Drake Junior High School

Set in ARVADA, Colorado, Drake Junior High School is a heavily attended middle-grades school, one of the schools within Jefferson County School District No. R-1. It works with 1,002 students across grades 6 through 8. Compared to the state average of about 462 students per school, that is 117% larger than typical.

Across the 148 schools in Jefferson County School District No. R-1 (74,935 students total), Drake Junior High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Drake Junior High School shows that 78% of the student body identifies as White. The remainder looks like 14% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 2% Asian. Compared to Jefferson County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 51 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.7:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.9:1, putting Drake Junior High School higher than the state norm the norm. About 19% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is below Jefferson County's rate of about 32%.

After controlling for student poverty, Drake Junior High School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 55.3%; this one delivers 52.4%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Jefferson County) records that median household income runs about $110,656, roughly 52% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Jefferson County's 168 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,739 students), Drake Junior High School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Vanderhoof Elementary School, around 1.2 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Drake Junior High School. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Drake Junior High School at 2nd of 7; the average score across the group is 45.6%.

Geographically, the school is in an outer-ring area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked up 49%: 673 students in 2018 compared to 1,002 in 2025.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.