Summary:
Zip code 81424 contains just one middle school, Nucla Middle School, a small rural school in West End School District No. Re-2 serving grades 7–8 with only 39 students. Because this is the only middle school in the area, parents should focus on its individual strengths and challenges rather than comparing schools.
The most encouraging finding is 8th grade math: 50% of 8th graders are proficient, well above the state average of 37.8%. However, this brightness does not carry across the board. Overall math proficiency is just 26.3%, meaning 7th grade math scores are quite low. English Language Arts proficiency also dropped sharply, from 43.8% in 2024–2025 to 26.3% in 2025–2026, while the state average stayed flat. Science proficiency in 8th grade is 27.8%, below the state rate of 35.4%. These numbers should be viewed with caution, since a single student represents about 2.5% of the school—so one or two students can shift percentages by several points.
A major concern is chronic absenteeism. Nearly half of students (48.7%) are chronically absent, roughly double the state rate of 28.4% and higher than the district’s 43.7%. The school also serves a high-need population, with 58.97% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school’s overall state ranking is in the 56th percentile (207 of 469 schools, 3 stars), which is better than its district’s 42nd percentile ranking. For parents, the key takeaways are that 8th grade math is a clear bright spot, but attendance and consistent ELA performance need attention. Because the school is so small, families should expect more year-to-year swings in test scores and work closely with teachers to understand how their child is progressing.
Thank you for your feedback!