Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Watson Junior High School

Q: Is Watson Junior High School a good school?

Watson Junior High School ranks 281 st of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

281^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 41% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Watson Junior High School is a middle school in Colorado Springs, CO, serving 470 students in grades 6–8 within School District No. 3. The school currently holds a 2-star rating, ranking in the 41st percentile among Colorado middle schools — a mid-pack position that reflects an uneven mix of strengths and challenges. Among its closest same-district peers, Watson sits between Janitell Junior High and Sproul Junior High, and it trails both in several subjects while actually beating Janitell in math.

Watson's most encouraging trend is math: proficiency has more than doubled in three years, from 11.4% to 27.0%, and 6th and 7th graders now beat the district average. English language arts, however, has remained flat at about 36%, roughly 8 points below the state average, and 8th grade science is the school's weakest subject at just 19% proficiency — far behind Sproul's 41.3%. Chronic absenteeism is a serious concern, affecting 34.8% of students, which is above both the district and state averages and notably higher than the 9% rates at high-achieving nearby schools like The Vanguard School and James Irwin Charter Middle School.

Progress is visible for several student groups: Hispanic students have climbed to the 51st percentile statewide, and students from low-income families have risen to the 43rd percentile. Watson also outperforms several higher-poverty schools in the Colorado Springs area — including Panorama Middle School, Fox Meadow Middle School, and Atlas Preparatory Middle School — in both English and math. The school's profile is not one of uniform struggle; with continued math momentum, more consistent attendance, and an eventual breakthrough in ELA, Watson has the potential to return to the 3-star performance it earned in 2017–2018.

470

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,649

Per pupil spending ?

51.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

136 Fontaine Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO 80911-2127

(719) 391-3255

District: School District No. 3

Students who attend Watson Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Widefield High School

Feeder schools for Watson Junior High School:

Elementary:	Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School
	Talbott STEAM Innovation School
	Venetucci Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.8%

Hispanic:

32.3%

Two or more races:

8.7%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Watson Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 21st percentile in 2021 → 41st in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 41st (2026) from a 21st-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (30% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 28% Colorado)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg36%

Colorado avg41%

281^st of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 41%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 47% (2016) to bottom 41% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Middle Schools in the School District No. 3

46^th of 114School District No. 3 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	34.2	281 of 476	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.4	312 of 469	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.1	338 of 485	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	309 of 480	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	261 of 448	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	25.5	291 of 369	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.4	250 of 458	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.3	177 of 418	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	33.9	265 of 424	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.8	212 of 400	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.6	269 of 436	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	39.5	282 of 461	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.4	308 of 454	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.2	255 of 425	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	45.3	251 of 422	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	44.2	244 of 409	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.2	222 of 377	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.7	209 of 362	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.6	170 of 360	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	43.3	212 of 346	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	41.3	221 of 340	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	48.0	174 of 336	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	63.7	8 of 33	75.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	29.2	248 of 368	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	25.4	252 of 347	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	259 of 350	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.0	232 of 363	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.3	206 of 326	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.7	206 of 254	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.9	175 of 352	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.8	150 of 315	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	43.8	101 of 208	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	31.2	151 of 218	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.2	141 of 199	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.5	96 of 169	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	61.3	69 of 220	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.7	48 of 165	70.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	131 of 231	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.5	172 of 241	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.9	177 of 244	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	166 of 241	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.1	95 of 197	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.5	62 of 240	74.2%	★★★★☆
2018	70.1	40 of 222	82.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	31.2	232 of 372	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.5	249 of 352	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.7	265 of 357	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	262 of 356	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.6	203 of 328	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	17.0	229 of 249	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	175 of 343	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	147 of 317	53.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	23.8	24 of 31	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.3	11 of 14	21.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	17.2	240 of 278	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.9	245 of 275	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	226 of 273	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	258 of 286	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	221 of 265	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	182 of 203	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.9	209 of 283	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	123 of 199	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2019)76th percentile+30 vs school

Hispanic (2026)51st percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)38th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)33rd percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2019)23rd percentile-23 vs school

White (2026)14th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-9 vs state

Math27%-10 vs state

Science19%-16 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

Rate Watson Junior High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a student
Saturday, February 20, 2016

They have teachers that are okay, however, the administration has an issue with dealing with bullying and even occasional fights on the premises Close Quote

