The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maryann Binford Elementary
Maryann Binford Elementary sits in Albuquerque's southwest quadrant, on Corriz SW, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Albuquerque Public Schools. The campus draws a predominantly Hispanic student body, with nearly all students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The school's enrollment is moderate for an elementary of its grade band, with fairly even distribution across the early grades and a small pre-kindergarten cohort.
On the most recent New Mexico state assessments, the picture is mixed. English language arts stands out as the relative bright spot, with about a third of tested students reaching proficiency, which is a meaningfully stronger result than the school's math and science outcomes. Math proficiency is low, with roughly one in eight tested students meeting the bar. Science results track similarly, though far fewer students sat for that exam since it is administered at fewer grade levels. Only one year of assessment data was available, so there is no trend to speak of. Average scale scores were not reported, and participation rates were missing from the data we received. A parent weighing these results may want to ask the school directly about what supports and interventions are in place for math and science, and how the ELA program is performing comparatively well.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate or advanced coursework to consider. Data on special populations was incomplete: the counts and rates for students with individualized education programs and for English learners were not available in the provided materials. Discipline records, staffing figures, attendance data, and course-access information were also absent, so we cannot speak to those dimensions from the data on hand. Program offerings and any neighbor-comparison context were not provided.
The surrounding community is Albuquerque itself, New Mexico's largest city and a sprawling, car-oriented place organized into four quadrants by Central Avenue and the railroad tracks. Binford's southwest address puts it away from the walkable nodes the city is known for, places like Old Town Plaza, the downtown entertainment corridor along Central, and the Nob Hill and University district near the University of New Mexico. Publicly reported sources describe the city as a hub for government and defense work, with Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base as major anchors, alongside a growing film and media sector tied to a Netflix production presence. The city's population has been roughly flat to slightly declining in recent estimates, and growth has historically sprawled outward across the Northeast Heights, West Side, and southeast mesa.
For a family thinking about housing near the school, the local market is more affordable than both the state and national benchmarks. Typical home values in the school's zip code sit below the statewide level and well below the national figure, with modest year-over-year appreciation. Rents have been roughly flat, dipping slightly. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home runs higher than local rent, which means renting near the school costs less per month than buying at current rates. A family considering the area would find entry-level homeownership relatively accessible by national standards, though the broader affordability picture depends on household income, which we can only place against a national benchmark here.
The district context offered little beyond basics. We searched for recent parent-relevant changes in Albuquerque Public Schools, including policy, curriculum, or funding shifts, and found no reported results, so we left that out rather than guess.
What the assembled picture suggests is a neighborhood elementary serving a high-poverty, overwhelmingly Hispanic community in Albuquerque's southwest quadrant, with a stronger showing in reading than in math or science. Families evaluating Binford would likely want to look closely at the academic supports behind those lower math and science numbers, ask about enrichment and intervention programming, and fill in the gaps the public data does not cover, particularly around staffing, discipline, and services for English learners and students with disabilities. The housing market nearby is comparatively accessible, and the school's location in a large, sprawling city means a car is part of daily life.
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