Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 81432

Zip code 81432 is home to one middle school, Ridgway Middle School, a small school serving grades 6 through 8 with 74 students in the highly rated Ridgway School District No. R-2, which is ranked #2 in Colorado. Ridgway Middle School consistently ranks among the top 15% of Colorado middle schools, earning a 4-star rating and placing in the 86th–90th percentile over the past three years. Academically, the school far exceeds state averages: in 2025–2026, 61.7% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (state: 44.7%), 54.1% in Math (state: 37.3%), and an exceptional 75% of 8th graders were proficient in Science—more than double the state rate of 35.4%. The school also boasts a low student-teacher ratio of 10.3:1, which supports personalized attention and small class sizes.

Within the school, 7th graders posted the strongest results in 2025–2026, with 70% proficient in ELA and 65% in Math, while 6th graders showed 50% in ELA and 42.9% in Math, and 8th graders reached 65% in ELA and 55% in Math. Year-to-year changes have been notable: ELA proficiency dropped from 75.4% to 61.7%, while Science proficiency jumped from 55% to 75%. These swings are likely due to the very small cohort size (roughly 25 students per grade), meaning a single student represents about 4 percentage points. Parents should interpret such fluctuations cautiously, as they may reflect differences between specific groups of students rather than changes in school quality.

Ridgway Middle School stands out for its extremely low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.5%, far better than the district’s 22.1% and the state’s 28.4%. The free/reduced lunch rate is 25.68%, indicating a relatively low level of economic disadvantage. While the school’s ranking has slipped slightly from the 90th to 86th percentile over three years, it remains a top-tier option with strong academics, excellent attendance, and a supportive district environment. The small size is both an advantage—offering individualized instruction—and a limitation, as rankings and proficiency rates can shift noticeably from year to year. Overall, Ridgway Middle School is a high-performing, well-rounded school for families in the area.