The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fox Ridge Middle School
Fox Ridge Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in the Cherry Creek School District, one of the major employers in Aurora. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its location on East Arapahoe Road places it within a sprawling, largely suburban city that is the third-largest in Colorado and covers a very large land area across three counties. The built environment here is predominantly car-dependent suburban sprawl, with scattered commercial hubs rather than a walkable downtown grid, and the city continues to grow, particularly along corridors near Denver International Airport and around the Anschutz Medical Campus, a major institutional anchor.
The school’s enrollment is large for a middle school, and the student body is notably diverse from a racial and ethnic perspective. White students make up a majority of the population. Hispanic students account for a substantial share, with smaller but meaningful proportions of students who are Asian, Black, and of two or more races. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is low relative to many public schools and points to a generally higher-income catchment. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the record, so a reader cannot assess those populations from this information alone. The school’s Title I status was also not reported.
On state assessments, Fox Ridge posted results that place it among the higher-performing schools when compared with others in Arapahoe County, sitting in the top quartile on an overall proficiency index across tested subjects. That index is a mean of the reported rates in math, English language arts, and science, and the school’s performance on ELA was stronger than in math and science. Specifically, the share of students scoring proficient or above in ELA was notably higher than in math, and science results for eighth graders lagged behind both. The participation rate on these tests was fairly high for ELA and math, though somewhat lower for science. Because the assessment trend data was not available and the comparability of scores over time is not clear, it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement or decline relative to prior years.
The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects a relatively expensive area. Typical home values are well above the state median, and rents are also above average. The estimated monthly cost to buy a median home is substantially higher than renting, making homeownership a significant financial commitment here. The local unemployment rate is moderate, and median household income nationally has been stable at a level that, combined with these housing costs, suggests the area is geared toward families with solid incomes.
No data was available on disciplinary incidents, course access, staffing ratios, or attendance patterns. These are common gaps in the public record, and a parent considering this school would want to ask directly about class sizes, the availability of electives or advanced coursework, and the school’s approach to student behavior and support. The district brief was also absent, so there is no information from the record about recent changes to boundaries, programming, or leadership in Cherry Creek Schools.
Fox Ridge is a large suburban middle school in a growing, car-dependent city, serving a diverse student body from generally higher-income households. Its academic performance on state tests is above average for the county, with a particular strength in English language arts. The gaps in the data around student support populations, discipline, and staffing mean that a family would need to pursue those details directly with the school to get a full picture of the fit.
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