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Thornton Middle School

Q: Is Thornton Middle School a good school?

Thornton Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Colorado middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Thornton Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 721 students attended Thornton Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Thornton Middle School?

Students at Thornton Middle School are 77% Hispanic, 11% White, 7% Asian, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Thornton Middle School attend?

Students who attend Thornton Middle School usually go on to attend Thornton High School

Public Grades 6-8

467^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 0% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Thornton Middle School is a public middle school serving 719 students in grades 6-8 in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district in Thornton, Colorado. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Colorado middle schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, and serves a high-need student population with over 90% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Thornton Middle School significantly underperforms compared to district and state averages on CMAS assessments in English Language Arts, Math, and Science. In 2024-2025, only 9.8% of Thornton students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 42.2% for the district and 44.8% statewide. In Math, only 4.5% of Thornton students were proficient, compared to 34.2% for the district and 35.9% statewide. The school also ranks in the bottom 10-20% of Colorado middle schools for its performance on CMAS assessments for female, male, Hispanic, and low-socioeconomic status student groups, indicating significant achievement gaps. Additionally, Thornton Middle School has higher dropout rates and extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching as high as 58.6% in recent years.

While Thornton Middle School faces significant challenges, the data suggests there is room for improvement. The school performs significantly worse than other middle schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools district, as well as middle schools in neighboring districts like Jefferson County and Mapleton. Identifying and addressing the root causes of the school's underperformance, such as attendance, instructional quality, and support for high-need students, could potentially lead to meaningful gains for the students at Thornton Middle School.

721

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,799

Per pupil spending ?

84.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9451 Hoffman Way
Thornton, CO 80229-3535

(720) 972-5160

District: Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Students who attend Thornton Middle School usually attend:

High:

Thornton High School

Feeder schools for Thornton Middle School:

Elementary:	Coronado Hills Elementary School
	McElwain Elementary School
	North Star Elementary School
	Rocky Mountain Elementary School
	More...
	Thornton Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

77.3%

White:

10.7%

Asian:

7.2%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Thornton Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 6th percentile in 2015 → <1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (7% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (62% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school7%

District avg38%

Colorado avg40%

467^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7Middle Schools in the Adams 12 Five Star Schools

52^nd of 115Adams 12 Five Star Schools 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
2025	5.1	467 of 469	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	481 of 485	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	466 of 480	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	434 of 448	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	360 of 369	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.1	438 of 458	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.0	407 of 418	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.2	384 of 424	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.9	371 of 400	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.9	409 of 436	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.4	443 of 461	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.9	445 of 454	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.1	413 of 425	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.4	407 of 422	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.6	394 of 409	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.8	359 of 377	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.0	349 of 362	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.4	341 of 360	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.3	327 of 346	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	7.2	321 of 340	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	8.6	310 of 336	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	4.6	345 of 347	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.8	348 of 350	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	341 of 363	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.0	320 of 326	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	254 of 254	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.4	344 of 352	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.9	309 of 315	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	8.0	217 of 218	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	199 of 199	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.4	179 of 198	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	165 of 169	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	80 of 83	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	212 of 220	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.9	161 of 165	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	6.4	241 of 241	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	244 of 244	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.6	212 of 241	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	192 of 197	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	114 of 114	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	11.8	235 of 240	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	218 of 222	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	4.5	352 of 352	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	357 of 357	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.3	354 of 356	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.9	324 of 328	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.6	249 of 249	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.9	333 of 343	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.4	314 of 317	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2018	1.8	199 of 199	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)1st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)<1st percentile~ school

White (2018)<1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts10%-35 vs state

Science6%-30 vs state

Math4%-31 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, June 24, 2020

I’m not going to get into the specifics, but this school was the worst place I’ve ever been and made me decide that I never want to go to public school ever again, lest it be even slightly comparable to this place. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 10, 2018

The school secretary is very rude! My son is bullied at school often and is told he can talk to "Myers" but anytime he goes into the office because he is scared or he needs someone to talk to he is sent away in a rude manner. I am very proud to say none of my kids or other family members will NOT be attending this school next year or any of the following years. Close Quote

