Nucla Middle School

Nucla Middle School in Nucla, Colorado, is a very small rural school serving just 39 students in grades 7 and 8, and it is part of the West End School District No. Re-2, with no other schools within 20 miles. This makes it the sole middle school option for families in this remote western Colorado community. The school currently holds a 3-star state rating, placing it in the 56th percentile of Colorado middle schools, though the small student body means yearly results can swing significantly with just a handful of students.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In the most recent testing year, 8th grade math stood out as a genuine bright spot, with 50% of students scoring proficient — well above the state average of 37.8%. However, all-grades math proficiency was just 26.3%, suggesting 7th grade math scores are lagging considerably. English Language Arts also showed sharp volatility, dropping from 43.8% proficiency in 2024–2025 (nearly matching the state average) to 26.3% in the most recent year. Science performance has consistently trailed the state, with 27.8% of 8th graders proficient versus 35.4% statewide.

The biggest concern for families is chronic absenteeism: nearly half of the school's students (48.7%) were chronically absent in the most recent school year, about 20 percentage points above the state average of 28.4%. This attendance crisis is intertwined with economic disadvantage — roughly 59% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Staffing also appears stretched, with the student-teacher ratio rising from 11.1 to 17.3 over two years, meaning fewer adults per student in a school where many students need extra support. While the 8th grade math result shows the school is capable of strong performance, families should be aware that attendance and consistency are serious challenges.