The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in English language arts. The lowest is 62% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Manning Options School
Manning Options School serves sixth through eighth grade in Lakewood, as part of Jefferson County School District R-1. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The school is large for a middle school, drawing students from the surrounding suburban neighborhoods of this western Denver suburb. Lakewood itself is an autocentric city of established residential subdivisions and major commercial corridors, with the Belmar district providing the closest thing to a walkable center. The Denver Federal Center, several higher education campuses, and corporate headquarters like FirstBank anchor the local economy. Growth has slowed in recent decades, and the district is navigating enrollment declines, a recent board recall election, and ongoing consolidation conversations. A bond measure passed in 2024 will fund facility and technology improvements across the district.
The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small shares of Asian, Black, multiracial, and other groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
On state assessments in math and English language arts, Manning Options School posted results that land above the midpoint when compared with other schools in Jefferson County. A strong majority of students met or exceeded the state proficiency benchmark in English language arts, and a solid majority did so in math. In eighth-grade science, about two-thirds of students scored proficient or advanced. These are consistent performances for a middle school in a well-resourced suburban district, though the participation rate in science testing was notably lower than in math and ELA, which a parent may want to inquire about.
The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported. Data on chronic absenteeism was not available. Information on course access, staffing ratios, and discipline was also absent from the record, so a full picture of the student experience beyond testing cannot be drawn from the data at hand.
Manning Options School fits a family looking for a large, demographically homogeneous middle school within a stable suburban district. The academic results are solid, particularly in literacy. The broader district context includes recent facility investment and active debate about school consolidation, which has introduced some uncertainty about long-term attendance boundaries and school buildings. A family considering this school may want to ask the school directly about its special education and English learner services, as well as its approach to discipline and enrichment, since those details were not available in this profile.
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