The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 64% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Newton Middle School
Newton Middle School serves grades six through eight in the western portion of Centennial, a large suburban city south of Denver. The school sits on East Arapahoe Road, a major commercial corridor in a city that has no traditional downtown and operates under a contract-based government model where most services are outsourced. The surrounding area is a mix of residential subdivisions, office parks, and retail centers, and daily life is car-dependent. The school is part of Littleton School District No. 6, one of two districts serving Centennial.
Academically, Newton Middle School performs at a level that places it in the top quartile of schools relative to districts across Arapahoe County, based on an overall proficiency index that averages results across tested subjects and grades. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, a substantial majority of students met or exceeded state standards in math and English language arts. Science results, which are measured only in eighth grade, were also strong, with most students reaching proficiency. The participation rate in the science assessment was lower than in math and ELA, a detail a parent may want to explore with the school to understand what drives that difference. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the provided information.
The student body is moderate in size for a middle school and is overwhelmingly white. The next-largest groups are students who identify as Hispanic and those of two or more races, with smaller shares of Asian, Black, Native American, and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is low, indicating that the school serves a population with relatively high socioeconomic status. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, so a full picture of special population support is not possible from this material.
Centennial is a mature suburban community that was incorporated from unincorporated Arapahoe County decades ago. The population is in the hundreds of thousands, making it one of Colorado’s largest cities. Major employers headquartered here include Arrow Electronics, United Launch Alliance, and National CineMedia. Housing values in the area are above the state average; typical home values and rents have edged down slightly in the most recent year. The housing market is more expensive than the national median, and monthly mortgage costs are well above rents, making homeownership a stretch for many households without substantial income. The city has no traditional downtown; commercial activity concentrates along arterial roads like Arapahoe and along the interstate corridor. A trail system and a municipal fiber network are notable public investments, but walkable street life is limited.
Newton Middle School is not a charter or magnet school, and it does not receive Title I funding. Program offerings were not detailed in the available data, so parents interested in elective courses, athletics, arts, or special academic tracks would need to contact the school directly for specifics. Discipline data was also missing from the records.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a consistently strong academic performer situated in an affluent, car-oriented suburb. The student body lacks significant racial or economic diversity, which may be a consideration for some families. The school’s size is large enough to offer a range of social and extracurricular opportunities but not so large as to feel impersonal. Centennial’s lack of a walkable downtown and its spread-out layout mean that school and community life revolve around neighborhoods and commercial strips rather than a central square. The district, while not profiled in detail here, is the same one serving other well-regarded schools in the area. The missing pieces around special populations and program offerings are worth investigating directly with the school to get a complete sense of what is available.
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