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Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College

Public Grades 6-12

318^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 328 Colorado High Schools

Better than 3% of Colorado high schools

Summary

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in Denver, Colorado, with an enrollment of 1,022 students. The school is part of the School District No. 1, which is ranked 76 out of 115 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite its namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Colorado high schools, with standardized test scores significantly below the district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, only 6.2% of 11th graders were proficient or better in CMAS/Science, compared to 19.2% for the district and 25% for the state. The school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 72.8% to 84.2% over the past few years, lower than the district and state averages, and its dropout rate has ranged from 1.9% to 3.8%, which is higher than the comparison groups.

The challenges faced by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College are not unique, as nearby schools such as Northeast Early College, Montbello High School, and KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy also struggle with academic performance, graduation rates, and high rates of chronic absenteeism. However, some charter schools like DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School perform significantly better than the district and state averages, suggesting that the school model and approach may play a role in student outcomes.

1,027

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,065

Per pupil spending ?

79%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19535 East 46th Avenue
Denver, CO 80249-6637

(720) 424-0420

District: School District No. 1

Feeder schools for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College:

Elementary:	Barney Ford Elementary School
	Florida Pitt-Waller Ece-8 School
	Green Valley Elementary School
	Highline Academy Northeast
	More...
	John H. Amesse Elementary
	KIPP Northeast Elementary
	Lena Archuleta Elementary School
	Marie L. Greenwood Academy
	Marrama Elementary School
	Maxwell Elementary School
	McGlone Academy
	Oakland Elementary
	Omar D Blair Charter School
	SOAR at Green Valley Ranch
Middle:	DSST: Elevate Northeast Middle School
	DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School
	KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School
	Rocky Mountain Prep Green Valley Ranch
	More...
	Rocky Mountain Prep Noel

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.9%

African American:

20.9%

Asian:

7.4%

See top rated Colorado high schools

Compare Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 17th percentile in 2014 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (15% vs 43% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (50% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg38%

Colorado avg43%

Middle school

420^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 10%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

318^th of 328

Colorado public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

27^th of 30High Schools in the School District No. 1

76^th of 115School District No. 1 among Colorado districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	420 of 469	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.8	419 of 485	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	406 of 480	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.1	351 of 448	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	397 of 458	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	384 of 418	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	25.6	312 of 424	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	14.9	358 of 400	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.4	389 of 436	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	7.8	437 of 461	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.6	429 of 454	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.5	410 of 425	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	3.4	416 of 422	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	3.8	400 of 409	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.3	360 of 377	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.2	357 of 362	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.4	353 of 360	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.8	336 of 346	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.2	334 of 340	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	4.7	321 of 336	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	20.2	29 of 33	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	30.1	17 of 20	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	332 of 347	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	307 of 363	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.7	293 of 352	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	22.3	183 of 218	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.4	169 of 199	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	138 of 198	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.6	105 of 169	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	163 of 220	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	146 of 165	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	33.7	160 of 241	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.5	154 of 241	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.5	122 of 197	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.5	169 of 240	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	303 of 352	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.1	300 of 356	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	308 of 343	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	6.3	318 of 328	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.8	313 of 349	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	318 of 349	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.3	213 of 221	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	332 of 411	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.9	311 of 388	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.0	213 of 256	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	11.5	236 of 255	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	18.9	243 of 292	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.0	308 of 369	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.9	279 of 349	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.0	248 of 334	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.7	235 of 337	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	32.3	233 of 327	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.6	226 of 310	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	30.8	221 of 301	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	50.3	166 of 298	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	29 of 30	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	18.0	31 of 38	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	32 of 36	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	30 of 34	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	28 of 29	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	33 of 43	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	40 of 43	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.2	40 of 43	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	0.3	45 of 45	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2024	30.7	23 of 36	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.8	32 of 44	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.2	18 of 32	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.6	8 of 16	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	240 of 247	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.6	237 of 257	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.9	233 of 254	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	235 of 257	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.4	219 of 239	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	182 of 187	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	170 of 199	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	178 of 198	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.8	179 of 205	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.1	167 of 181	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	178 of 194	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.0	188 of 211	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	186 of 200	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.2	186 of 203	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	175 of 188	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	5.1	239 of 246	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.4	221 of 256	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	241 of 252	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.5	237 of 253	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.9	228 of 240	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile+23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile+6 vs school

English Language Learner (2019)15th percentile~ school

Male (2025)14th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2019)12th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile-6 vs school

High school

English Language Learner (2024)36th percentile+26 vs school

Asian (2025)23rd percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

Reading and Writing24%-41 vs state

English Language Arts22%-22 vs state

Science10%-22 vs state

Mathematics7%-31 vs state

Math7%-29 vs state

4.5

6 ratings · 3 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a principal
Friday, November 20, 2020

Love working here! Strong leadership team, amazing principal. So many opportunities for students to earn college credits and truly pursue their dreams. Close Quote

by a citizen
Thursday, November 19, 2020

As an alumn and a current DMLK employee, I continue to be impressed with the active efforts taken to put the students best interests first in order to allow them growth and success. As a student in both middle and high school, I was provided an array of different opportunities and challenges. Thanks to the DMLK, I went into my undergrad program ahead in credits. Close Quote

by a teacher
Thursday, November 19, 2020

My first year working at DMLK and I am inspired daily by our staff, admin and of course are students. Such incredible and dedicated staff. Our students are the best! Close Quote

Schools Near Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College

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Ranking:

