The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on West Middle School
West Middle School is a regular public middle school in Colorado Springs School District 11, serving grades six through eight. It is located in the western part of the city, on West Pikes Peak Avenue, in a neighborhood that sits near the historic Old Colorado City district and not far from the Garden of the Gods park. The school is one of several middle schools in a district that has been working to improve teacher pay and reduce the number of schools on state improvement plans.
The student body is small for a middle school, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the three grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. The composition is roughly split between white students and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Black students, students identifying as two or more races, and Asian students. Data on special populations such as students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records.
On state assessments, the academic performance results are low. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is in the single digits. In English language arts, the rate is slightly higher but still below one in five. Eighth-grade science results show a similar pattern. When compared with a set of other schools in El Paso County, this school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. These are the most recent state test results available. A parent looking into the school would want to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement. The district brief notes that Colorado Springs 11 has reduced the number of schools on turnaround and priority improvement status from nine to three, but it does not specify whether West Middle was among those schools, and no school-level improvement designation was included in the data.
The school’s setting is part of a large and fast-growing city. Colorado Springs is a sprawling, car-dependent community anchored by military installations, aerospace and defense contractors, and tourism. The economy is dominated by Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force bases, the Air Force Academy, and major companies such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Housing in the zip code covering this area has seen a modest decline in values over the past year, while rents have risen. The city’s population has grown substantially over the past two decades, and the broader metropolitan area continues to expand.
No information was available on program offerings, course access, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism at West Middle. The district recently raised starting teacher salaries significantly and launched the D11 Promise Scholarship, which lets high school students take college courses at Pikes Peak State College at no cost – a benefit that would apply to families after students leave West Middle.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small, economically diverse middle school in a large and growing city that faces clear academic challenges. The test score data shows room for improvement across all subjects, and the school sits at the lower end of the county’s performance distribution. A parent would likely want to talk directly with the school about its academic support strategies, enrichment offerings, and school climate, as the available data does not cover those areas.
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