools	44.3%	34			44.6	40.8	37.3	41.3			32.4	24.8	25.5	27.9		35.7	$17,523
Carmody Middle School	Public	6-8	2050 S Kipling Street	Lakewood	80227	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-8930	550	33	16.9	51.8%	274 (49.8%)	16 (2.9%)	222 (40.4%)	15 (2.7%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (3.6%)	28.7	314^th of 476 public middle schools	34.0%		39.5	246^th of 469 public middle schools	47.5%	68			27.4	37.5	31.0	32.0			23.4	22.5	24.7	23.5		23.0	$16,042
Prospect Academy	Public, Charter	4-8	5592 Independence Street	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 804-0018	94	8	12.3	22.3%	58 (61.7%)	3 (3.2%)	24 (25.5%)	1 (1.1%)	4 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)								(n/a)						698.0						8.0			$26,231
Oberon Middle School	Public	6-8	7300 Quail Street	Arvada	80005	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-2020	704	36	19.5	28.3%	540 (76.7%)	3 (0.4%)	128 (18.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.0%)	77.1	101^st of 476 public middle schools	78.8%		73.1	111^th of 469 public middle schools	76.3%	10			52.1	65.9	60.1	59.0			43.3	56.1	51.9	50.2		48.1	$15,924

Frequently Asked Questions about Bell Middle School

What district is Bell Middle School in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

How many students attend Bell Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 774 students attended Bell Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Bell Middle School attend?

Students who attend Bell Middle School usually go on to attend Golden High School

What is the racial makeup of Bell Middle School?

Students at Bell Middle School are 74% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

Is Bell Middle School a good school?

Bell Middle School ranks 62^nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Bell Middle School!

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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.