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Manual Middle School

Q: Is Manual Middle School a good school?

Manual Middle School ranks 344 th of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

344^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Manual Middle School is a public middle school in Denver's School District No. 1 that serves 257 students in grades 6 through 8 in a high-poverty area of central Denver, where 71.2% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 14.0, which is more favorable than many nearby schools, including McAuliffe International School (19.7) and Morey Middle School (19.1), meaning smaller class sizes are not the main barrier to performance.

Manual has shown genuine academic improvement over the past few years. English Language Arts proficiency nearly doubled from 17.1% in 2023-2024 to 30.3% in 2025-2026, and math proficiency rose from 7.2% to 14.7% over the same period. The school's state ranking improved from the 7th percentile to the 28th percentile. However, scores remain well below state averages, and math is a significant concern—only 14.7% of students are proficient, with 7th grade math particularly alarming at just 5.3% proficiency compared to the state average of 32.9%. A notable bright spot is 8th grade ELA, where 40.3% of students are proficient—above the district average of 38.9%.

Chronic absenteeism is one of the school's biggest challenges, with 53.8% of students chronically absent in 2024-2025—nearly double the state average of 28.4%. Despite this, the dropout rate is low at 1.4%. Compared to its nearest neighbor, DSST: Cole Middle School just 0.43 miles away, Manual outperforms it in both ELA (30.3% vs. 16.3%) and math (14.7% vs. 9.2%). However, higher-performing nearby schools like Skinner Middle School and DSST: Cedar Middle School show what's possible, with math proficiency rates of 55.3% and 57.6% respectively, and far lower chronic absenteeism.

257

Students ?

14.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,830

Per pupil spending ?

71.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1700 E. 28th Ave.
Denver, CO 80205

(720) 423-6550

District: School District No. 1

Students who attend Manual Middle School usually attend:

High:

Manual High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

38.5%

African American:

35.0%

White:

17.5%

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Compare Manual Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 7th percentile in 2024 → 28th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 28th (2026) from a 7th-percentile low (2024)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Colorado average (23% vs 41% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (52% vs 28% Colorado)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg38%

Colorado avg41%

344^th of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 16 pts since 2019

From bottom 43% (2019) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

15^th 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	23.1	344 of 476	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.5	348 of 469	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.3	450 of 485	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	440 of 480	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	25.6	313 of 448	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.5	113 of 369	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	40.9	259 of 458	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	20.4	287 of 368	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.9	281 of 347	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.8	344 of 363	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	41.7	196 of 352	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.3	163 of 315	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	73.8	19 of 134	85.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	26.7	170 of 218	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.8	155 of 220	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.9	69 of 165	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2025	13.0	230 of 241	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	157 of 197	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	223 of 240	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	39.0	127 of 222	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	24.9	268 of 372	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	270 of 352	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.4	337 of 356	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	39.0	198 of 343	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.0	126 of 317	60.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2019	78.4	41 of 283	85.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Gifted and Talented (2019)86th percentile+42 vs school

White (2019)86th percentile+42 vs school

Male (2026)28th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)5th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts30%-14 vs state

Science23%-12 vs state

Math15%-23 vs state

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Schools Near Manual 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 6th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 7th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts 8th Grade	CMAS English Language Arts All Grades	CMAS Math 6th Grade	CMAS Math 7th Grade	CMAS Math 8th Grade	CMAS Math All Grades	CMAS Science 8th Grade	Total
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
DSST: Cole Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	3240 Humboldt Street	Denver	80205	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	Yes	(303) 524-6354	282	24	11.8	86.2%	10 (3.5%)	64 (22.7%)	197 (69.9%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	3 (1.1%)	4 (1.4%)	11.1	446^th of 476 public middle schools	6.3%		12	430^th of 469 public middle schools	8.3%	16	7.1	23.3	18.8	16.3	8.1	8.2	11.3	9.2	17.5	$13,612
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
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
McAuliffe International School	Public	6-8	2540 Holly St	Denver	80207	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 424-1540	1,329	67	19.7	27.5%	760 (57.2%)	160 (12.0%)	238 (17.9%)	36 (2.7%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	127 (9.6%)	95.5	18^th of 476 public middle schools	96.2%		94.6	22^nd of 469 public middle schools	95.3%	4	75.6	74.2	71.8	73.9	70.9	74.0	80.9	75.1	66.3	$15,947
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
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
Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences	Public	6-8	451 Clermont Street	Denver	80220	Denver County	School District No. 1	No	No	No	No	(720) 423-9680	651	35	18.8	51.9%	227 (34.9%)	106 (16.3%)	235 (36.1%)	16 (2.5%)	3 (0.5%)	6 (0.9%)	56 (8.6%)	40.1	245^th of 476 public middle schools	48.5%		29.1	321^st of 469 public middle schools	31.6%	76	34.9	51.2	38.8	41.6	28.0	19.0	26.7	24.6	34.0	$16,842
DSST: Cedar Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	150 S Pearl Street	Denver	80209	Denver County	School District No. 1	Yes	No	No	No	(303) 524-6350	485	36	13.5	50.5%	187 (38.6%)	90 (18.6%)	148 (30.5%)	21 (4.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (7.4%)	86.7	49^th of 476 public middle schools	89.7%		86.7	48^th of 469 public middle schools	89.8%	1	57.1	73.1	64.4	65.0	52.0	54.1	67.1	57.6	61.0	$9,604
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Manual Middle School

What high school do graduates of Manual Middle School attend?

Students who attend Manual Middle School usually go on to attend Manual High School

What district is Manual Middle School in?

School District No. 1

What is the racial makeup of Manual Middle School?

Students at Manual Middle School are 39% Hispanic, 35% African American, 18% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

Is Manual Middle School a good school?

Manual Middle School ranks 344^th of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Manual Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Manual Middle School.

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataNewOct 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.