Atrisco Heritage Academy Fully Serves All Classes

Final phase completed prior to the school year.

The 12th grade academy opened to seniors this year.

October 23, 2012

Atrisco Heritage Academy rises from the southwest mesa, a recognizable complex from a long distance. And, with the completion of the 12^th grade academy and performing arts center, the expansive project now houses all four grades. 

Arguably Albuquerque Public Schools’ most ambitious project at 463,000 square feet and opened one piece at a time, the third and final phase was completed prior to this school year. The current senior class becomes the first to use the newly completed facilities. 

Funding from bond sales and mill levies, which were approved by Albuquerque voters, helped make the project a reality, easing the student population at West Mesa and Rio Grande high schools. Atrisco Heritage opened to its first freshman class in 2008 and work continued over the next couple of years. 

The school held an open house in September and celebrated the completion of the project with the unveiling of a sculpture of a jaguar, the school’s mascot. It was a gift from the Class of 2012, Atrisco’s first graduates. 

“The pride that I saw in the crowd was inspiring and powerful,” Atrisco Principal Antonio Gonzales said. “The graduates and their parents came back to see it. It was a true community event.” 

Atrisco Heritage has about 2,400 students in one of the fastest-growing areas of the city. The school, built within a $132 million budget, features academies in a variety of career fields including international business, culinary arts and hospitality, law, health and filmmaking.