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Drake Junior High School

Q: Is Drake Junior High School a good school?

Drake Junior High School ranks 129 th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

129^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 469 Colorado Middle Schools

Better than 72% of Colorado middle schools

Summary

Drake Junior High School is a public middle school located in Arvada, Colorado, serving 982 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Jefferson County School District No. R-1, which is ranked 29th out of 115 school districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Drake Junior High School consistently ranks in the top 25% of Colorado middle schools, with a current ranking of 129 out of 469 schools. The school's performance on CMAS (Colorado Measures of Academic Success) tests is notably strong, with higher proficiency rates compared to the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 53.5% of Drake Junior High School students were proficient or better in CMAS English Language Arts, compared to 52.5% for the district and 44.8% for the state. In CMAS Math, 46% of Drake Junior High School students were proficient or better, compared to 42.8% for the district and 35.9% for the state.

While Drake Junior High School performs well overall, its ranking for Gifted and Talented students has been declining, dropping from the top 50% of Colorado middle schools to the bottom 50% in recent years. Additionally, the school has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 20% in 2022-2023 to 27.7% in 2023-2024, which is higher than the district and state averages. The nearby Manning Options School, which is also part of the Jefferson County School District, consistently outperforms Drake Junior High School across various metrics, including test scores, student subgroup performance, and overall school rankings.

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 — 88th percentile in 2015 → 72nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Colorado average (50% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓Above the Colorado median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school50%

District avg47%

Colorado avg40%

129^th of 469

Colorado public middle schools ?

Top 28%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 12% (2015) to top 28% (2025)

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

29^th of 115Jefferson 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Male (2025)69th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)69th percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)59th percentile-13 vs school

White (2025)53rd percentile-20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)52nd percentile-21 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2025)45th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Colorado (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%+9 vs state

Science50%+13 vs state

Math46%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Drake Junior High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	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
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%)	69.9	129^th of 469 public middle schools	72.5%		77	87^th of 485 public middle schools	82.1%	42	51.8	56.4	51.9	53.5	43.5	41.6	55.3	46.0	49.8	$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)				5.0						$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%)	92.9	25^th of 469 public middle schools	94.7%		90.7	37^th of 485 public middle schools	92.4%	12	76.5	75.7	75.2	75.8	64.4	61.7	60.6	62.4	65.2	$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%)	37.8	261^st of 469 public middle schools	44.3%		27	329^th of 485 public middle schools	32.2%	68	39.3	34.5	44.5	39.6	23.3	20.2	29.2	24.3	38.2	$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%)	73.1	111^th of 469 public middle schools	76.3%		68.4	131^st of 485 public middle schools	73.0%	20	52.3	56.9	55.9	54.9	46.6	47.5	52.6	48.7	49.7	$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%)	21.1	353^rd of 469 public middle schools	24.7%		25.9	339^th of 485 public middle schools	30.1%	14	30.6	30.7	29.3	30.2	14.0	16.1	16.8	15.7	22.8	$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)										$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%)	75.5	98^th of 469 public middle schools	79.1%		70.1	124^th of 485 public middle schools	74.4%	26	62.4	64.0	58.3	61.7	43.8	43.3	44.3	43.8	56.3	$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%)	37.9	259^th of 469 public middle schools	44.8%		38	264^th of 485 public middle schools	45.6%	5	40.5	42.4	34.9	39.2	28.3	26.9	27.3	27.5	30.4	$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%)	82.4	62^nd of 469 public middle schools	86.8%		86.4	51^st of 485 public middle schools	89.5%	11	62.4	65.1	67.0	64.4	43.1	51.3	64.5	51.0	71.4	$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 129^th of 469 Colorado middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Drake Junior High School!

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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.