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Drake Junior High School

Q: Is Drake Junior High School a good school?

Drake Junior High School ranks 122 nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

122^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 476 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 74% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Drake Junior High School in Arvada, CO serves 1,002 students in grades 6–8, making it the largest middle school in its surrounding area and part of Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The school holds a 4-star rating and ranks 121st out of 469 Colorado middle schools (74th percentile), placing it above state averages in English Language Arts (52.7% proficient vs. 44.7% statewide), math (47.5% vs. 37.3%), and 8th-grade science (51.2% vs. 35.4%). Only 18.9% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that has declined steadily over the past three years.

Drake Junior High School's clearest strength is science, where proficiency has exceeded district and state benchmarks every year on record. Its 8th-grade students also show impressive academic growth: ELA proficiency climbs from 47.1% in 6th grade to 57.0% by 8th grade, while math jumps from 44.8% to 55.8%. Chronic absenteeism (23.1%) is slightly better than the district (26.6%) and state (28.4%) averages, and the school has reported no recent dropouts.

Despite these positives, Drake underperforms several nearby schools with similar or more diverse student populations. Bell Middle School, which serves a slightly higher share of low-income students, beats Drake in every subject — including 62.7% vs. 52.7% in ELA. Just two miles away, Manning Options School posts strikingly higher proficiency rates (75.7% ELA) with similar demographics. Drake's most vulnerable subgroups — gifted/talented learners and students from low-income households — each received only 2 stars in recent state rankings, revealing a gap between the school's overall success and its support for high-ability and disadvantaged students. The school has also drifted from its 5-star, top-40 ranking a decade ago to its current upper-middle standing. For parents, Drake remains a stable, above-average choice with a strong STEM focus, but it's worth asking about enrichment options for advanced learners.

1,002

Students ?

19.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,835

Per pupil spending ?

18.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12550 West 52nd Avenue
Arvada, CO 80002-1804

(303) 982-1510

District: Jefferson County School District No. R-1

Students who attend Drake Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Arvada West High School

Feeder schools for Drake Junior High School:

Elementary:	Fairmount Elementary School
	Vanderhoof Elementary School
	West Woods Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.0%

Hispanic:

13.9%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Colorado middle schools

Compare Drake Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (50% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the Colorado median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg49%

Colorado avg41%

122^nd of 476

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 9% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Colorado Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 18Middle Schools in the Jefferson County School District No. R-1

24^th of 114Jefferson County School District No. R-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	71.9	122 of 476	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	69.9	129 of 469	72.5%	★★★★☆
2024	77.0	87 of 485	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	74.4	102 of 480	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.3	111 of 448	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	73.2	80 of 369	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	80.9	63 of 458	86.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.2	57 of 418	86.4%	★★★★☆
2017	83.3	50 of 424	88.2%	★★★★☆
2016	85.0	37 of 400	90.8%	★★★★★
2015	82.3	51 of 436	88.3%	★★★★☆
2014	81.3	70 of 461	84.8%	★★★★☆
2013	80.0	70 of 454	84.6%	★★★★☆
2012	79.2	74 of 425	82.6%	★★★★☆
2011	75.3	91 of 422	78.4%	★★★★☆
2010	68.1	126 of 409	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	69.2	106 of 377	71.9%	★★★★☆
2008	68.4	100 of 362	72.4%	★★★★☆
2007	79.5	66 of 360	81.7%	★★★★☆
2006	78.0	69 of 346	80.1%	★★★★☆
2005	79.4	62 of 340	81.8%	★★★★☆
2004	78.4	65 of 336	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	70.3	93 of 368	74.7%	★★★★☆
2025	65.3	109 of 347	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	72.7	83 of 350	76.3%	★★★★☆
2023	65.5	111 of 363	69.4%	★★★★☆
2022	61.1	110 of 326	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.0	73 of 254	71.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.7	68 of 352	80.7%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	68 of 315	78.4%	★★★★☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	42.8	100 of 154	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.1	73 of 132	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.5	73 of 126	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.2	76 of 125	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	69 of 93	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	43.4	92 of 134	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.0	64 of 121	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	51.0	87 of 208	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	51.0	89 of 218	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.3	36 of 199	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	63 of 198	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.0	42 of 169	75.1%	★★★★☆
2021	60.4	27 of 83	67.5%	★★★★☆
2019	59.1	75 of 220	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.4	66 of 165	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	40.9	129 of 231	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	116 of 241	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.7	70 of 244	71.3%	★★★★☆
2023	43.5	118 of 241	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.1	69 of 197	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.0	39 of 114	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.3	74 of 240	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.6	60 of 222	73.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	123 of 372	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	108 of 352	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.7	81 of 357	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	72.0	78 of 356	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	65.3	93 of 328	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	68.9	62 of 249	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	56 of 343	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	82.4	35 of 317	89.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Colorado percentile	Rating
2026	51.6	132 of 278	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.4	130 of 275	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	98 of 273	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.3	106 of 286	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	114 of 265	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.1	73 of 203	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.7	71 of 283	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	40 of 199	79.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2026)75th percentile~ school

