The top reported proficiency rate is 21% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Atrisco Elementary
Atrisco Elementary sits on Albuquerque's southwest side, along Atrisco Road in the 87105 zip code, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Albuquerque Public Schools. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. The enrollment is modest for an elementary school, with students spread fairly evenly across the grade levels and a pre-kindergarten classroom that gives the youngest learners an entry point before kindergarten.
The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small numbers of white, Black, multiracial, and American Indian students. Every student in the building qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school firmly in the category of campuses serving families with the fewest economic resources. The school did not report data on students with individualized education programs or on English learners, so families who need information about special education services or language support will want to ask the school directly. We looked for staffing, attendance, and disciplinary data and found none reported, so those pieces of the picture are missing here.
On state assessments from the most recent year, Atrisco's proficiency results are low across all three subjects tested. In math, roughly one in nine students reached proficiency. In English language arts, about one in five did. Science results were similar, with roughly one in five scoring proficient. These are genuinely weak numbers, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, asking what improvement plans are in place and how the campus supports students who are below grade level. The data set includes only a single year of results, so there is no trend to describe, no way to tell whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. The school does not appear in a neighbor comparison set, so we cannot position it against nearby campuses.
Albuquerque itself is New Mexico's largest city, a sprawling, car-oriented place of more than a hundred square miles divided into four quadrants by Central Avenue and the railroad tracks. Atrisco Elementary sits in the southwest quadrant, an area defined by its proximity to the West Mesa and Petroglyph National Monument, where Native American rock carvings are preserved along the volcanic escarpment. The Rio Grande and its bosque run north-south through the city's center, and the Sandia Mountains rise to the east. The southwest side is generally less affluent than the Northeast Heights or the Nob Hill area near the University of New Mexico, and the housing market around the school reflects that. Typical home values in the school's zip code run below both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are moderate. The rent-to-income ratio suggests renting in this area is relatively manageable for working families compared with many parts of the country, though mortgage costs at current interest rates exceed typical rents, which may shape decisions for families weighing buying versus leasing.
Albuquerque's economy rests on several large anchors. Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base occupy major campuses on the southeast side and represent a substantial federal footprint. The University of New Mexico, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and Albuquerque Public Schools itself are among the largest employers. The city has also drawn a growing film and media sector, with a Netflix production hub contributing to that momentum. Publicly reported figures show the city's population has been roughly flat to slightly declining in recent years, with growth spreading outward across the West Side and Northeast Heights rather than concentrating in older areas like the one surrounding Atrisco.
We searched for recent parent-relevant changes in the Albuquerque Public Schools district, such as policy shifts, curriculum updates, or funding measures, and found nothing specific to report. The school's program offerings, course access, and Title I status were not available in the data provided. Families considering Atrisco Elementary would be looking at a small, community-rooted campus serving an economically disadvantaged, predominantly Hispanic population, in a part of Albuquerque where housing is comparatively affordable but where academic results as measured by state tests are currently well below where families would want them. Asking the school directly about its improvement strategy, classroom support, and any enrichment or intervention programs would be a sensible next step.
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