Sunset Middle School

1300 South Sunset Street

School District

St Vrain Valley Re 1j
Grade

6-8
Teacher/Student Ratio

1:15
Type

public

School Map for St Vrain Valley Re 1j School District

GreatSchools Rating

The school rating calculation is based on four ratings: the Student Progress Rating or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, Equity Rating, and Test Score Rating each designed to show different facets of school success. Learn more about GreatSchools Ratings

Reviews

Submitted by parent on February 13, 2025

Our son started at Sunset Middle this year as a sixth grader and he has had an awesome year. He’s in band, playing sports, and the librarian keeps him supplied with new reading material. The librarian received a grants d brought in a book vending machine, which made my own book living heart skip a beat. Students receive tokens for displaying good character, excellent student skills (attendance, grade improvement) etc to use toward the machine. Sunset is unique because it offers two foreign languages: Spanish and French. Students in 6th grade have two quarters of each language and in 7th and 8th grades continue with one. This sets students up for the Seal of Biliteracy in high school, in addition to working toward the International Baccalaureate standards. If you’re looking for a diverse school with great class sizes and excellent teachers then you are truly in the right place at Sunset. Our two other children will attend Sunset and I’m excited to see them thrive there.
Submitted by student on December 09, 2024

As a student here it's more in the middle but our school pressures us a lot some of the teachers don't even grade our stuff when we turn it in.
Submitted by parent on June 05, 2022

This is a tremendous school that is full of love and connection. The principal, Mr. Barela, is very engaged and cares deeply for each student. There is great diversity and an environment of inclusion and embracing of differences. The staff and teachers go out of their way to make sure that students have their needs met academically as well as socially/emotionally.
Submitted by student on August 04, 2021

This school is very average. Music has a strong department. Academics is lacking in some spots like language and lit or history. Some teachers are effective and some aren’t. The food is horrible. The administration is not bad. Counseling is not very effective and don’t do much. When I was signing up for classes when I just started at this school years ago I wanted to switch classes but they did not do anything. The administration did help a lot though when we talked with them. The food especially the broccoli is just putrid and horrible also so is the beans. You have to make your own decision whether this school is a good recommendation or not.
Submitted by parent on July 01, 2020

My son went to Sunset and I could not have been more happy with his experience. The teachers and staff are fully committed to student wellbeing and achievement. I also appreciated the broad diversity in culture and socioeconomic status and I think it has helped my son to have a real understanding of the experiences of others. I am a teacher and I would recommend Sunset to anyone.
Submitted by parent on October 04, 2019

Our son transferred to Sunset from a SVVSD charter school that just wasn't a good mutual fit. We were extremely nervous about the transition, but he absolutely thrived at Sunset. Instructors and administrators were 100% engaged and I never saw anything other than total support for the students. This school includes a diverse group of students from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, which we value tremendously because it reflects the community as a whole instead of just a small subset of folks. This diversity may have some impact on the overall test scores, etc., but we would not have traded this experience for anything. Our son went on to choose an equally diverse high school instead of our assigned school which has excellent aggregate academic scores but also significant issues with classism.Please don't judge this school by aggregate test scores. There are ample opportunities for kids to thrive academically here - tons of honors courses and a thriving chapter of the National Junior Honors Society.
Submitted by parent on November 13, 2018

This school is a hidden gem. I’ve been very happy and so have both of my kids.
Submitted by parent on September 11, 2018

8/10 - Pulled my daughter from a local charter school where she was miserable both socially and academically. Since being at SMS she has thrived in both areas and is finally being challenged in her classes without having to do extra work.
Submitted by parent on March 07, 2016

My daughter has never shined so bright! The faculty and administration at SMS is involved, engaged and consistent. Teachers have reached out when my daughter seemed off, and worked together to solve conflicts and situations that have arose over the last 2 years. The principal, Ms. Macy, is extremely involved with all of her students, I wouldn't be surprised if she knew every child's name by the 1st month of school :) The art and music programs, as well as their teachers, are exceptional, my daughter entered a year late but plays grade level orchestra and is 4th chair. This is a school for EVERYONE and they do a wonderful job of creating a sense of community from the moment the kids enter the school. My daughter is an auditory learner and her learning style has been accommodated throughout the classroom curriculum. My daughter has a fair amount of choice in what types of projects she can complete to show her comprehension (examples: movies, collages, essays, etc.) I worked for SVVSD yeras ago and had a good idea of what my options were for middle school. Most of them had a grade of "c" or worse besides 2, which were not options for multiple differing reasons including previous attendance. We were looking for a school with more diversity and a place where the social-emotional needs of my daughter(s) would be met. Our expectations have not only been met but have been exceeded, and we are beyond happy with SMS!!
Submitted by parent on October 05, 2015

We moved our son to this school, though he was hesitant. The principal gave us a tour and really connected with my son. He's developing strong relationships with his teachers, is excited to go to class every day, and is showing us a whole new side we've never seen! I have talked to other parents, and it's just a great community school. We came here after a bad experience at a local charter school - same level of academics, nothing tough, but for some reason, the stress levels were ridiculous and the parents were always so angry.
Submitted by parent on April 04, 2014

We recently moved to Longmont, leaving Adam's 12. I came in one afternoon to pick up my daughter and felt the principal was dressed completely inappropriately in a white tank top and short jean skirt. She did have a sweater tied over her shoulders, which really drew more attention to how tight her shirt was. My daughter later told me the AP was talking to the police officer about a student by name in the office near the lobby while using profanity! She named the student and even told me what he'd done. Additionally, at PTC, my daughter told her teacher she wasn't comfortable sitting next to a particular young male. The teacher stated she would move him, but there wasn't much else she could do. . She later mentioned to me that "administration doesn't really support discipline". She will be attending Altona next year, which causes a strain in transportation.
Submitted by parent on March 20, 2014

My son loves the string orchestra at this school. We were previously in a private religious school. The Music and arts were sadly deficient at the private school, as was the sports. This school takes the arts seriously. Recent studies say the arts increase intelligence for life. The acedemics are great and the principal is very good.
Submitted by parent on May 21, 2013

SMS is a great school. As a Niwot community parent, many chose to go to Altona since it is new. Sunset is where my husband went to middle school so we never even looked at another school. We are so happy with the administration, teachers and staff. Our three daughters are very different and have all found a great home at Sunset. The music program is wonderful, but so are the programs for those that are not musically inclined. We have one daughter that was in all advanced courses and two that were half and half regular and advanced. All of the teachers are amazing and work with the inidvidual student. We cannot be happier with our choice to stay with our district school and my husband's alma mater.
Submitted by other on July 25, 2012

SMS is a very very unorganized school. They do not keep their students in order and the teachers are only there for the paycheck. I never liked SMS even when i first started to go there i knew it wouldn't be a good school because all of my friends hated it. The teachers didn't care about the students, they looked for misbehaving students every where they went. The homework was to much for me to handle. I didn't like this school at all.