The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology
Bella Romero Academy of Applied Technology is a regular public school in the Greeley-Evans School District 6, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It is not a charter school. The school is located in the city of Greeley, a mid-sized Front Range city with a working-class and college-town character, home to the University of Northern Colorado and a strong agricultural and meatpacking industrial base. The school sits within a district that approved a major bond and mill levy override in 2022, funding safety, facility, and mental health improvements district-wide, as well as the construction of a new K-12 STEM-focused school, reflecting the district’s broader investment in its physical and programmatic infrastructure.
Bella Romero has a substantial enrollment for a K-8 setting. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller white population and very small shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. Data on students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available; a parent or guardian may want to ask the school directly about the extent of these supports.
State testing results are available for math, English language arts, and science for the grades that take those assessments. On the Colorado Measures of Academic Success, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Weld County. The share of students reaching proficient or advanced levels was low in both math and reading. In science, the share of students reaching the proficient benchmark was also low at the fifth-grade level and low at the eighth-grade level. Participation rates on the tests were high, which means the results reflect near-universal student participation and are not skewed by opt-outs. The district has publicly reported that it is implementing new literacy and math intervention programs in response to low proficiency scores, a context that directly affects Bella Romero. A family evaluating this school should weigh these academic results alongside the district’s active efforts to improve them.
Because Bella Romero does not serve high school grades, no graduation rate data exists for this school. The school offers no information in the available data about specialized programs, course access, staffing, discipline rates, or attendance patterns. A parent may wish to visit the school or contact the district to ask about these areas.
The school is not a magnet or charter school. Its governance is that of a typical neighborhood public school within Greeley-Evans District 6. The district itself has experienced capital growth, with a recent bond funding new construction and extensive renovations across its schools, so Bella Romero families should be aware that facility improvements may be ongoing or planned.
Housing context in the immediate area: home values and rents in the school’s ZIP code are near the national benchmark for home values, with a very slight year-over-year decline in home values and a small increase in rents. The estimated monthly cost of owning a median-priced home is modestly above the cost of renting a similar property, though the national median household income benchmark makes affordability a consideration for many families in this market. The local unemployment rate is roughly at the national average, and the regional economy is anchored by large employers in meatpacking, healthcare, education, and government.
For a family considering Bella Romero, the school represents a large, high-poverty K-8 school in a city with a mixed industrial and college-town economy. Its state test scores are low compared to county peers, and the district has acknowledged this challenge and begun targeted intervention programs. The school itself has a straightforward public school structure with no special designation like magnet or charter. A parent would be well served to ask about the specific academic interventions being used at Bella Romero, how the school supports its large population of economically disadvantaged students, and what pathways are available for students transitioning to high school within the district.
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