The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Alameda Elementary
Alameda Elementary sits on Alameda Boulevard in the northwest quadrant of Albuquerque, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Albuquerque Public Schools system. The school draws from a working-class pocket of the city's far north side, near the West Mesa and the volcanic escarpment that defines this part of town. Enrollment is small for an elementary school spanning seven grade levels, and the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small representation from American Indian, white, and multiracial families. Virtually every student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which reflects the economic profile of the surrounding neighborhood rather than any selective admissions factor.
On state assessments administered in the most recent school year, proficiency rates were low across all tested subjects. In math, only a small fraction of tested students reached proficiency. English language arts results were somewhat better but still modest, with roughly one in five students meeting the proficiency bar. Science results were similar to ELA. These are soft numbers, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what instructional supports and interventions are in place and how the administration plans to move students toward grade-level mastery. Only one year of assessment data was available, so there is no trend to indicate whether performance is improving, declining, or holding steady. Participation rates were not reported, and average scale scores were missing from the data we received.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on special populations was incomplete. We looked for English-learner identification rates and individualized education program counts but found neither reported, so we left those out rather than guess. Similarly, no staffing, attendance, discipline, or course-access information was provided, which limits the picture of day-to-day school climate and resources.
Albuquerque itself is New Mexico's largest city, a sprawling, car-oriented place organized into four quadrants by Central Avenue and the railroad tracks. Alameda Elementary sits in the northwest quadrant, an area that has historically developed outward across the mesas and West Side with wide suburban arterials and strip commercial development. The Rio Grande and its cottonwood bosque run north-south through the city center, and Petroglyph National Monument preserves Native American rock carvings on the West Mesa nearby. The city's economy is anchored by Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, the University of New Mexico, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and state and local government. A growing film and media sector, including a Netflix production hub, has added employment in recent years. The city's population has been roughly flat to slightly declining, and the city government has flagged affordable housing access as a strategic priority.
The housing market around Alameda Elementary reflects that context. Home values in the school's zip code sit above the state benchmark and slightly above the national benchmark, which puts ownership modestly out of reach for many families in this attendance zone. Rents are more manageable relative to local incomes, and renting costs less per month than carrying a mortgage at current interest rates. This means families priced out of buying can still find rental options in the area, though the gap between renting and owning may slow wealth-building for households here.
Albuquerque Public Schools is one of the larger districts in the country, operating schools across all four quadrants rather than from a centralized campus. We searched for recent parent-relevant district changes such as policy shifts, curriculum updates, bond measures, or tax changes but found nothing substantive reported, so we left that section out rather than speculate.
For a family considering Alameda Elementary, the honest read is that this is a small, community-rooted school serving a predominantly Hispanic, economically disadvantaged population in a city quadrant where housing remains relatively accessible for renters. The academic results are weak, and the absence of trend data means there is no evidence yet of which direction the school is moving. A parent evaluating this school would benefit from asking directly what the current improvement plan looks like, how the school supports students below grade level, and what resources the district directs to campuses serving high-poverty neighborhoods like this one.
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