The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Dennis Chavez Elementary
Dennis Chavez Elementary sits in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, a residential part of a city that publicly reports itself as New Mexico's largest, anchored by the University of New Mexico, Sandia National Laboratories, Kirtland Air Force Base, and a growing film and media sector. The school is part of Albuquerque Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the country, which operates schools spread across all four quadrants of the city rather than centralized around a single downtown. Dennis Chavez itself serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school, and its enrollment is moderate for an elementary of its grade band.
The student body reflects a fairly balanced racial and ethnic mix. White and Hispanic students each make up close to two-fifths of the population, with a smaller Asian American group, a small American Indian or Alaska Native presence, and a handful of students identifying as two or more races. Black students represent a very small slice. Just under half the school qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which gives Dennis Chavez a mixed-income profile rather than a predominantly low-income one. The data did not include individualized education program rates or English learner rates, so those population details are not available here. A parent wanting to understand special education or language support services would need to ask the school directly.
Academic results are a clear strength. On the most recent state assessments, Dennis Chavez posted proficiency rates that sit well above what New Mexico schools typically produce. In English language arts, roughly two-thirds of tested students reached proficient or above. Math was close behind, with a clear majority proficient. Science, tested only in upper elementary grades, was also strong, with about two-thirds proficient. Across all three subjects the school outperformed what one would expect from state averages by a comfortable margin. Only a single year of data was available, so there is no trend to report; a parent looking at whether performance is rising or falling over time would not find that answer in the current data. Average scale scores and participation rates were not reported.
The school does not have grade-level graduation data or advanced course listings, which is expected for an elementary school serving only pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. There is no graduation rate to discuss, and there are no AP, dual-credit, or career-pathway indicators for this age group. Program offerings beyond the standard elementary curriculum were not provided. Civil-rights data covering discipline, course access, and related measures was not available in this dataset.
Housing in the school's zip code gives a window into the neighborhood a family would be buying or renting into. Typical home values in this area sit above the state benchmark but roughly in line with national levels, and the market has been flat to slightly softening year over year. Rents are modest relative to incomes, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home runs higher than the typical rent, which makes renting comparatively affordable for a family not yet ready to buy. The broader city has been roughly flat in population, with development pressure spreading across the Northeast Heights, the West Side, and the Southeast Mesa, and the city government has publicly highlighted affordable housing access as a strategic priority.
Albuquerque as a setting offers a spread of civic and cultural resources that families can draw on. The Rio Grande bosque runs through the city center as a preserved cottonwood corridor. Petroglyph National Monument sits on the West Mesa. The Sandia Mountains rise to the east. The city hosts large annual events including the International Balloon Fiesta and the Gathering of Nations. The school's Northeast Heights location places it in a car-oriented suburban part of the city, where walkable nodes are limited and daily life depends heavily on driving.
What the data paints is a moderately sized elementary school with solid academic outcomes, a mixed-income and ethnically diverse student body, and a neighborhood where housing costs are manageable by national standards but where a family will need a car for most daily needs. The gaps are in special-population detail, trend data, and program offerings, and a parent would want to fill those by contacting the school directly.
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