Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 80210

Zip code 80210 in Denver is served by two public middle schools, Merrill Middle School and Grant Beacon Middle School, both covering grades 6–8 within School District No. 1. Merrill is the larger of the two, with 611 students compared to Grant Beacon's 339, and it also serves a less economically disadvantaged population, with 39.1% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch versus 65.5% at Grant Beacon. The district itself ranks in the 38th percentile of Colorado districts, but school-level outcomes vary significantly between these two schools.

Merrill Middle School is the clear academic standout. It ranks 65th out of 469 Colorado middle schools (86th percentile, 4 stars) for 2025–2026 and has consistently ranked in the 86th–90th percentile in recent years, earning a 5-star rating as recently as 2023–2024. Merrill exceeds both district and state proficiency averages in every subject. Grant Beacon Middle School, by contrast, ranks 187th out of 469 (60th percentile, 3 stars). While Grant Beacon trails Merrill by 15.4 points in ELA, 21.8 points in Math, and 20.6 points in Science, it is showing meaningful improvement, with Math proficiency up 7.4 points and ELA up 5.0 points year over year. Still, Grant Beacon remains below state averages in Math and Science.

The achievement gap widens as students advance through middle school. In 6th grade, the ELA gap between the two schools is just 6.8 points, but by 8th grade it balloons to 23.1 points; in Math, the gap grows from 12.7 points in 6th grade to 29.1 points in 8th grade. Chronic absenteeism is a notable concern at Grant Beacon, where 41.0% of students were chronically absent in 2024–2025, compared to 27.8% at Merrill and a 28.4% state average. Merrill also boasts a low dropout rate of 0.8%, and its 8th-grade Math proficiency rate of 65.6% exceeds the state average by nearly 28 points. For parents, Merrill offers consistently strong academics, while Grant Beacon is a solid mid-tier school on an upward trajectory, though attendance and later-grade performance remain areas to watch.