The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Lake Middle School
Lake Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school in Denver, Colorado, part of the large Denver Public Schools system. The school sits in the city’s western neighborhoods near Lowell Boulevard, in a consolidated city-county that functions as Colorado’s capital and a major commercial and transportation hub. Denver’s economy spans telecommunications, aerospace, financial services, health care, and a significant tourism sector, and the city has experienced sustained growth over several decades. Housing in the area has been relatively expensive, with home values and rents slightly above the national norm, though both have softened recently.
The school enrolls a student body of about that size for a middle school, with roughly equal representation across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. An overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, white, and multiracial students, along with small numbers of Asian, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and does not appear to have a Title I designation in the available data, though the very high share of low-income families would typically place it in that category.
State assessment results from the Colorado Measures of Academic Success show that overall academic performance is low across subjects. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced was modest. In English language arts, the rate was higher but still well below half. On the eighth-grade science assessment, proficiency was also low. Participation in the state tests was under eighty percent in each subject, which is lower than typical for public schools and may affect how representative the reported results are. Because Lake Middle School does not serve high school grades, no graduation rate is available. The school’s overall proficiency, averaged across tested subjects, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Denver County.
The larger district, Denver Public Schools, has made several recent moves that affect schools like Lake. Voters approved a bond measure in 2024, the largest in the district’s history, to fund facility improvements, safety upgrades, technology, and new construction. A mill levy override passed in 2022 to increase teacher pay and support mental health services. The district also shifted to a new unified enrollment system beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, changing how families apply to schools. In addition, Denver Public Schools adopted a new literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading, rolling out in elementary grades from 2023-2024. These changes may eventually reach the middle school level, but the current data reflects the period before those initiatives took full effect.
The school’s limited public course access and program data means a parent would need to contact the school directly to learn about elective offerings, advanced coursework, or extracurriculars. No discipline or staffing data was available. The peer environment is shaped by a large, low-income student body in a diverse urban setting. The academic pathway is one where a majority of students are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks, particularly in math and science, which is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school. Denver’s broader context includes a growing economy and a major city’s amenities—parks, cultural institutions, professional sports, and transit—but also a housing market that remains costly for many families despite recent price adjustments.
See more original research from School Decision →