Middle school (grades 6-8) · Denver, CO

Lake Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Lake Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 080336006490
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
21
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Lake Middle School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Colorado schools.

#31 of 31
middle schools in Denver · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
19.7:1
large classes for Colorado
81.1%
free-lunch eligible

Lake Middle School has class sizes larger than 84% of Colorado schools. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Lake Middle School ranks #31 of 31 middle schools in Denver, CO.

Enrollment

592

Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

30.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.7:1

vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg

+19% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

81.1%

vs 38.5% Colorado avg

+111% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Lake Middle School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Lake Middle School

Lake Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Denver, Colorado, enrolling 592 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 81.1% of students qualify for free meals, 111% above the Colorado average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 592 puts it in the larger third of Colorado schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 1,922 Colorado schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 107 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Colorado schools statewide, it ranks #101, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (78%) and African American (9%) (diversity index 38/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 592 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 55.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students) and Northfield High School (2,137 students) alongside Lake Middle School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Lake Middle School compares

Lake Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Colorado Colorado avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.7:1 ▲ 19% 16.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 81.1% ▲ 111% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 592 top 20% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.7:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
592
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
81.1%
free-lunch eligible - 111% above the Colorado average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.7:1
students per teacher - 19% above state mean
Top 84% in Colorado - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
55.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,336
per pupil, district-wide - below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 592 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
24
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 78.0%
African American 9.3%
White 7.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.4%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.8%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 37.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 37.7, Lake Middle School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C, which includes Lake Middle School.

$15,336
Per student
-6%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.4%
State 16.8%
Federal 12.8%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Lake Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
East High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Northfield High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
South High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
North High School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Thomas Jefferson High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Lake Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

School District No. 1 In The County Of Denver And State Of C · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Lake Middle School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Lake Middle School

How many students attend Lake Middle School?

Lake Middle School has 592 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Denver, CO.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Lake Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Lake Middle School is 19.7:1, which is 19% higher than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lake Middle School?

81.1% of students at Lake Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lake Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Lake Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 78.0% of enrollment, in Denver, CO.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Lake Middle School?

Lake Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Lake Middle School rank among middle schools in Denver?

By Resource Investment Index, Lake Middle School ranks #31 of 31 middle schools in Denver, CO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Denver on the city page.

Is Lake Middle School a good school?

Lake Middle School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Colorado schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C?

Besides Lake Middle School, School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C also operates East High School (2,476 students), Northfield High School (2,137 students), and South High School (1,950 students). See the School District No. 1 in the County of Denver and State of C district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.