Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 80241

There are two public middle schools in zip code 80241 (Thornton, CO) – Century Middle School and Shadow Ridge Middle School – both serving grades 6-8 and belonging to Adams 12 Five Star Schools. When comparing these two schools, Century is the stronger performer, ranking in the 33rd percentile statewide versus Shadow Ridge's 7th percentile. Century also earns a 2-star rating while Shadow Ridge earns 0 stars.

In every subject, Century outperforms Shadow Ridge by significant margins. For example, English Language Arts proficiency is 31.7% at Century versus 17.0% at Shadow Ridge; math proficiency is 22.7% versus 10.9%; and 8th grade science is 19.8% versus 14.8%. Both schools fall well below district and state averages, with Century trailing state ELA by 13 points and math by 14.6 points. Shadow Ridge lags by even more – 27.7 points in ELA and 26.4 points in math. Additionally, Century has a lower free/reduced lunch rate (49.5% vs 57.4%) and lower chronic absenteeism (32.2% vs 37.9%). Interestingly, Shadow Ridge has a lower student-to-teacher ratio (16.3 vs 18.5), yet test scores remain much lower, indicating smaller class sizes alone do not overcome other challenges.

Chronic absenteeism is a concern at both schools, especially Shadow Ridge where nearly 2 in 5 students are chronically absent. Year-over-year trends show declines: Century's ELA proficiency dropped from 37.0% to 31.7% and science from 34.1% to 19.8%; Shadow Ridge's science also fell from 22.3% to 14.8%. Grade-level patterns reveal weak spots, such as 8th grade at Century (ELA 21.0%, math 17.6%) and 6th grade at Shadow Ridge (math 6.7%, ELA 9.9%). While Century is clearly the better option within this zip code, both schools face significant academic challenges relative to state benchmarks, and neither has improved its state ranking over the past two years.