The top reported proficiency rate is 75% in English language arts. The lowest is 70% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on North Star Elementary
North Star Elementary sits on Albuquerque's northeast side, on Ventura NE in the 87122 zip code, within the Albuquerque Public Schools district. It is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The campus draws from a part of the city where home values run well above both the state and national benchmarks, and rents are also steep relative to statewide norms. For a family weighing this area, the housing market is a defining feature: buying here requires a substantial income, and even renting sits at a premium compared with much of New Mexico. The northeast quadrant of Albuquerque is generally car-oriented, with suburban arterials and strip commercial development, though pockets of walkable street life exist in nodes like nearby Nob Hill and Old Town farther southwest.
Academically, North Star posts strong proficiency results on New Mexico's state assessments. In English language arts, roughly three quarters of tested students reached proficient or above. Math proficiency landed close behind, with nearly seven in ten scoring proficient. Science results were similarly strong, with about three quarters of tested students meeting proficiency. These are high marks for an elementary school, and they place North Star among the stronger academic performers a family will find in the Albuquerque district. The tested grades are third through fifth, which is the standard elementary testing band, so kindergarten through second graders are not part of these results.
We looked for multi-year trend data to see whether proficiency has been rising, falling, or holding steady, but only a single year of results was available, so no trend could be drawn. A parent wanting to understand whether these strong scores are consistent over time may want to ask the school directly.
The student body is moderately sized for an elementary school and is diverse in a way that reflects the broader Albuquerque mix, with some differences. White students make up the largest single group, followed closely by Hispanic students. Asian students represent a meaningful share as well, larger than what many elementary schools in the region see. Smaller numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and multiracial students round out the enrollment. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low, suggesting a more economically comfortable family base than at many public schools in the district. This is a characteristic of the surrounding neighborhood as much as of the school itself.
Several data points were not available. We did not find information on students with individualized education programs or English learner status, so we cannot speak to how the school serves those populations. Discipline data, course access details, staffing levels, and attendance figures were also absent from the available records. Program offerings, such as gifted services, dual-language, or enrichment activities, were not provided, so families would need to inquire with the school directly. No neighbor comparison set was available to position North Star against nearby schools in the district.
The district brief for Albuquerque Public Schools turned up no recent parent-relevant policy, curriculum, referendum, or tax changes in the available search results, so there is little to report on that front. Albuquerque itself is New Mexico's largest city, with a sprawling footprint divided into quadrants. The northeast side, where North Star is located, has historically been a more affluent residential area, and the housing figures here bear that out. The city's economy draws on federal installations like Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base, the University of New Mexico, and a growing film and media sector, all of which shape the professional base from which North Star likely draws many families.
In sum, North Star Elementary presents as an academically strong neighborhood school with a diverse but relatively affluent student population, situated in one of Albuquerque's more expensive residential pockets. The proficiency results are the clearest signal in the data, and they are a real strength. What remains less visible is how the school supports special populations, what enrichment or intervention programs it offers, and whether its strong results hold over time. Those are the questions a parent would want to bring to the school directly.
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