Manning Options School

Manning Options School is a moderately sized junior high in LAKEWOOD, Colorado, run under Jefferson County School District No. R-1. The school hosts 685 students in grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 48% bigger than the state mean of about 462.

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

On the student-mix side, Manning Options School reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (83%). Other groups include 10% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. Compared to Jefferson County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

Looking at school resources, Manning Options School logs 32 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 21.2:1. The state averages around 15.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 12% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably below Jefferson County's rate of about 32%.

With demographic context factored in, Manning Options School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 59.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 66.4%.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Jefferson County indicate median household income runs about $110,656, 52% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 4%. Across Jefferson County's 168 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,739 students), Manning Options School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Maple Grove Elementary School, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Manning Options School comes 1st of 7 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 47.6%.

The school occupies a commuter-belt site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Manning Options School has ticked up 55%, going from 441 students in 2018 to 685 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.