Summary:
In ZIP code 80504, there are two middle schools serving grades 6–8—Coal Ridge Middle School in Firestone and Trail Ridge Middle School in Longmont—both part of the highly rated St. Vrain Valley School District No. Re1J, which ranks in the 80th percentile statewide.
Coal Ridge is the larger and more affluent school, with 727 students and only 31.9% qualifying for free/reduced lunch, compared to Trail Ridge’s 435 students and 59.8%. Coal Ridge also posts higher test scores in every subject, including 34.3% proficiency in English Language Arts versus 32.8% at Trail Ridge, and 30.3% versus 25.3% in science. It also has a better state rank (260th vs. 285th) and lower chronic absenteeism (28.2% vs. 33.3%). However, Coal Ridge experienced a sharp one-year decline, especially in science, which fell from 47.2% to 30.3% proficient. Trail Ridge, despite facing nearly double the poverty rate and higher absenteeism, manages to stay surprisingly close on test scores—likely helped by a much smaller student-teacher ratio of 14.7 compared to Coal Ridge’s 19.6.
Both schools significantly underperform their district and state averages in every subject. For example, district ELA proficiency is 51.0% and math is 46.9%, while Coal Ridge is at 34.3% and 30.1%, and Trail Ridge is at 32.8% and 28.1%. Chronic absenteeism is a shared concern, with both schools above the district rate of 23.1%. On a more positive note, 7th grade ELA is a relative strength at both schools, and Coal Ridge’s 8th grade math (35.1%) stands out as its best subject-grade result. Dropout rates are not a concern at this level, with both schools reporting 0.0% in the most recent data. For parents, the picture is mixed: Coal Ridge is the higher-performing school but is showing a troubling downward trend, while Trail Ridge faces greater demographic challenges yet remains competitive on academics.
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