Best Middle Schools in Denver, CO (2025-26)
Every ranked middle school in Denver, CO, ordered by SchoolGrade. A grade rewards actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by school, city or district.
Denver, CO rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools
Denver, CO middle schools ranked
How Denver, CO's middle schools compare
A: 7C: 5D: 14F: 4
23% of the 30 ranked middle schools in Denver, CO earn an A or B (7 A grades, 0 B, 5 C, 14 D, 4 F), against 46% of middle schools nationwide. 21 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (70% here, 70% nationally), and 13 exceed it. On average 30% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 18% (national averages: 45% actual, 38% projected).
The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Morey Middle School (78% against 44%, A+), Dsst Byers Middle School (61% against 27%, A), Skinner Middle School (62% against 33%, A), Mcauliffe International School (72% against 45%, A+), Girls Athletic Leadership School Middle School (53% against 27%, A-).
Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 10): School District No. 1 in the county of Denver and State of C (10).
The largest ranked middle schools: Mcauliffe International School (1,487 students, A+, #3), Hamilton Middle School (646 students, D, #18), Skinner Middle School (631 students, A, #4).
Of the top 25, 0 are magnet schools and 14 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.
Middle schools in Denver, CO that are not ranked
3 graded middle schools are listed here rather than ranked, each for the reason given. Every one has its own page with its full SchoolGrade report.
Not yet graded (3)
Our source data has no school-level proficiency results for these schools, so they carry no SchoolGrade yet.
- Denver Discovery School, Denver
- Strive Prep Kepner, Denver
- Strive Prep Lake, Denver
About this ranking
- Scope: public middle schools in Denver, CO, as grouped on its schools page; the Colorado ranking covers the whole state.
- Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
- Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
- Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the middle schools.
- Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works
Questions about middle schools in Denver, CO
What is the best middle school in Denver, CO?
Morey Middle School in Denver ranks first among the 30 ranked middle schools in Denver, CO with a SchoolGrade of A+, 78% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 44%.
How are middle schools in Denver, CO ranked?
By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.
How many middle schools does Denver, CO have?
SchoolGrade grades 33 public middle schools in Denver, CO; 30 are ranked here and 3 are listed as not ranked.