E = Elementary, M = Middle, H = High, A = Alternative, P = Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSAT10 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT10 Mathematics (2025)	PSAT9 Reading and Writing (2025)	PSAT9 Mathematics (2025)	SAT Reading and Writing (2025)	SAT Mathematics (2025)	CMAS English Language Arts (2025)				CMAS Math (2025)		CMAS Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSAT10 Reading and Writing 10th Grade	PSAT10 Mathematics 10th Grade	PSAT9 Reading and Writing 9th Grade	PSAT9 Mathematics 9th Grade	SAT Reading and Writing 11th Grade	SAT Mathematics 11th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	CMAS Science 11th Grade	Total
Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College	Public	6-12	19535 East 46th Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0420	1,027	65	15.8	79.0%	45 (4.4%)	215 (20.9%)	605 (58.9%)	76 (7.4%)	4 (0.4%)	43 (4.2%)	38 (3.7%)	6.3	318^th of 328 public high schools	3.0%		10.8	313^th of 349 public high schools	10.3%	5	22.0	9.0	24.0	7.0	30.0	11.0	20.6	14.0	29.7	22.3	10.0	6.9	14.2	6.2	$20,065
KIPP Northeast Denver Leadership Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	18250 East 51st Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 452-2570	555	41	13.6	68.5%	12 (2.2%)	100 (18.0%)	350 (63.1%)	57 (10.3%)	2 (0.4%)	23 (4.1%)	11 (2.0%)	13.5	291^st of 328 public high schools	11.3%		13.3	303^rd of 349 public high schools	13.2%	12	35.0	21.0	42.0	15.0	36.0	19.0								4.6	$17,251
Rocky Mountain Prep RISE	Public, Charter	9-12	18250 East 51st Avenue	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 485-6393	586	46	12.6	77.8%	29 (4.9%)	94 (16.0%)	392 (66.9%)	34 (5.8%)	3 (0.5%)	19 (3.2%)	13 (2.2%)	23.9	250^th of 328 public high schools	23.8%		19.9	281^st of 349 public high schools	19.5%	31	56.0	23.0	46.0	16.0	51.0	18.0								20.3	$16,823
Vista Academy	Public	6-12	4800 Telluride Street Bldg. 6	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-7650	291	16	18.2	80.8%	7 (2.4%)	57 (19.6%)	211 (72.5%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.7%)	10 (3.4%)								(n/a)			21.0												$19,894
DSST: Green Valley Ranch High School	Public, Charter	9-12	4800 Telluride Street #2	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 524-6300	562	48	11.7	73.8%	18 (3.2%)	143 (25.4%)	314 (55.9%)	59 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	18 (3.2%)	54	139^th of 328 public high schools	57.6%		54.1	146^th of 349 public high schools	58.2%	7	61.0	48.0	70.0	48.0	58.0	39.0								13.3	$12,107
Montbello Career and Technical High School	Public	9-12	4501 Airport Way	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-7200	158	9	17.4	74.1%	7 (4.4%)	27 (17.1%)	107 (67.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.3%)	5 (3.2%)								(n/a)															$20,332
Legacy Options High School	Public	9-12	6850 North Argonne Street	Denver	80249	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-3100	153	14	10.6	85.0%	5 (3.3%)	33 (21.6%)	100 (65.4%)	1 (0.7%)	1 (0.7%)	6 (3.9%)	7 (4.6%)								(n/a)					37.0										$24,670
Montbello High School	Public	9-12	5000 Crown Blvd	Denver	80239	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-5900	1,112	72	15.5	86.9%	16 (1.4%)	170 (15.3%)	824 (74.1%)	23 (2.1%)	2 (0.2%)	49 (4.4%)	26 (2.3%)	13.3	292^nd of 328 public high schools	11.0%		7.1	330^th of 349 public high schools	5.4%	38	41.0	28.0	40.0	14.0	26.0	8.0								6.3	$18,605
Hinkley High School	Public	9-12	1250 Chambers Road	Aurora	80011	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 340-1500	1,527	70	21.8	87.8%	68 (4.5%)	176 (11.5%)	1,155 (75.6%)	53 (3.5%)	17 (1.1%)	24 (1.6%)	34 (2.2%)	9.8	304^th of 328 public high schools	7.3%		7.1	329^th of 349 public high schools	5.7%	25	29.0	26.0	24.0	9.0	25.0	11.0								7.5	$17,963
William Smith High School	Public	9-12	400 Airport Blvd	Aurora	80011	Arapahoe County	Aurora Joint District No. 28	No	No	No	No	(303) 364-8715	410	24	17.0	81.5%	42 (10.2%)	25 (6.1%)	318 (77.6%)	8 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.9%)	18.9	272^nd of 328 public high schools	17.1%		14.4	299^th of 349 public high schools	14.3%	27	47.0		50.0	21.0	42.0									10.3	$18,535

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College

Is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College a good school?

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College ranks in the bottom 3.0% of Colorado high schools.

How many students attend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,027 students attended Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College.

What district is Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College in?

School District No. 1

What is the racial makeup of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College?

Students at Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College are 59% Hispanic, 21% African American, 7% Asian, 4% White, 4% Pacific Islander, 4% Two or more races.

What schools feed into Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College?

Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Early College is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Barney Ford Elementary School
Elementary : Florida Pitt-Waller Ece-8 School
Elementary : Green Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Highline Academy Northeast
Elementary : John H. Amesse Elementary
Elementary : KIPP Northeast Elementary
Elementary : Lena Archuleta Elementary School
Elementary : Marie L. Greenwood Academy
Elementary : Marrama Elementary School
Elementary : Maxwell Elementary School
Elementary : McGlone Academy
Elementary : Oakland Elementary
Elementary : Omar D Blair Charter School
Elementary : SOAR at Green Valley Ranch
Middle : DSST: Elevate Northeast Middle School
Middle : DSST: Green Valley Ranch Middle School
Middle : KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Green Valley Ranch
Middle : Rocky Mountain Prep Noel

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Colorado Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.