The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Fort Morgan Middle School
Fort Morgan Middle School is a conventional public school serving sixth through eighth grade in the Fort Morgan School District RE-3, the sole district in the city. The school sits in a community that is an agricultural and food-processing hub on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, anchored by major employers such as a Cargill meatpacking plant, a Leprino Foods cheese factory, and a Dairy Farmers of America milk-processing facility. The city also operates its own municipal utilities, which adds local employment. Fort Morgan is growing slowly, and its economy and civic life are centered on a compact downtown with a library and museum, as well as community parks and an Amtrak rail stop.
The school’s enrollment is large for a middle school, reflecting its role as the single middle school in a district that serves the whole city. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Alongside Hispanic students, white students make up the next largest group, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, Asian, and American Indian or Alaska Native students are also present. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs and those who are English learners was not available in the source data, which is a gap a parent may want to fill by asking the school directly.
Fort Morgan Middle School’s state assessment results are below the state average in math, English language arts, and science. In math, the proficiency rate was low across all tested grades. In English language arts, proficiency was higher than in math but still well below the typical statewide level. On the eighth-grade science assessment, proficiency was also low. When compared to other districts in Morgan County, the school’s overall proficiency across subjects falls above the midpoint of the county’s districts. That county-level comparison is important to note: the school sits in a district where proficiency rates across the county are generally low, so its relative standing is stronger than its absolute scores would suggest, and a parent considering this school should weigh the statewide context.
The district has made several recent investments that affect the middle school. Voters approved a mill levy override and bond issue in 2022, which added funding for operations and capital improvements. The district expanded a dual language immersion program to serve students through eighth grade, meaning that for a family seeking bilingual education, this pathway now runs through the middle school years. The district also adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum across its elementary schools, expanded a one-to-one technology initiative that provides every student in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade with a device, and approved new graduation requirements that emphasize career and college readiness. These changes signal a district that is actively standardizing its curriculum and aiming to close opportunity gaps, though for a family reading the assessment results, the impact on academic performance at the middle school level has not yet shown up in the state’s proficiency data.
The school offers a regular public school program with no charter or magnet status. Because it is a middle school, it does not have a high school graduation rate to report. Programs outside the core academic subjects were not listed in the available data, so a parent should check with the school for electives, athletics, music, and other enrichment offerings.
Housing in the Fort Morgan area is notably more affordable than Colorado’s statewide typical value, and home values have held relatively stable. The local unemployment rate has been near the national average. For a family moving to the area, the cost of housing is a significant advantage compared to much of the Front Range.
Fort Morgan Middle School is best understood as a large, diverse, district-run middle school in a small city whose economy is driven by agriculture and food processing. The school serves a student population with high economic need, and its test scores are below state averages but within the range of other Morgan County districts. The district has been active in recent years with curriculum updates, technology expansion, and a bilingual program that now extends through the middle grades. A parent looking at this school should evaluate whether the district’s reform efforts and the relative affordability of the community align with their expectations for academic outcomes, and should seek direct information about special education and English learner services, as those numbers were not reported here.
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