Summary
Trinidad Middle School is a small public school in Trinidad, CO, serving 172 students in grades 6-8 as part of Trinidad School District 1. Over the past five years, this school has moved from the 4th percentile in statewide rankings to the 32nd percentile, a real sign of progress, though it still sits below state averages in every subject. In the most recent testing year, 35.8% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, 18.5% in math, and 16.1% in 8th grade science—compared to state rates of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 35.4% respectively.
Math is the biggest concern, especially in 7th grade, where only 14.8% of students are proficient. The school also shows a clear drop-off in 8th grade, with ELA proficiency falling to 26.8% versus a state rate of 42.2%, a 15-point gap. Chronic absenteeism has improved significantly, dropping from 31.7% to 25.7%, but one in four students still misses enough school to be considered chronically absent. On the positive side, the school's dropout rate is low at 1.6%, below both the district and state rates, and math proficiency has more than doubled over the last three years, going from 7.1% to 18.5%.
About 73% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the district itself ranks in the bottom fifth of Colorado districts. The student-to-teacher ratio jumped from 13.1 to 18.1 in one year, which could mean larger classes and may make targeted support harder. Still, the school has posted two consecutive 2-star ratings after years of 0- and 1-star results, and earlier data suggests that when economically disadvantaged students are present and engaged, the school can help them perform at a middle level statewide. For parents, Trinidad Middle School is a school making meaningful progress, but math and 8th grade performance are the areas most likely to need extra attention at home.
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