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Shaw Heights Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

441^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 7% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Shaw Heights Middle School is a grades 6–8 school in Westminster, CO, serving 321 students within the Westminster Public Schools district. The school ranks in the 7th percentile statewide (434 out of 469), continuing a long and stable pattern of bottom-decile performance since at least 2014-15, and serves a high-poverty population with 86.6% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch.

The defining academic challenge at Shaw Heights is math. Only 7.4% of students are proficient in math, compared with 37.3% statewide and 17.6% across the district, and proficiency is flat at roughly 7% in every grade level—meaning more than 90% of students are not meeting state math standards. Nearby schools such as Oberon Middle School (50.2%), Wayne Carle Middle School (43.7%), and Mandalay Middle School (33.1%) have dramatically higher math proficiency, while Thornton Middle School (4.7%) and Northglenn Middle School (6.0%) are the only nearby schools scoring lower. English Language Arts is a relative strength: 21.4% proficiency is below the state's 44.7% but ahead of several similar high-poverty neighbors, including Northglenn (14.2%), Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside (15.6%), and Thornton (7.5%).

Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, affecting 50.6% of Shaw Heights students—nearly double the statewide rate of 28.4% and well above the district's 38.9%. Higher-performing nearby schools like Oberon (24.7%) and Wayne Carle (26.4%) have about half the absenteeism. There are some encouraging signs: 8th-grade science proficiency has improved from 3.6% to 14.3% over the past few years, school-reported dropout rates have been effectively zero, and the school appears somewhat more effective at serving low-income students relative to similar students statewide. Still, the achievement pattern has been persistently low for a decade, suggesting that meaningful change will require sustained, structural intervention.

321

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,463

Per pupil spending ?

86.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

8780 Circle Drive
Westminster, CO 80030-3674

(303) 428-9533

District: Westminster Public Schools

Students who attend Shaw Heights Middle School usually attend:

High:

Westminster High School

Feeder schools for Shaw Heights Middle School:

Elementary:	Harris Park Elementary School
	John E. Flynn A Marzano Academy
	Mesa Elementary School
	Sunset Ridge Pk-8

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.8%

White:

14.6%

Asian:

4.4%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Shaw Heights Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (14% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school14%

District avg21%

Colorado avg41%

441^st of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

96^th of 114Westminster Public 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
2026	11.9	441 of 476	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.2	441 of 469	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	440 of 485	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	447 of 480	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.6	415 of 448	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.8	396 of 458	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	394 of 418	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	13.6	380 of 424	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.3	378 of 400	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	14.1	399 of 436	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	11.3	422 of 461	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	10.9	414 of 454	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.2	385 of 425	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.4	394 of 422	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.9	380 of 409	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	15.3	331 of 377	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	17.4	314 of 362	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	21.7	299 of 360	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.5	279 of 346	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	18.9	292 of 340	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	20.7	277 of 336	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	9.9	346 of 368	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.8	328 of 347	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.2	332 of 350	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	337 of 363	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	300 of 326	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	333 of 352	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	304 of 315	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	17.4	176 of 199	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	175 of 198	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	147 of 169	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.3	187 of 220	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.1	156 of 165	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2023	19.7	211 of 241	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	170 of 197	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	168 of 240	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.9	202 of 222	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	330 of 352	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	295 of 357	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	305 of 356	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	306 of 328	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	290 of 343	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	299 of 317	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	5.0	281 of 283	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.8	193 of 199	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)12th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2024)12th percentile~ school

Male (2025)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

White (2019)1st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts21%-23 vs state

Science14%-21 vs state

Math7%-30 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 11, 2018

Principle is a bully think he's king tut . likes to pick on special needs children. They allow bullying from students and teachers . they allow racisim from the Hispanic kids while others can't even defend themselves horrible school. Close Quote

Schools Near Shaw Heights Middle School

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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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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 4th Grade	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
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%)	11.9	441^st of 476 public middle schools	7.4%		10.2	441^st of 469 public middle schools	6.0%				19.5	20.8	23.8	21.4			7.8	7.6	6.8	7.4		14.3	$21,463
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%)	36.2	273^rd of 476 public middle schools	42.6%		22.3	342^nd of 469 public middle schools	27.1%	69			34.2	40.9	41.5	39.3			28.9	18.2	24.5	23.7		30.0	$10,685
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%)	48.9	200^th of 476 public middle schools	58.0%		49.6	205^th of 469 public middle schools	56.3%	5			35.0	52.6	44.7	44.0			28.3	34.7	36.2	33.1		33.9	$17,011
North Arvada Middle School	Public	6-8	7285 Pierce Street	Arvada	80003	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-0528	464	27	17.3	66.8%	183 (39.4%)	16 (3.4%)	223 (48.1%)	12 (2.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.6%)	21.9	355^th of 476 public middle schools	25.4%		21.1	353^rd of 469 public middle schools	24.7%	2			16.4	31.0	25.2	23.7			13.1	22.2	21.8	18.7		29.8	$17,299
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%)	16.3	406^th of 476 public middle schools	14.7%		11.2	434^th of 469 public middle schools	7.5%	28	18.8	24.5	23.6	31.5	16.4	23.2	20.8	14.3	20.0	11.0	15.1	15.8	8.2	12.5	$15,949
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%)	5.4	474^th of 476 public middle schools	0.4%		5.1	467^th of 469 public middle schools	0.4%	7			8.2	7.7	6.6	7.5			3.1	3.6	7.1	4.7		5.0	$18,637
Wayne Carle Middle School	Public	6-8	10200 W 100th Avenue	Westminster	80021	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-9070	438	24	17.8	21.2%	315 (71.9%)	2 (0.5%)	89 (20.3%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.7%)	67.3	134^th of 476 public middle schools	71.8%		62.2	149^th of 469 public middle schools	68.2%	15			56.2	49.6	48.9	52.0			51.5	34.4	45.6	43.7		47.2	$17,260
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%)	8.1	461^st of 476 public middle schools	3.2%		8.4	451^st of 469 public middle schools	3.8%	10			11.9	19.2	10.7	14.2			706.0	715.0	8.8	6.0		8.8	$17,438
Oberon Middle School	Public	6-8	7300 Quail Street	Arvada	80005	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-2020	704	36	19.5	28.3%	540 (76.7%)	3 (0.4%)	128 (18.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.0%)	77.1	101^st of 476 public middle schools	78.8%		73.1	111^th of 469 public middle schools	76.3%	10			52.1	65.9	60.1	59.0			43.3	56.1	51.9	50.2		48.1	$15,924
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%)	22.9	345^th of 476 public middle schools	27.5%		20.1	365^th of 469 public middle schools	22.2%	20			27.9	34.1	22.6	28.3			12.0	20.2	23.5	18.9		21.8	$15,977

Frequently Asked Questions about Shaw Heights Middle School

How many students attend Shaw Heights Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 321 students attended Shaw Heights Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Shaw Heights Middle School attend?

Students who attend Shaw Heights Middle School usually go on to attend Westminster High School

What district is Shaw Heights Middle School in?

Westminster Public Schools

Is Shaw Heights Middle School a good school?

Shaw Heights Middle School ranks in the bottom 7.4% of Colorado middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Shaw Heights Middle School?

Students at Shaw Heights Middle School are 75% Hispanic, 15% White, 4% Asian, 3% African American, 2% Two or more races.

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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.