The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 19%.
Original Research by School Decision on Highland Middle School
Highland Middle School serves grades six through eight in Ault, a small town in Weld County that has become a bedroom community for commuters heading to Cheyenne, Fort Collins, and Greeley. The town sits at the intersection of two state highways and still supports local businesses and its role as a shipping crossroads. The school is part of the Weld County School District No. Re-9, which draws students from Ault, Pierce, Nunn, and Carr.
The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and small shares of other racial and ethnic groups. More than two in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant low-income enrollment. The school has just over two hundred students, spread fairly evenly across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, giving it the feel of a small to mid-sized middle school. The campus sits near the high school, and the district recently passed a bond measure to build a new K-8 building adjacent to that shared campus, replacing the current middle school building, which dates to the 1970s and has known heating, cooling, and space issues.
Academic performance results present a mixed picture. On the state’s English language arts assessment, about one in five students scored at or above the proficient level. That share places the school below the midpoint among Weld County districts, a comparison set that includes eighteen districts. The math proficiency rate for the same year was suppressed, so a clear figure is not available to report; the same suppression applied to the eighth-grade science proficiency rate. Parents should note that the school’s participation rate on the state tests was low, meaning the results that are available come from a smaller share of the student body than is typical. This is worth asking the school about directly, as it can affect how representative the reported scores are. The school served only middle grades, so there is no high school graduation rate to report.
Ault itself is a compact town built on a grid pattern, with a main street of antique shops and local businesses, and seasonal festivals that draw residents out for street dances and food. The town grew substantially in the decades leading up to 2020, and leaders have acknowledged that future regional growth will affect the community, creating pressure to accommodate new development while preserving the town’s character. Housing stock is tight, with a very low vacancy rate. Home values in the area sit somewhat above the national median, and monthly mortgage costs are high relative to local rents, reflecting the broader affordability pressures in northern Colorado.
For a family considering this school, the context that matters most may be the planned facility upgrade. A new K-8 school is in the works, which will replace the current middle school building and add capacity for projected enrollment growth. That construction signals a district investment in the campus and addresses the physical plant issues that have been a concern. Academically, the school’s proficiency rates are on the lower end of the county range, and the low test participation rate adds an element of uncertainty about where students actually stand. A parent may want to visit, talk to teachers about how they track student progress, and understand what supports are in place for students who are not yet at grade level. The small enrollment and rural setting mean class sizes are likely manageable, and the combined middle and high school campus gives younger students some proximity to older role models and shared facilities. The real question for a family will be whether the academic supports and trajectory match their child’s needs, and that is best investigated by spending time at the school itself.
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