An equity score of 65/100 ranks Gadsden Independent Schools #27 of 98 districts in New Mexico (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $18,250 per pupil, Gadsden Independent Schools ranks #63 of 143 New Mexico districts by per-pupil spending (New Mexico districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,551
Total Enrollment
28
Schools
$18,250
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Gadsden Independent Schools operates 28 public schools serving 12,551 students, placing it in the mid-size range in New Mexico. The school portfolio breaks down into 17 combined, 4 high, 4 elementary, 3 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Doña Ana County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $18,250 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 143 New Mexico districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Mexico compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 10.1% local, 68.2% state, and 21.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 65/100, ranked #27 of 98 in New Mexico against a state average of 51, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 3 of 28 schools offering Advanced Placement (35 AP courses district-wide), a 336:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 33.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 96.7% Hispanic or Latino, 2.6% White, 0.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Santa Teresa Elementary, with a diversity index of 16.5/100.
Its largest campus is Gadsden High, enrolling 1,219 students (10% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is La Mesa on Track Prek Center, at 91 students, a 13x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Gadsden Independent Schools school enrollment varies 13× across entities
Gadsden Independent Schools school enrollment ranges from 91 students (lowest) to 1,219 students (highest), a spread of 1,128 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Gadsden Independent Schools student-counselor ratio is 336:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Gadsden Independent Schools is typically wider than the Gadsden Independent Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Gadsden Independent Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 33.6% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.