The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy
Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy is a regular public middle school in Colorado Springs, serving grades six through eight as part of Colorado Springs School District No. 11. The school is named for the astronaut who served as command module pilot on Apollo 13, which signals a specific theme, though the available data does not detail how that aerospace identity translates into coursework or enrichment. The enrollment is moderate for a three-grade middle school. The student body is majority Hispanic, with white students the next largest group, followed by students who identify as two or more races, Black students, Asian students, and small numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native students and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
The school’s academic performance, as measured by the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, sits well below state averages. Proficiency rates across math, English language arts, and eighth-grade science were all low, placing the school in the bottom quartile of districts in El Paso County on an overall proficiency index. More than nine in ten students participated in the assessments, so the results represent nearly the full tested population. The school reported no multi-year trend data, making it impossible to know whether these numbers reflect a recent decline, a long-standing pattern, or a change in assessments. Given the school’s grade band, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in the data provided.
Colorado Springs itself is a large, sprawling city at the base of Pikes Peak, with a powerful military and aerospace presence. Defense installations, including Fort Carson and multiple Space Force bases, anchor the economy alongside a significant tourism sector. The city is car-dependent, with residential neighborhoods spread across a broad high-desert plateau and major commercial corridors along I-25. Housing values in the area are moderate relative to national benchmarks, and rents are similarly positioned, making this a market where a middle-income family can find options, though affordability pressures remain present nationally.
The parent district, Colorado Springs District 11, has taken recent steps that affect families across its schools. It raised starting teacher pay and increased salaries districtwide, a move aimed at improving teacher recruitment and retention — a practical consideration for any parent concerned about staff stability. The district also reduced the number of schools in the lowest state accountability categories from nine to three, a sign of improvement in school quality across the system. In partnership with Pikes Peak State College, the district created the D11 Promise Scholarship, which covers the cost of college-level courses for high school students, though that program applies to the district’s high schools and does not directly affect a middle school student in the near term.
For a family evaluating Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, the primary picture is one of a school serving a high-poverty community with test results that are far below state norms. A parent may want to learn directly from the school about its academic program, any tiered support for students who are behind grade level, and how the aerospace theme actually operates in the classroom, since the data set does not include program details. The district’s broader trend of improvement and its recent teacher pay investments are positive signals for stability, but the school’s own proficiency numbers remain a soft spot that warrants a closer look and direct conversation with the staff.
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