Summary:
Zip code 80911 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, contains two middle schools—Sproul Junior High School and Watson Junior High School—both serving grades 6-8 within School District No. 3, a district ranked 46th out of 115 in Colorado. Combined, the two schools enroll 974 students. Sproul is the clear standout of the pair, ranking 181st out of 469 Colorado middle schools (61st percentile, 3 stars), while Watson ranks 279th (41st percentile, 2 stars). Sproul has improved steadily from 212th to 200th to 181st over the past three years, and Watson has also improved from 338th to 312th to 279th, though it remains significantly behind.
Academically, Sproul Junior High School outperforms Watson Junior High School in every subject. On CMAS tests, Sproul posts 45.5% proficiency in English Language Arts versus Watson's 36.1%, 35.4% in math versus 27.0%, and 41.3% in 8th-grade science versus Watson's 19.0%. Sproul also exceeds district averages in all three subjects, while Watson falls below them. Notably, Sproul's 8th-grade math proficiency is 48.9%, far above Watson's 24.0% and well above the state average of 37.8%. Watson's math proficiency actually declines by 8th grade, making 8th-grade math its weakest subject.
Both schools struggle with chronic absenteeism, exceeding the state rate of 28.4%. Sproul's rate is 31.6%, while Watson's is 34.8%, meaning more than one in three Watson students is chronically absent. Watson has a slightly lower student-teacher ratio (13.4) than Sproul (14.4), but that did not translate into higher achievement, suggesting that factors like economic disadvantage and attendance may matter more than class size. While Watson is improving and shares the same district and zip code as Sproul, the data show two schools on very different academic trajectories, with Sproul clearly the stronger choice in this area.
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