Schools Near Thornton Middle School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				CMAS English Language Arts (2025)					CMAS Math (2025)						CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 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
Thornton Middle School	Public	6-8	9451 Hoffman Way	Thornton	80229	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5160	721	44	16.3	84.2%	77 (10.7%)	23 (3.2%)	557 (77.3%)	52 (7.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.2%)	5.1	467^th of 469 public middle schools	0.4%		5.2	481^st of 485 public middle schools	0.8%	14		9.3	9.4	10.8	9.8					5.7	4.5		6.2	$15,799
Northglenn Middle School	Public	6-8	1123 Muriel Drive	Northglenn	80233	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 972-5080	672	43	15.6	85.3%	128 (19.0%)	7 (1.0%)	469 (69.8%)	45 (6.7%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.2%)	8.4	451^st of 469 public middle schools	3.8%		13.4	424^th of 485 public middle schools	12.6%	27		10.8	16.0	22.1	16.0			5.8	4.4	10.1	6.6		9.7	$17,294
Global Intermediate Academy	Public	4-8	7480 Conifer Road	Denver	80221	Adams County	Mapleton School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 853-1930	346	18	19.2	80.3%	17 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	324 (93.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	11.2	434^th of 469 public middle schools	7.5%		13.1	431^st of 485 public middle schools	11.1%	3	34.0		30.0	10.5	18.1	11.8	36.0		8.6		11.0	14.0	11.7	$14,098
Shaw Heights Middle School	Public	6-8	8780 Circle Drive	Westminster	80030	Adams County	Westminster Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(303) 428-9533	321	18	17.7	86.6%	47 (14.6%)	10 (3.1%)	240 (74.8%)	14 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	7 (2.2%)	10.2	441^st of 469 public middle schools	6.0%		11.9	440^th of 485 public middle schools	9.3%	1		9.2	28.1	20.2	19.7			7.8	6.6	9.2	7.9		9.5	$19,960
Adams City Middle School	Public	7-8	4451 East 72nd Avenue	Commerce City	80022	Adams County	School District N. 14	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 289-5881	296	25	11.9	90.9%	29 (9.8%)	6 (2.0%)	259 (87.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	6.1	464^th of 469 public middle schools	1.1%		4.8	482^nd of 485 public middle schools	0.6%	18			12.2	13.0	12.6				3.1	5.2	4.2		6.6	$18,116
Silver Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	12400 Huron Street	Northglenn	80234	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5000	965	54	17.9	68.8%	224 (23.2%)	20 (2.1%)	636 (65.9%)	42 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.4%)	20.1	365^th of 469 public middle schools	22.2%		19.3	376^th of 485 public middle schools	22.5%	11		28.6	35.1	27.3	30.3			13.1	15.5	17.9	15.5		18.0	$15,956
Colorado Preparatory Academy Middle School	Public, Virtual	6-8	8601 Turnpike Dr. Suite 100	Westminster	80031	Adams County	Education Reenvisioned BOCES	No	No	Yes	No	(720) 381-2047	681	33	20.6		293 (43.0%)	65 (9.5%)	243 (35.7%)	7 (1.0%)	6 (0.9%)	6 (0.9%)	61 (9.0%)	22.3	342^nd of 469 public middle schools	27.1%		24.2	347^th of 485 public middle schools	28.5%	5		35.3	32.1	29.0	32.2			26.5	12.5	12.9	16.5		16.7	$9,841
Century Middle School	Public	6-8	13000 Lafayette Street	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5240	717	39	18.5	49.5%	309 (43.1%)	10 (1.4%)	307 (42.8%)	43 (6.0%)	6 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (5.7%)	34.5	279^th of 469 public middle schools	40.5%		34.1	287^th of 485 public middle schools	40.8%	8		37.5	34.6	38.8	37.0			27.1	13.7	29.1	23.5		34.1	$15,913
Shadow Ridge Middle School	Public	6-8	12551 Holly Street	Thornton	80241	Adams County	Adams 12 Five Star Schools	No	No	No	No	(720) 972-5040	632	39	16.3	57.4%	218 (34.5%)	11 (1.7%)	353 (55.9%)	21 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.4%)	12.9	424^th of 469 public middle schools	9.6%		12.4	435^th of 485 public middle schools	10.3%	11		12.9	26.9	19.1	19.4			9.0	11.2	11.2	10.4		22.3	$16,085
Mandalay Middle School	Public	6-8	9651 North Pierce St	Westminster	80021	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9802	443	26	16.8	39.3%	245 (55.3%)	9 (2.0%)	140 (31.6%)	25 (5.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.2%)	49.6	205^th of 469 public middle schools	56.3%		47.2	228^th of 485 public middle schools	53.0%	23		44.1	48.2	50.7	47.6			22.2	31.0	35.0	29.2		41.3	$15,722

Frequently Asked Questions about Thornton Middle School

What high school do graduates of Thornton Middle School attend?

Students who attend Thornton Middle School usually go on to attend Thornton High School

What is the racial makeup of Thornton Middle School?

Students at Thornton Middle School are 77% Hispanic, 11% White, 7% Asian, 3% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Thornton Middle School a good school?

Thornton Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.4% of Colorado middle schools.

What district is Thornton Middle School in?

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

How many students attend Thornton Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 721 students attended Thornton Middle School.

Rate Thornton Middle School!

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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.