Heritage Elementary School

Heritage Elementary School is a PK–5 public school in Pueblo School District No. 60 serving about 250 students in a high-poverty area of Pueblo, where 83.6% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch in 2024-25.

Despite those challenges, Heritage is clearly on an upward path. In 2025-26, the school ranked 550th of 943 Colorado elementary schools (42nd percentile, 2 stars) — a major jump from just a few years earlier, when it sat at the 10th percentile in 2022-23. Heritage’s English language arts (ELA) proficiency reached 42.2%, nearly matching the state average of 44.7% and far exceeding the district’s 27.2%. Math proficiency hit 32.5%, well above the district’s 18.7%, though still below the state’s 37.3%. The 4th grade class was a standout: 52% scored proficient in ELA and 48% in math, both above state averages and roughly double the district rates. Chronic absenteeism also improved sharply, dropping from 41.3% to 31.6% in one year — better than the district’s 41.6% and much better than nearby Columbian Elementary (43.9%). Heritage outperforms Columbian in every subject and also beats Sunset Park Elementary in ELA and math, though Sunset Park posts far stronger 5th-grade science scores.

Heritage is essentially recovering to its pre-pandemic levels, when it ranked in the 44th–48th percentile before collapsing to the 9th percentile in 2020-21. The school now serves a very high-poverty population yet beats its district by roughly 15 points in ELA and 14 points in math — evidence that real progress is possible. However, Minnequa Elementary, with an almost identical poverty rate, achieves even higher scores (55% ELA, 53.5% math), showing there is still room to grow. Heritage’s 5th-grade math and science scores drop sharply to 19.2% each, and science remains a systemic weak point across the district. Still, in a district ranked in the bottom 12% statewide, Heritage stands out as a bright spot — a school moving meaningfully upward and, in some grades and subjects, approaching or exceeding state averages.