The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cedar Ridge Elementary School
Cedar Ridge Elementary School serves students from preschool through fifth grade in Pueblo West, a planned community on the outskirts of Pueblo. The school is part of Pueblo County School District 70, and its enrollment of several hundred students makes it a mid-sized elementary for this grade band. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school in a middle range for economic need among elementary schools in the area.
On state assessments administered by Colorado, the school posted proficiency rates that were notably above the average for elementary and middle schools across Pueblo County. In English language arts, roughly half of tested students scored at the proficient or advanced level. Math proficiency was a bit lower, with fewer than half of students meeting the bar. Science, which is only tested in fifth grade, also showed a proficiency rate around that same range. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed Cedar Ridge in the top quartile of the county's school districts, a clear academic strength for the building. While these results are from a single testing year and the state’s assessment program underwent no recent changes in name or cut scores, the school’s position relative to local peers is strong.
The school’s environment reflects the broader character of Pueblo West, a low-density, car-dependent community of roughly 49 square miles with no traditional downtown. Commercial activity is concentrated along the Highway 50 strip, and residential lots often run to an acre or more. Trail systems, a library, Lake Pueblo State Park, and equestrian facilities anchor civic life. The community has grown rapidly since its founding in the 1970s, and the district built new schools in multiple waves to keep pace. A notable district-level change that affects Cedar Ridge families is the four-day school week, which has been in place for several years. This schedule shift alters childcare arrangements and weekly rhythms for every household with a child in the district.
The school itself occupies its own building and functions as a regular public school. It is not a charter or magnet school. Discipline data, staffing ratios, course access, and chronic absenteeism rates were not available in the data provided. Information on special education and English learner populations was also missing, so a parent who wants a full picture of those supports would need to ask the school directly.
For a family considering Pueblo West, this school sits in a community that prizes space, low light pollution, and a planned residential feel over walkability or a dense downtown. The academic profile shows a school that, at least on the testing data from the most recent year, performed meaningfully above many of its county counterparts. The four-day school week is a practical reality baked into the district’s schedule, and families moving into the area should factor that into their planning. The combination of above-county-average proficiency and a growing, auto-oriented suburban setting makes Cedar Ridge a solid match for families who value academic results and a quieter lifestyle and are prepared to adjust to the district’s compressed school week.
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