Summary:
Zip code 80226 in Lakewood, CO is served by 10 schools in Jefferson County School District No. R-1—including 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 3 high schools, and 1 alternative school—with a combined enrollment of 3,260 students and a striking mix of one of Colorado’s best elementary schools alongside some of its lowest-ranked. Dennison Elementary School is the standout, ranking #3 out of 943 elementary schools statewide with 90.9% ELA and 88.8% math proficiency, well above state averages, plus the lowest chronic absenteeism (4.3%) and poverty rate (12.7% free/reduced lunch) in the area. In stark contrast, Deane Elementary School ranks #929 with only 11.8% ELA and 7.5% math proficiency, 48.7% chronic absenteeism, and 80.1% free/reduced lunch—showing extreme inequity within a few miles.
Other schools fall somewhere in between, but most remain below state averages. Belmar School of Integrated Arts is a bright spot, improving from #607 to #455 in one year and now near state averages in ELA (46.1%) and math (36.2%). South Lakewood Elementary School sits close to state averages, while Rose Stein International Elementary struggles with 21.8% ELA and 14.2% math proficiency. Creighton Middle School is the only middle school in the zip code, serving 741 students, but its math proficiency is only 30% and chronic absenteeism is 43.4%—a critical bottleneck for the community.
The high schools in 80226 are all alternative, transition, or special education programs, which explains the extremely low graduation rates (5.7% at Brady Exploration School, 9.5% at New America School) and high dropout rates. Miller Special Education offers intensive support with a 5.1 student-teacher ratio, while Jeffco Transition Services School has a low dropout rate of 0.8%. Overall, poverty and chronic absenteeism strongly track academic performance across all schools. The most urgent concerns are the very low proficiency at Deane and Rose Stein, high absenteeism nearly everywhere, and the lack of a traditional high school option within the zip code.
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