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Lake Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

423^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 11% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Lake Middle School is a grades 6–8 middle school in Denver, CO, serving 592 students and operating as part of School District No. 1, a district that ranks 71st out of 115 Colorado districts. Lake itself ranks 416th out of 469 Colorado middle schools for 2025-26, placing it in the 11th percentile with a 1-star rating. The school has hovered near the bottom of state rankings for a decade, improving from the 1st percentile in 2014-15 to a peak of the 22nd percentile in 2024-25, before dropping back to the 11th percentile this year. It serves a high-poverty population, with 75.8% of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch in 2024-25.

Academically, Lake is far behind district and state averages in every subject. For 2025-26, only 20.2% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, 14.5% in math, and 10.4% in 8th-grade science, compared with state averages of 44.7%, 37.3%, and 35.4%. Attendance is a growing concern: chronic absenteeism jumped from 15.8% in 2023-24 to 32.1% in 2024-25, though that rate still beats many nearby schools, including Manual Middle School (53.8%) and Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside (59.4%). More alarming, Lake reports a 3.4% dropout rate, the highest among nearby middle schools and more than double the state rate of 1.6%. The 8th-grade class is the weakest, with just 13.4% ELA proficiency and 10.4% science proficiency, while 7th graders are relatively stronger.

Lake sits on the wrong side of a sharp local achievement divide. Within a few miles, Morey Middle School (98th percentile) posts 81.6% ELA proficiency, and Skinner Middle School (90th percentile) posts 67.6%, while Lake and schools like KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy (4th percentile) and West Middle School (5th percentile) remain in the bottom 15 percent. These high-performing neighbors serve lower-poverty populations, which matters for fair comparison. Lake’s recent progress is fragile: dropout rates have climbed steadily for five years, and the doubling of chronic absenteeism may signal further declines ahead. Understanding what is working with the 7th-grade cohort and addressing 8th-grade weaknesses will be critical if Lake is to hold onto its gains.

592

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,751

Per pupil spending ?

75.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in Colorado receive free school meals.

1820 Lowell Blvd
Denver, CO 80204-1549

(720) 424-0260

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Lake Middle School usually attend:

High:

North High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.0%

African American:

9.3%

White:

7.4%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Lake Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 1st percentile in 2015 → 11th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (16% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (55% vs 28% Colorado)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

423^rd of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 4% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 30Middle Schools in the School District No. 1

69^th of 114School 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	14.3	423 of 476	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.8	368 of 469	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.4	405 of 485	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	418 of 480	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	401 of 448	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	432 of 458	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.9	395 of 418	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	7.9	413 of 424	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	9.1	385 of 400	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.4	432 of 436	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	6.6	442 of 461	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	6.6	428 of 454	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	11.2	340 of 368	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	277 of 347	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.9	304 of 350	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.0	331 of 363	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.4	312 of 326	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.5	327 of 352	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	298 of 315	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	19.3	181 of 208	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.1	152 of 218	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.8	161 of 199	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	169 of 198	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	146 of 169	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	200 of 220	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	151 of 165	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	27.4	187 of 241	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	187 of 244	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.7	219 of 241	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	172 of 197	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	12.3	339 of 372	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.4	302 of 352	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.4	323 of 357	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	319 of 356	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	294 of 328	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	306 of 343	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	11.1	298 of 317	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile~ school

Male (2026)9th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts20%-24 vs state

Math14%-23 vs state

Science10%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lake Middle School

