Mountain Middle School

What it reported doing in 2024

2024-2025 accomplishments: mountain middle school, a project-based learning charter school, served 364 students in grades 4-8 in durango, Colorado. The school year 2024/25 was the fourteenth year of operation for mms. The school has earned an accreditation rating of distinction in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 earning the prestigious john irwin award for academic excellence. The 4th and 5th grades completed their seventh year of operation. Mountain middle school's design sprung from community concern about the lack of growth seen in high performing middle school students in the durango area, as well as concerns regarding school culture and student - teacher interaction. As a result, mms adopted five core beliefs in middle level education as the founding principles for effective middle level education. Each student deserves: an individualized curriculum that is designed on the needs, strengths, abilities, and learning style of each student to maximize student achievement; an environment reinforcing the belief that every individual has a unique potential that can be developed, while understanding that not every student can be successful all of the time; an open and receptive atmosphere that respects and encourages the individual ideas and intellectual pursuits of every student and faculty member; an environment where faculty, staff, and administrators lead by example for student attainment of honesty, respect for others, truth, and therefore selflessness; fostering meaningful student-faculty interaction; and instructors that receive continuing education on the cognitive, academic and emotional benefits of project-based learning and teaching methodologies relevant for 4th - 8th graders. These beliefs are expected to guide programming, as well as sound decision-making in supporting academic excellence for all mms students. These core values were a result of community input and the analysis of data from the existing middle schools in the durango community as part of its development. The uip was created from input provided by staff, school board, and our sac committee. Our sac committee is composed of board members, parents, teachers, and community members. Together we analyzed all data and formulated targeted goals to improve our student's academic performance and close achievement gaps. 2025-2026 goals: with a campus comprising 30,000 sq. Ft. And a student population of 349, mms is set to maximize the potential of our school. With a full student population of 60 students per grade level for the first time, our hope is to get more students at or beyond grade level in 4th and 5th grade, setting them up for success in our upper grades of 6th, 7th and 8th. Our recent expansion also provides us the facility to do more in terms of art and digital media with new classrooms built to accommodate greater makerspace capabilities. The best of mountain middle school is yet to come. Results policies mega result: each student will own their own future, graduating fully prepared to achieve their potential both academically and socially at school and in life. R1: student personal success results each student will overtly and directly articulate and demonstrate behaviors and aspects of the habits of heart and mind revolving around relational character: respect and integrity. Accordingly, each student will: r1.1contribute to a culture and climate conducive to acceptable behavior and excellent performance for all students, by demonstrating r1.1.1productive collaboration r1.1.2positive attitude about school and working with others r1.1.3equitable and inclusive interaction r1.1.4appropriate participation r1.1.5personal responsibility and accountability for their actions r1.1.6appropriate conduct and language in and out of the classroom r1.1.7honest and trustworthy conduct and work products r1.2demonstrate critical and creative thinking by systematically questioning and examining issues and principles related to the content of

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 60%; rating input score 60
• Program expense ratio: 62.6%; rating input score 63
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 5.9%; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.07; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.81; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 12.6% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 16.8% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings