As students and teachers head back to class for the new academic year, state assessment data from last spring shows encouraging news for reading and language arts scores at Alta Vista Elementary. The Spring 2026 test results point to steady achievement across grades 3 through 5, along with clear growth as student groups advanced over the past two years.

In 3rd grade, taught by Vivian Valencia and Feliz Ortega, 38 percent of the 26 tested students scored proficient or advanced. In 4th grade, led by Ann-Marie Arguello, 48 percent of 21 tested students hit proficient or advanced levels. In 5th grade, taught by Samantha Troy, 18 percent of 16 tested students reached proficiency.
“These results show meaningful areas of progress and reflect the work being done by Alta Vista staff,” said Superintendent Lefonso Castillo.

Instead of just taking a single snapshot, the state also tracks cohort growth as the same group of students advances from one grade to the next. Comparing performance from Spring 2025 to Spring 2026 reveals positive gains.

Last year’s 4th-grade class made a notable jump. As 3rd graders in 2025, 34 percent were reading at grade level. A year later, that number climbed to 48 percent—a 14-point increase.

“While there has been concern in the past about whether our students were making adequate progress, this data shows clear and meaningful growth across our intermediate grades. It proves that high-quality learning is taking place at Alta Vista, and our staff remains fully dedicated to keeping that positive momentum going,” says Mrs. Arguello.

The 5th-grade class also moved in the right direction. As 4th graders in 2025, 12 percent were proficient; by the end of 5th grade, proficiency rose to 18 percent—a 6-point gain.

For local parents and residents, these gains show that reading instruction at Alta Vista is trending positively while also highlighting where teachers can target extra support moving forward.

District leaders note that because class sizes in Questa are small—ranging from 16 to 26 students per grade—a shift by just one or two students can swing a grade’s total score by over 6 percentage points. While these numbers represent overall group averages rather than individual student tracking, this upward momentum gives Alta Vista teachers and students a solid foundation to build on as the new 2026–2027 school year gets underway.