The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Chavez/huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy
Chavez/Huerta K-12 Preparatory Academy is a charter school in Pueblo, Colorado, serving students from kindergarten through twelfth grade as part of Pueblo School District 60. The school is named for the labor and civil rights leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, and its K-12 structure means a student could spend their entire pre-college career in one building. The enrollment is large enough to support a full grade span, though the distribution is uneven, with notably smaller numbers in the upper high school grades compared to the middle school years.
Pueblo itself is a mid-sized city with a deep industrial history, once dominated by the CF&I steel mill. Today the economy is more diversified around healthcare, education, and government. The city sits at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek in a high-desert setting, and it is known for the Colorado State Fair and a Chile & Frijoles Festival. The Historic Arkansas Riverwalk and Union Avenue Historic District provide a walkable core, but the broader city is auto-oriented with a sprawling footprint. Chavez/Huerta is located on the west side of town, away from the downtown riverwalk area.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, reflecting the broader demographics of Pueblo. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. The school is a charter, meaning it operates with some autonomy from the district while remaining a public school open to all students in the area.
State testing results for grades three through eight show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science are low. The school’s proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Pueblo County. In the most recent testing year, the share of students scoring proficient or above in math was very small, and in English language arts it was higher but still well below a majority. Science results at both fifth and eighth grade also show a small percentage of students reaching proficiency. A parent looking at these numbers will want to understand what academic support systems the school offers and how it approaches instruction for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks.
Because the school serves all grades, it has both elementary and secondary state testing, but no graduation rate was reported in the data available. That is a notable gap. The school’s website or district office would be the place to ask about four-year graduation rates, college-going rates, and postsecondary readiness for its seniors. The data also did not include information on special education identification rates or English learner counts, so a parent with a child who has an Individualized Education Program or who is an English learner should ask the school directly about its services and staffing in those areas.
The neighborhood housing market has seen a modest decline in home values over the past year, while rents have risen. Compared to state and national benchmarks, housing in this part of Pueblo is more affordable. The school operates in a district that recently passed a significant bond measure for facility improvements and safety upgrades, the largest in district history, without raising the debt repayment mill levy. The district also rebranded in recent years, reverting to its original name after a period as Pueblo City Schools. These changes signal a district working on its physical infrastructure and public identity.
For a family considering this school, the central question is whether the academic environment matches what a student needs. The proficiency rates are an honest starting point for that conversation. The school is a single-building K-12 community in a city with a working-class identity and a shifting economic base. It serves a student population that is largely low-income and Hispanic. A parent who wants a traditional academic pathway with strong test scores will find that the numbers here are well below the county median. A parent who values continuity across all grades, a charter school’s autonomy, and a setting that reflects the city’s cultural and economic character will want to look into what programs and supports the school offers beyond the state test results.
See more original research from School Decision →