Summary:
Zip code 81007 in Pueblo West, Colorado is served by six schools — five traditional PK–5 elementary schools and one K–8 charter school — all part of Pueblo County School District 70, which ranks 42nd out of 115 Colorado districts with a 3-star rating. The six schools enroll about 2,874 students, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 50%, average chronic absenteeism of about 28% (right at the state average), and an average student-teacher ratio near 18:1. In 2025–2026, average proficiency runs above the district in ELA (45.6% vs. 43.4%), math (35.1% vs. 33.1%), and 5th grade science (34.5% vs. 31.7%), though math and science remain below state averages.
Cedar Ridge Elementary School is the standout academically, ranking 273rd of 943 schools (71st percentile, 4 stars) with the group's highest ELA (56.6%) and math (52.2%) proficiency — both well above state averages — and its rank has improved steadily over three years. Swallows Charter Academy offers the best attendance (15.4% chronic absenteeism), strong ELA (53.5%), and exceptional 5th grade science (50%), but its math proficiency (35%) is below the state and its student-teacher ratio of 25.8 is far higher than the other schools'. Sierra Vista Elementary School is a consistent middle option, ranking 439th with solid ELA (48.3%), slightly-below-state math (36.0%), and the lowest absenteeism among traditional elementary schools (24.5%).
The biggest challenges sit at Liberty Point Elementary School and Desert Sage Elementary School. Liberty Point has the highest poverty rate (65.2% FRL), highest chronic absenteeism (47.2%), and very low proficiency, including 16.4% in 4th grade math; Desert Sage has the lowest ELA (34.8%) and lowest science (19.3%) in the group. The encouraging news is that both improved sharply in 2025–2026, and area-wide averages climbed in every subject. Math remains the clearest weakness across the zip code — only Cedar Ridge exceeds the state average — while chronic absenteeism and poverty appear to track closely with lower performance.
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