Male (2026)67th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2026)58th percentile-16 vs school

White (2026)53rd percentile-22 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)44th percentile-30 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)35th percentile-39 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts53%+8 vs state

Science51%+16 vs state

Math48%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Drake Junior High 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 4th Grade	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 4th Grade	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
Drake Junior High School	Public	6-8	12550 West 52nd Avenue	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-1510	1,002	51	19.6	18.9%	782 (78.0%)	12 (1.2%)	139 (13.9%)	22 (2.2%)	4 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.2%)	71.9	122^nd of 476 public middle schools	74.4%		69.9	129^th of 469 public middle schools	72.5%	7			47.1	54.8	57.0	52.7			44.8	43.1	55.8	47.5		51.2	$15,835
Prospect Academy	Public, Charter	4-8	5592 Independence Street	Arvada	80002	Jefferson County	State Charter School Institute	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(720) 804-0018	94	8	12.3	22.3%	58 (61.7%)	3 (3.2%)	24 (25.5%)	1 (1.1%)	4 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.2%)								(n/a)						698.0						8.0			$26,231
Manning Options School	Public	6-8	13200 West 32nd Place	Lakewood	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6340	685	32	21.1	12.3%	567 (82.8%)	4 (0.6%)	66 (9.6%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.1%)	94.2	23^rd of 476 public middle schools	95.2%		92.9	25^th of 469 public middle schools	94.7%	2			73.2	79.1	74.7	75.7			60.4	71.4	67.8	66.3		65.9	$15,921
Everitt Middle School	Public	6-8	3900 Kipling Street	Wheat Ridge	80033	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-1580	456	29	15.5	56.6%	216 (47.4%)	13 (2.9%)	191 (41.9%)	6 (1.3%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (5.5%)	42.9	227^th of 476 public middle schools	52.3%		37.8	261^st of 469 public middle schools	44.3%	34			44.6	40.8	37.3	41.3			32.4	24.8	25.5	27.9		35.7	$17,523
Oberon Middle School	Public	6-8	7300 Quail Street	Arvada	80005	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-2020	704	36	19.5	28.3%	540 (76.7%)	3 (0.4%)	128 (18.2%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.0%)	77.1	101^st of 476 public middle schools	78.8%		73.1	111^th of 469 public middle schools	76.3%	10			52.1	65.9	60.1	59.0			43.3	56.1	51.9	50.2		48.1	$15,924
North Arvada Middle School	Public	6-8	7285 Pierce Street	Arvada	80003	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-0528	464	27	17.3	66.8%	183 (39.4%)	16 (3.4%)	223 (48.1%)	12 (2.6%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.6%)	21.9	355^th of 476 public middle schools	25.4%		21.1	353^rd of 469 public middle schools	24.7%	2			16.4	31.0	25.2	23.7			13.1	22.2	21.8	18.7		29.8	$17,299
Connections Learning Center on the Earle Johnson Campus	Public	6-9	1200 Johnson Road	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	Yes	(303) 982-7004	22	10	2.3	63.6%	7 (31.8%)	1 (4.5%)	11 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (13.6%)								(n/a)						709.0						711.0			$98,483
Bell Middle School	Public	6-8	1001 Ulysses Street	Golden	80401	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-4280	774	41	19.1	26.6%	569 (73.5%)	14 (1.8%)	135 (17.4%)	13 (1.7%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.2%)	83.9	62^nd of 476 public middle schools	87.0%		75.5	98^th of 469 public middle schools	79.1%	36			64.8	62.3	60.7	62.7			59.0	45.9	56.7	53.8		63.0	$15,793
Creighton Middle School	Public	6-8	75 Independence Street	Lakewood	80226	Jefferson County	Jefferson County School District No. R-1	No	No	No	No	(303) 982-6282	741	46	15.9	54.3%	285 (38.5%)	32 (4.3%)	376 (50.7%)	12 (1.6%)	6 (0.8%)	4 (0.5%)	26 (3.5%)	44.8	217^th of 476 public middle schools	54.4%		37.9	259^th of 469 public middle schools	44.8%	42			41.5	45.2	41.8	42.9			35.2	26.4	28.6	30.0		31.1	$16,435
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 Drake Junior High School

What high school do graduates of Drake Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Drake Junior High School usually go on to attend Arvada West High School

What district is Drake Junior High School in?

Jefferson County School District No. R-1

What is the racial makeup of Drake Junior High School?

Students at Drake Junior High School are 78% White, 14% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

How many students attend Drake Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,002 students attended Drake Junior High School.

Is Drake Junior High School a good school?

Drake Junior High School ranks 122^nd of 476 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Drake Junior High School!

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Latest Colorado data All new data »

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

2024–25 attendance dataAug 27, 2025

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.