The top reported proficiency rate is 13% in Science. The lowest is 6% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bradford Elementary School
Bradford Elementary School is a regular public school in Pueblo, Colorado, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of Pueblo School District 60, the city’s main district, which secured a record bond in 2022 for facility improvements and safety upgrades without raising the debt levy—a sign of ongoing investment in the district’s physical infrastructure. The district also recently reverted to its original name after a period as Pueblo City Schools, a rebranding that shaped its current public identity.
The school’s enrollment is modest. Its student body is predominantly Hispanic, with White students as the next largest group, and smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and Asian students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals high economic need. This is an important context for families considering the school, as it typically means concentrated poverty and often additional support resources, though the data available on specific special populations—such as students with disabilities and English learners—was not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those services.
Academically, Bradford’s state assessment results are well below typical benchmarks. In math and English language arts for grades 3 through 5, and in science for grade 5, the proficiency rates were low, each in the low double digits or below. The school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quarter relative to districts in Pueblo County. This is a significant soft spot. A parent looking at this picture would want to investigate what academic interventions and supports the school provides, and how it approaches closing those gaps. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available in the dataset reviewed.
The community context is Pueblo itself, a mid-sized city with a strong industrial history rooted in steel production and now a more diversified economy of healthcare, education, and government. The city is auto-oriented outside a walkable downtown core around the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk and the Union Avenue district, where the Colorado State Fair and other civic events draw residents. Major employers include UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, the state mental health hospital, the school district itself, and Colorado State University Pueblo. Housing values in the area are below state and national medians, and rents are relatively modest, making the neighborhood more accessible than many Colorado cities.
Bradford Elementary is a neighborhood school operating in a district that is pursuing capital improvements, set in a larger economy transitioning from heavy industry to healthcare and education. For a family, the central takeaway is the academic challenge. The test results suggest that many students are not reaching grade-level proficiency, and the school serves a population with high economic need. A parent would want to learn what specific academic programs, tutoring, or specialized instruction are in place, and whether the school has the resources to meet those needs effectively. The school’s small size and grade span (PK–5) could be a plus for families seeking a contained early-elementary environment, but concrete information about course offerings, enrichment, and student support beyond the basic profile was not available in the data we had to work with.
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