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What's the biggest difference between Thunder Ridge Middle School and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,106
Middle
DISTRICT 928 · STATE 462
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CHERRY CREEK SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 080291000034
Thunder Ridge Middle School
5250 SOUTH PICADILLY STREET, AURORA, CO 80015 · (720) 886-1500 · Arapahoe County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,106 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 41% of Colorado public middle schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Colorado public middle schools
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
71 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.2:1 · STATE 15.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
409 students
DISTRICT 38% · STATE 50%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 356 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 351 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 399 | 36% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 62% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
CMAS 2024-25 . % Met or Exceeded ExpectationsEnglish Language Arts
44.0%
CO avg 44.9% . +4.4pp since 2023
Math
33.0%
CO avg 36.1% . +7.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the CMAS, Colorado's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 33 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Colorado schools, those numbers are about 45 and 36. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 8 points.
CMAS results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 44.0% | 33.0% |
| 2023-24 | 39.6% | 25.4% |
% Met or Exceeded Expectations, all students and all tested grades.
Source: CMAS. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
37.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.3%
based on CO schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 37% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% typical for Colorado schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Colorado's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Thunder Ridge Middle School
Thunder Ridge Middle School's state test result (37.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder Ridge Middle School this school | 1,106 | 37.0% | 37.3% |
| Falcon Creek Middle School AURORA | 701 | 36.1% | 44.2% |
| Skyview Middle School COLORADO SPRINGS | 862 | 44.0% | 38.1% |
| Sky Vista Middle School AURORA | 969 | 33.5% | 41.3% |
| Laredo Middle School AURORA | 846 | 50.4% | 33.0% |
| Infinity Middle School AURORA | 1,020 | 22.9% | 46.3% |
Matched among Colorado middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Thunder Ridge Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Colorado | In Arapahoe County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 37.3% | #102 of 241 | #13 of 22 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.0% | #95 of 244 ▲ 22 | #13 of 23 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.0% | #110 of 246 ▲ 17 | #13 of 23 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,106 | #5 of 278 | #3 of 24 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #103 of 227 | #6 of 21 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.4% | #15 of 227 | #6 of 21 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.0% | #161 of 246 | #12 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.8% | #88 of 169 | #13 of 18 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,106
-95 (-8%) vs 2020
-15% since 2000-01, when it was 1,307
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 20.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,106 | 70.5 | 15.7:1 | 37% (409) |
| 2023-24 | 1,151 | 68 | 16.9:1 | 40% (458) |
| 2022-23 | 1,152 | 68.1 | 16.9:1 | 28% (328) |
| 2020-21 | 1,201 | 59 | 20.4:1 | 29% (348) |
| 2017-18 | 1,314 | 74.3 | 17.7:1 | 28% (366) |
| 2015-16 | 1,320 | 74 | 17.8:1 | 27% (358) |
| 2010-11 | 1,191 | 67 | 17.8:1 | 21% (252) |
| 2000-01 | 1,307 | 81 | 16.1:1 | 5% (62) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thunder Ridge Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (1,314 to 1,106); teachers down 5% (74.3 to 70.5).
About Thunder Ridge Middle School
Among the schools in AURORA, Colorado, is Thunder Ridge Middle School, a large middle school. The school reports 1,106 students in grades 6 through 8. The school's enrollment is 139% bigger than the 462 average for middle schools in Colorado.
Enrollment across the 70 schools in Cherry Creek School District totals 52,099 students.
Thunder Ridge Middle School has no majority group; White students are the largest, at 48%. Other students are 25% Hispanic, 10% multiracial, 10% Black, and 7% Asian. By comparison, Arapahoe County residents are about 59% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 68% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Thunder Ridge Middle School operates with 70.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 15.7:1. That is close to the 15.9:1 average for middle schools in Colorado. About 37% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. Compared with the 50% average for public schools in Arapahoe County, the school's rate is lower.
The allk12 Grade for Thunder Ridge Middle School is C+. Compared with Colorado public middle schools, the school scored higher than 41% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Thunder Ridge Middle School, the prediction is 44.3% and the result is 37.3%.
County data help place the school in context: in Arapahoe County, the median household income is $101,087, about 47% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. In all, Arapahoe County has 176 public schools and roughly 115,502 students.
Outback Preschool is the public school closest to Thunder Ridge Middle School, about 0.2 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. On average proficiency, Thunder Ridge Middle School is 6th of 8 nearby schools with test data.
The school is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, according to its NCES locale (Suburb: Large).
Federal data show an 8% enrollment decrease, from 1,201 in 2020-21 to 1,106 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 15.7:1, from 20.4:1.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Arapahoe County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
659,844
Census ACS
Median income
$101,087
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
47%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
176
115,502 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cherry Creek School District
- Cherry Creek High SchoolHigh · 3,852 students
- Cherokee Trail High SchoolHigh · 3,089 students
- Eaglecrest High SchoolHigh · 2,851 students
- Grandview High SchoolHigh · 2,684 students
- Smoky Hill High SchoolHigh · 2,297 students
- Overland High SchoolHigh · 2,228 students
Other schools in AURORA
- Cherokee Trail High SchoolHigh · 3,089 students
- Grandview High SchoolHigh · 2,684 students
- Aurora Central CampusCombined · 2,468 students
- Smoky Hill High SchoolHigh · 2,297 students
- Overland High SchoolHigh · 2,228 students
- Rangeview High SchoolHigh · 2,078 students
Other Thunder Ridge Middle schools
One other US public school is named Thunder Ridge Middle. Thunder Ridge Middle School is the largest of the 2.
- THUNDER RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOLAGRA, KS · 72 students
Nearby schools
- Outback Preschool0.2 mi · 81
- Eaglecrest High School0.2 mi · 2,851
- Antelope Ridge Elementary School0.6 mi · 549
- Timberline Elementary School0.7 mi · 478
- Mountain Vista Elementary School0.9 mi · 568
- Sky Vista Middle School1.1 mi · 969
Frequently asked questions
About Thunder Ridge Middle SchoolHow many students attend Thunder Ridge Middle School?
Thunder Ridge Middle School enrolls approximately 1,106 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Thunder Ridge Middle School serve?
Thunder Ridge Middle School serves grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Thunder Ridge Middle School have?
Thunder Ridge Middle School employs 71 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.7:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Thunder Ridge Middle School?
At Thunder Ridge Middle School, the student body is approximately 48% White, 25% Hispanic, 10% Black, 7% Asian, 10% Two or more.
Is Thunder Ridge Middle School public or private?
Thunder Ridge Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cherry Creek School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.