Albuquerque Public Schools
Coronado K-8 School Finds Room to Grow on North Valley Campus
Expanded facilities allow for program growth, addressing previous space limitations.
On a clear, crisp morning at Coronado K-8 Dual Language Magnet School, about 340 students ran around the spacious courtyard, tossing balls, chasing each other, and laughing while teachers, staff and parents mingled and greeted one another. A whistle pierced the air – morning announcements were about to begin.
Principal Sandra Castro Sandoval welcomed the crowd as she does most mornings, weather permitting. She reminded students about upcoming student council elections – “Don’t forget to practice your speeches!”—a skills, habits, and mindset survey; a fire drill; and, to loud cheers, Skate-o-Rama. Then came the Pledge of Allegiance, recited in both English and Spanish.
“Caballeros!” Principal Castro called.
“Caballeros!” the crowd answered.
“Have an amazing day. Be kind,” she said.
“All the time!” the students and staff shouted back.
Coronado recently moved from a small downtown building to a repurposed middle school campus in Albuquerque’s North Valley. The school had outgrown its old space, with waiting lists reaching as many as 60 students in a single grade. The new campus once housed Taft Middle School, whose students moved on to other schools, including Garfield and Taylor, where stronger enrollment has created more options and services.
The move gives Coronado, a magnet school with no attendance boundaries, room to grow, expand programs, and keep students through middle school. Students come from across the city, with buses running daily from the old Barelas site. This year, Coronado added sixth grade, with plans to expand to a full K-8 in the coming years.
The dual language program starts with 80/20 English-Spanish in the early grades and gradually shifts to 50/50 by fifth grade, preparing students for bilingual instruction in middle school. In the past, many students left for private or charter schools after fifth grade because Coronado had no natural feeder middle school. The new extended campus now gives students another option.
The North Valley campus also addresses long-standing space challenges. Principal Castro recalled the old building’s limitations. “We didn’t have an art, music, or STEAM (space). Teachers had to travel with carts from classroom to classroom.” The concrete playground was cramped, she added. “Now students have space to roam, run and explore.”
Señora Laura Casillas, a kindergarten teacher at the school, said she finally has room for centers, while Señora Alejandra Antillón, the bilingual STEAM teacher, can spread out materials that once lived on a cart or at her house. Students now enjoy a full-size soccer field and wide open spaces for PE and recess.
Band teacher Robert Schulz, one of the few former Taft staffers who stayed on at the new site, says he’s never felt so much positive energy in his 30 years of teaching.
“This is a campus this community can be proud of,” he said. “It’s a little oasis.”