Summary:
Zip code 81647 in New Castle, Colorado, is served by a single middle school, Riverside School, which enrolls 483 students in grades 6 through 8 as part of the Garfield School District No. Re-2.
Riverside School stands out as a solid and improving school. Its state ranking has risen from the 45th percentile (2 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 53rd percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, reflecting real momentum. Academically, Riverside outperforms its district in every tested subject. In English Language Arts, 43.1% of students are proficient, compared to 30.5% for the district and 44.7% statewide. Math proficiency jumped from 22.3% to 29.9% over the past year, but still trails the state average of 37.3%. Science proficiency is 27.2%, above the district's 21.1% but below Colorado's 35.4%. The strongest area is 7th grade ELA, where 54% of students are proficient — well ahead of both district (43.9%) and state (46.6%) averages.
One of the most impressive aspects of Riverside School is its remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of 7.3%, compared to 18.1% for the district and 28.4% for the state — a sign of strong engagement and a supportive school climate. The student-teacher ratio of 14.4 to 1 also allows for more individualized attention. With 40.79% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, Riverside serves a substantial economically diverse population while still achieving near-state-average results in reading and well-above-district performance everywhere. For parents considering this area, Riverside offers a stable, improving middle school experience with a clear strength in literacy and attendance, though math and science remain areas where continued growth is needed to reach statewide benchmarks.
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