Summary:
Zip code 80130 contains exactly one middle school—Cresthill Middle School in Highlands Ranch—serving 558 students in grades 7–8 as part of the Douglas County School District No. Re 1, a top-ranked district sitting 6th out of 115 in Colorado with a 5-star rating.
Cresthill Middle School has earned a 4-star SchoolDigger rating for three consecutive years, ranking as high as 63rd out of 469 Colorado middle schools in 2024–2025 before settling at 86th in 2025–2026, keeping it consistently in the top fifth of the state. Academically, the school significantly outperforms Colorado averages in every subject, with 2025–2026 proficiency rates of 58.9% in English Language Arts, 52.1% in Math, and 55.8% in 8th-grade Science. However, its performance relative to its own district shifted in just one year: Cresthill beat the district in both ELA and Math in 2024–2025, then fell behind in 2025–2026 (ELA: 58.9 vs. district 63.8; Math: 52.1 vs. district 57.2). Notably, 8th-grade Math is a standout at 57.3% proficiency, nearly matching the district, while 7th-grade Math is the school's weakest area at 47.5%.
The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism, which affects 27.5% of Cresthill students—nearly 11 percentage points higher than the district rate of 16.6% and essentially matching the state's 28.4% average. This stands out as a red flag despite the school's strong test scores. The school also experienced year-over-year declines in ELA (−5.7 points) and Math (−4.4 points), though 8th-grade Science improved sharply by 8 points. On a positive note, about 26% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, the dropout rate is a very low 0.2%, and the school remains a solid performer within an elite district. For families in the 80130 zip code, Cresthill is the only public middle school option, making its continued performance especially important to the community.
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