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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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				CMAS English Language Arts (2026)					CMAS Math (2026)					CMAS Science (2026)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	CMAS English Language Arts 5th 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 5th Grade	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 5th Grade	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
Lake Middle School	Public	6-8	1820 Lowell Blvd	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0260	592	41	14.5	75.8%	44 (7.4%)	55 (9.3%)	462 (78.0%)	5 (0.8%)	11 (1.9%)	8 (1.4%)	7 (1.2%)	14.3	423^rd of 476 public middle schools	11.1%		19.8	368^th of 469 public middle schools	21.5%	55		18.3	30.3	13.4	20.2		12.9	19.5	11.6	14.5		10.4	$20,751
Skinner Middle School	Public	6-8	3435 West 40th Avenue	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-1420	673	41	16.5	41.0%	330 (49.0%)	23 (3.4%)	275 (40.9%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.1%)	87.4	47^th of 476 public middle schools	90.1%		82.4	62^nd of 469 public middle schools	86.8%	15		63.5	72.0	68.5	67.6		48.0	58.0	64.3	55.3		71.3	$16,694
Girls Athletic Leadership School Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	750 Galapago St.	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 282-6437	223	16	14.1	30.9%	124 (55.6%)	16 (7.2%)	58 (26.0%)	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (8.1%)	80.3	78^th of 476 public middle schools	83.6%		76.3	94^th of 469 public middle schools	80.0%	16		57.1	81.2	72.5	69.8		31.2	47.8	67.6	48.1		55.9	$13,673
Denver Center for International Studies	Public, Magnet	6-8	574 West 6th Ave	Denver	80204	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	Yes	No	Yes	(720) 423-9000	354	26	13.5	71.5%	41 (11.6%)	13 (3.7%)	255 (72.0%)	8 (2.3%)	14 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	20 (5.6%)	13.4	432^nd of 476 public middle schools	9.2%		32.8	294^th of 469 public middle schools	37.3%	138		13.9	15.4	28.6	21.0		698.0	717.0	11.3	8.8		11.3	$21,920
KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy	Public, Charter	5-8	375 S Tejon Street	Denver	80223	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 623-5772	301	29	10.5	93.7%	5 (1.7%)	7 (2.3%)	279 (92.7%)	4 (1.3%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	9.2	456^th of 476 public middle schools	4.2%		11.9	432^nd of 469 public middle schools	7.9%	24	20.0	11.2	15.6	12.9	13.9	13.3	9.0	14.3	11.4	11.7	24.1	4.3	$18,412
Rocky Mountain Prep Sunnyside	Public, Charter	6-8	4735 Pecos St	Denver	80211	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(720) 723-2000	154	16	9.6	87.0%	6 (3.9%)	29 (18.8%)	110 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.6%)	2 (1.3%)	3 (1.9%)	10.5	449^th of 476 public middle schools	5.7%		16.8	394^th of 469 public middle schools	16.0%	55		16.3	10.5	18.5	15.6		11.9	710.0	695.0	7.5		11.1	$18,962
Morey Middle School	Public	6-8	840 East 14th Avenue	Denver	80218	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-0700	479	25	19.1	29.0%	284 (59.3%)	30 (6.3%)	96 (20.0%)	11 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (10.4%)	97.1	11^th of 476 public middle schools	97.7%		97.8	9^th of 469 public middle schools	98.1%	2		76.8	87.2	81.9	81.6		77.8	75.6	73.9	76.0		66.4	$16,610
Kepner Beacon Middle School	Public	6-8	911 South Hazel Court	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 424-0027	467	33	14.1	89.9%	16 (3.4%)	26 (5.6%)	409 (87.6%)	9 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	16	411^th of 476 public middle schools	13.7%		11	435^th of 469 public middle schools	7.2%	24		15.4	18.2	17.4	17.1		15.7	14.0	31.1	21.0		8.3	$22,149
Rocky Mountain Prep Westwood	Public, Charter	6-8	3201 W Arizona Ave.	Denver	80219	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 962-9880	411	27	15.2	91.7%	2 (0.5%)	8 (1.9%)	390 (94.9%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	14.1	426^th of 476 public middle schools	10.5%		15.5	405^th of 469 public middle schools	13.6%	21		19.7	30.8	13.9	21.8		19.0	11.5	10.4	13.7		5.0	$14,004
Manual Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 E. 28th Ave.	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	Yes	(720) 423-6550	257	18	14.0	71.2%	45 (17.5%)	90 (35.0%)	99 (38.5%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	14 (5.4%)	23.1	344^th of 476 public middle schools	27.7%		21.5	348^th of 469 public middle schools	25.8%	4		28.1	21.4	40.3	30.3		19.3	5.3	19.0	14.7		23.3	$20,830

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Lake Middle School?

Students at Lake Middle School are 78% Hispanic, 9% African American, 7% White, 2% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Lake Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 592 students attended Lake Middle School.

Is Lake Middle School a good school?

Lake Middle School ranks in the bottom 11.1% of Colorado middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Lake Middle School attend?

Students who attend Lake Middle School usually go on to attend North High School

What district is Lake Middle School in?

School District No. 1

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataOct 6, 2026

2025–26 CMAS, PSAT10, PSAT9 & SAT test scoresAug 19, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

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.