Pueblo School for Arts & Sciences at Fulton Heights

Pueblo School for Arts & Sciences at Fulton Heights is a small K-8 school in Pueblo, CO, serving 221 students in Pueblo School District No. 60, a district that ranks in the bottom tier of Colorado. The school currently has a 0-star rating and placed in the 8th percentile statewide for 2025-2026, with very low CMAS proficiency: 15.7% in ELA, 6.4% in math, and 10.3% in 5th grade science. This marks a sharp fall from 2018-2019, when the school was rated 4 stars and ranked at the 70th percentile. The decline has been steady and steep, with the most recent year showing a major drop in both reading and math scores.

When compared to nearby schools, Fulton’s performance is especially concerning because many neighbors serve higher percentages of students in poverty yet achieve much better results. Minnequa Elementary School, less than two miles away, has a higher free/reduced lunch rate (84.8%) than Fulton (74.2%), yet Minnequa posts 55% ELA proficiency and 53.5% math proficiency, ranking in the 72nd percentile. Heritage Elementary School, also in the same district, has 83.6% poverty but scores 42.2% ELA and 32.5% math. Even Fountain International Magnet School, with lower poverty, far outperforms Fulton. The arts and sciences theme does not appear to be helping either: Pueblo Charter School for the Arts & Sciences, a similar K-8 school, also scores near the bottom.

There are a few bright spots and important caveats. Fulton’s 6th grade students actually beat district averages in both ELA and math, suggesting some effective practices in the middle grades. Chronic absenteeism, while higher than the state rate, is better than several local peers including Park View Elementary School (49.4%) and Bradford Elementary School (46.2%). However, the school’s lower poverty rate compared to many neighbors makes its low scores even harder to explain. The sharp decline suggests school-level issues—instruction, leadership, or culture—are the primary drivers, not the students themselves. Immediate diagnostic attention is needed, but the 6th grade success shows there are strengths to build on.