Schools Near Watson Junior High School

Load more schools when map is moved

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 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 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
Watson Junior High School	Public	6-8	136 Fontaine Boulevard	Colorado Springs	80911	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	No	No	(719) 391-3255	470	35	13.4	51.7%	234 (49.8%)	36 (7.7%)	152 (32.3%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (8.7%)	34.2	281^st of 476 public middle schools	41.0%		30.4	312^th of 469 public middle schools	33.5%	31		33.5	43.3	31.7	36.1		27.2	29.5	24.0	27.0		19.0	$16,649
Janitell Junior High School	Public	6-8	7635 Fountain Mesa Road	Fountain	80817	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	No	No	(719) 391-3295	658	43	15.4	46.0%	265 (40.3%)	67 (10.2%)	230 (35.0%)	7 (1.1%)	4 (0.6%)	16 (2.4%)	69 (10.5%)	39	250^th of 476 public middle schools	47.5%		40.3	242^nd of 469 public middle schools	48.4%	8		30.8	56.4	42.6	42.9		12.7	22.7	35.7	23.4		27.4	$15,623
Sproul Junior High School	Public	6-8	235 Sumac Drive	Colorado Springs	80911	El Paso County	School District No. 3	No	No	No	No	(719) 391-3215	504	35	14.4	46.8%	225 (44.6%)	41 (8.1%)	171 (33.9%)	8 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.6%)	46 (9.1%)	53.8	182^nd of 476 public middle schools	61.8%		50.1	200^th of 469 public middle schools	57.4%	18		39.0	49.3	48.9	45.5		27.4	31.3	48.9	35.4		41.3	$16,469
Fountain Middle School	Public	6-8	515 N. Sante Fe	Fountain	80817	El Paso County	Fountain School District No. 8	No	No	No	No	(719) 382-1580	1,051	64	16.4	54.2%	447 (42.5%)	92 (8.8%)	335 (31.9%)	10 (1.0%)	13 (1.2%)	19 (1.8%)	135 (12.8%)	34.6	279^th of 476 public middle schools	41.4%		30.9	309^th of 469 public middle schools	34.1%	30		36.1	38.0	36.5	36.9		26.3	17.4	30.0	24.4		28.8	$15,686
James Irwin Charter Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	5525 Astrozon Blvd	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	Yes	No	No	No	(719) 591-2122	434	31	13.9	53.0%	144 (33.2%)	37 (8.5%)	201 (46.3%)	11 (2.5%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	38 (8.8%)	33.2	289^th of 476 public middle schools	39.3%		49.1	207^th of 469 public middle schools	55.9%	82		30.9	32.2	32.2	31.7		20.6	28.1	32.2	26.7		31.9	$10,972
Carson Middle School	Public	6-8	6200 Prussman Boulevard	Fort Carson	80902	El Paso County	Fountain School District No. 8	No	No	No	No	(719) 382-1610	657	41	15.9	39.1%	272 (41.4%)	87 (13.2%)	194 (29.5%)	17 (2.6%)	6 (0.9%)	22 (3.3%)	59 (9.0%)	27.3	322^nd of 476 public middle schools	32.4%		17.7	388^th of 469 public middle schools	17.3%	66		32.8	29.2	26.3	29.6		24.3	15.5	26.8	21.9		28.8	$15,445
Panorama Middle School	Public	6-8	2145 South Chelton	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 579-3220	339	29	11.8	84.7%	59 (17.4%)	56 (16.5%)	194 (57.2%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (7.1%)	13.3	433^rd of 476 public middle schools	9.0%		10.9	436^th of 469 public middle schools	7.0%	3		18.7	20.2	19.4	19.4		716.0	717.0	17.5	13.8		12.7	$22,552
Atlas Preparatory Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	1602 South Murray Blvd	Colorado Springs	80916	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	Yes	No	No	Yes	(719) 358-7196	473	27	17.3	85.8%	35 (7.4%)	29 (6.1%)	395 (83.5%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.1%)	20.6	367^th of 476 public middle schools	22.9%		22.2	343^rd of 469 public middle schools	26.9%	24	19.4	17.8	33.9	23.6	24.1	15.3	21.8	17.8	24.2	20.4	20.8	12.5	$20,926
Fox Meadow Middle School	Public	6-8	1450 Cheyenne Meadows Road	Colorado Springs	80906	El Paso County	Harrison School District No. 2	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 527-7100	369	28	13.1	81.6%	87 (23.6%)	44 (11.9%)	189 (51.2%)	8 (2.2%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	38 (10.3%)	19.6	377^th of 476 public middle schools	20.8%		19.2	376^th of 469 public middle schools	19.8%	1		18.2	26.3	28.0	23.7		21.3	720.0	709.0	12.7		716.0	$20,681
Jack Swigert Middle School	Public	6-8	4220 East Pikes Peak Ave	Colorado Springs	80909	El Paso County	Colorado Springs School District No. 11	No	No	No	Yes	(719) 328-6900	404	29	13.7	76.5%	84 (20.8%)	35 (8.7%)	243 (60.1%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (8.7%)	10	452^nd of 476 public middle schools	5.0%		8.6	450^th of 469 public middle schools	4.1%	2		8.7	19.6	14.8	14.4		11.5	12.0	13.4	12.3		6.3	$21,265

Frequently Asked Questions about Watson Junior High School

How many students attend Watson Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 470 students attended Watson Junior High School.

What district is Watson Junior High School in?

School District No. 3

What high school do graduates of Watson Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Watson Junior High School usually go on to attend Widefield High School

Is Watson Junior High School a good school?

Watson Junior High School ranks 281^st of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Watson Junior High School?

Students at Watson Junior High School are 50% White, 32% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 8% African American.

Rate Watson Junior High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

COColorado Middle School Rankings

COColorado District Rankings

Schools in Colorado Springs, CO

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Watson Junior High School!

Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 6, 2026

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

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.