The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 33% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Patterson International School
Patterson International School, a regular public school in Lakewood serving students from preschool through sixth grade, focuses on a younger elementary and early middle school population. The school is part of the Jefferson County School District No. R-1, a large suburban district that has seen significant recent changes relevant to families considering a long-term commitment.
The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students come from Hispanic backgrounds and a slightly smaller share from white backgrounds, with a smaller Asian presence and a modest fraction of students identifying as two or more races. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a majority of families are managing with moderate to lower household incomes. The school has a sizeable enrollment for its grade span, though the grade six class is considerably smaller than the lower grades, which is common in schools that end at sixth grade and feed into a separate middle school.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and a parent will want to consider the specific subjects. In English language arts, a sizable share of students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standards, a result that lands solidly within a conventional range for a school with this demographic profile. In math, a smaller share of students were proficient, a result that is lower and points to an area where the school may be working to improve instruction or where students may need additional support. In science, tested only at grade five, roughly half of students were proficient, a result that is broadly in line with the school’s overall pattern. Participation rates were high across all subjects, so these results reflect nearly the entire tested population.
The school does not serve grades that produce a graduation rate, so that metric is absent by design. Chronic absenteeism and discipline data were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about attendance patterns and school climate.
Lakewood itself is a large, predominantly suburban city immediately west of Denver. Its texture is a mix of mid-century subdivisions, strip commercial corridors, and newer mixed-use nodes like Belmar, which offers a walkable retail and residential hub. The city is autocentric overall, though the RTD W Line light rail provides transit connections. Major employers include the Denver Federal Center, the school district itself, and healthcare institutions, giving the area an economic base anchored in government and services. Housing values in the immediate area are moderate for the Denver metro, and rents have seen recent softness, a dynamic worth monitoring.
The district context includes notable recent developments. Jeffco voters approved a bond measure in 2024 for capital improvements and safety upgrades, the first such bond in many years, which may bring facility investments. The district also adopted a new elementary literacy curriculum aligned with the science of reading in 2023. Of more direct concern to families, the district announced and then reversed a plan to close sixteen schools in 2023 after community backlash, and subsequently formed a committee to study enrollment and consolidation. In 2024, three school board members were recalled and replaced in an election driven by transparency concerns around consolidation planning. This governance instability means families face ongoing uncertainty about potential school closures or boundary changes across the district, a factor worth weighing when considering a long-term home in the area.
For a family considering Patterson, the school offers a solidly enrolled elementary pathway in a diverse and moderately low-income community, with English language arts results that are reasonable and math results that are a known soft spot. The broader district is in a period of financial and governance flux, with facility improvements on the horizon but consolidation questions unresolved. A parent may want to visit the school, ask about math intervention supports, and stay informed about the district’s long-range facilities planning.
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