Five years ago, Minnequa Elementary School was struggling to stay open. Today, the school is considered by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to be one of the state’s “great success stories.”
Minnequa’s improvement in math since 2019 earned them a 2023 Governor’s Bright Spot Award, $50,000 and recognition during Polis’ 2024 State of the State address. On Friday, Jan. 26, Polis entered the Bessemer-area school with a large aluminum pan of food from Collette’s Catering.
Accompanied by Pueblo state Reps. Matthew Martinez and Tisha Mauro, the governor made a stop at the school to speak with teachers and staff about the school’s success before serving them lunch.
“I highlighted Minnequa in my State of the State speech because they went from underperforming to the top tier of math achievement for students… We have a lot to learn, both in Pueblo and across the state, about what Minnequa has done successfully,” Polis told the Chieftain on Friday.
From 2018 to 2022, Minnequa improved its Median Growth Percentile (MGP) from 35 to an exceptional 73.5 on the Colorado Measure of Academic Success math assessment. Minnequa also improved its MGP in English language arts from 34.5 to 53 during that same time period.