Craver Middle School

Craver Middle School is a small public middle school in Colorado City, CO, serving 158 students in grades 6–8 as part of Pueblo County School District 70. Over the past decade, the school has transformed itself: after finishing 2015–2016 near the bottom of the state with a 1-star rating, it now holds a 3-star rating and recently ranked 195th out of 469 Colorado middle schools, its strongest result in years.

Academically, the picture is encouraging but uneven. Science is a clear strength — in 2024–2025, 59.1% of 8th graders were proficient, far above the district's 33.7% and the state's 36.4%, and it stayed above average the following year. English Language Arts is more inconsistent, with 50% proficiency in 2024–2025 (beating both district and state averages) before slipping to 39.2% in 2025–2026. Math is the school's biggest challenge, with proficiency stuck between roughly 19% and 25% over the past four years, consistently trailing the district and state by 10–15 points. Compared with nearby Beulah Middle School, Craver is more than three times larger, posts stronger math and science results, but trails Beulah in ELA.

Two issues deserve attention. Chronic absenteeism is very high — 45% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025 versus 28.4% statewide — though Beulah's 51.9% rate suggests this is a regional challenge. The student-teacher ratio has also risen sharply from 14.1 to 18.8 over three years, which may strain individualized support. On the positive side, Craver serves a significant low-income population (about 44% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch) and supports those students relatively well, with subgroup rankings in the 63rd–79th percentile statewide. The school is clearly on an upward path, but improving math instruction and tackling attendance will be critical to keeping that momentum going.