Summary
Custer Middle School is a small public school in Westcliffe, CO, serving 69 students in grades 6 through 8 within Custer County School District Consolidate 1. Academically, the school is struggling: only 20.4% of students are proficient in English Language Arts, 16.3% in Math, and 21.1% in 8th-grade Science, compared to state averages of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 35.4%. These results place the school well below district and state benchmarks in every subject, and its overall state ranking has slipped to the 24th percentile with a 1-star rating.
Encouragingly, students show up. The chronic absenteeism rate is 16.9%, far better than the state’s 28.4%, and the dropout rate is 0%. With a student–teacher ratio of 10.2, children receive a great deal of individual attention. However, poverty is rising rapidly: 53.6% of students now qualify for free or reduced lunch, up from 33.3% just two years ago. This economic strain is a serious headwind for academic progress. It is also worth noting that Custer Middle School appears to be the only middle school in its district, so there are no nearby schools within 20 miles to compare it against directly; district averages essentially mirror the school’s own results.
Because the school is so small, test scores can swing dramatically from year to year — a 20-point jump in ELA proficiency is possible with just a few students changing results. Still, the long-term trend is concerning: the school’s best ranking was nearly a decade ago, and math proficiency consistently sits below half the state average. In short, Custer Middle School offers a close-knit, well-attended environment where students feel connected, but academic outcomes remain low — a gap likely driven by rising poverty, instructional challenges, and the inherent volatility of a tiny student body.
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