Penasco Independent Schools

Public school district · Taos County · New Mexico · NCES district ID 3502040

Penasco Independent Schools spent $26,106 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 81% of the other New Mexico districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $18,971). Its 3 schools enrolled 276 students in 2024-25; 71.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $30,196 per student, up 15.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90% or more (New Mexico: 76.5%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among New Mexico districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Penasco Independent Schools in enrollment (259 to 317 students) and Penasco Independent Schools itself.

Current spending per student, New Mexico districts closest in size to Penasco Independent Schools, FY23Magdalena Municipal Schools $29,460; Penasco Independent Schools $26,106; Fort Sumner Municipal Schools $22,593; Tatum Municipal Schools $19,735; Logan Municipal Schools $16,779; Melrose Municipal Schools $16,166; Solare Collegiate Charter School $15,313; Taos Academy $14,223; Tierra Encantada Charter School $13,903; Albuquerque Aviation Academy $10,788; State median, under 1,000 students $18,971.010k20k30k40kMagdalena Municipal Schools$29,460Penasco Independent Schools$26,106Fort Sumner Municipal Schools$22,593Tatum Municipal Schools$19,735Logan Municipal Schools$16,779Melrose Municipal Schools$16,166Solare Collegiate Charter Scho…$15,313Taos Academy$14,223Tierra Encantada Charter School$13,903Albuquerque Aviation Academy$10,788State median, under 1,000 students $18,971
Current spending per student, New Mexico districts closest in size to Penasco Independent Schools, FY23Magdalena Municipal Schools $29,460; Penasco Independent Schools $26,106; Fort Sumner Municipal Schools $22,593; Tatum Municipal Schools $19,735; Logan Municipal Schools $16,779; Melrose Municipal Schools $16,166; Solare Collegiate Charter School $15,313; Taos Academy $14,223; Tierra Encantada Charter School $13,903; Albuquerque Aviation Academy $10,788; State median, under 1,000 students $18,971.010k20k30k40kMagdalena Municipal Schools$29,460Penasco Independent Schools$26,106Fort Sumner Municipal Schools$22,593Tatum Municipal Schools$19,735Logan Municipal Schools$16,779Melrose Municipal Schools$16,166Solare Collegiate Charter School$15,313Taos Academy$14,223Tierra Encantada Charter School$13,903Albuquerque Aviation Academy$10,788State median, under 1,000 students $18,971
Current spending per student, New Mexico districts closest in size to Penasco Independent Schools, FY23Magdalena Municipal Schools $29,460; Penasco Independent Schools $26,106; Fort Sumner Municipal Schools $22,593; Tatum Municipal Schools $19,735; Logan Municipal Schools $16,779; Melrose Municipal Schools $16,166; Solare Collegiate Charter School $15,313; Taos Academy $14,223; Tierra Encantada Charter School $13,903; Albuquerque Aviation Academy $10,788; State median, under 1,000 students $18,971.020k40kMagdalena Municipal Schools$29,460Penasco Independent Schools$26,106Fort Sumner Municipal Schools$22,593Tatum Municipal Schools$19,735Logan Municipal Schools$16,779Melrose Municipal Schools$16,166Solare Collegiate Charter School$15,313Taos Academy$14,223Tierra Encantada Charter School$13,903Albuquerque Aviation Academy$10,788State median, under 1,000 students $18,971
Current spending per student, New Mexico districts closest in size to Penasco Independent Schools, FY23Magdalena Municipal Schools $29,460; Penasco Independent Schools $26,106; Fort Sumner Municipal Schools $22,593; Tatum Municipal Schools $19,735; Logan Municipal Schools $16,779; Melrose Municipal Schools $16,166; Solare Collegiate Charter School $15,313; Taos Academy $14,223; Tierra Encantada Charter School $13,903; Albuquerque Aviation Academy $10,788; State median, under 1,000 students $18,971.020k40kMagdalena Municipal Schools$29,460Penasco Independent Schools$26,106Fort Sumner Municipal Schools$22,593Tatum Municipal Schools$19,735Logan Municipal Schools$16,779Melrose Municipal Schools$16,166Solare Collegiate Charter School$15,313Taos Academy$14,223Tierra Encantada Charter School$13,903Albuquerque Aviation Academy$10,788State median, under 1,000 students $18,971

Where the money came from

$8,753,000 in revenue: 71.8% state, 10.1% local and 18.1% federal. Total spending including $471,000 of capital outlay was $7,919,000, or $27,884 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Penasco Independent Schools revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $6,285,000; Local $880,000; Federal $1,588,000; total $8,753,000.
  • State$6,285,000 72%
  • Local$880,000 10%
  • Federal$1,588,000 18%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 103 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

284 students in 2022-23, 270 students in 2023-24, 276 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Penasco Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 284, 2023-24: 270, 2024-25: 27601002003002022-232842023-242702024-25276
Penasco Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 284, 2023-24: 270, 2024-25: 27601002003002022-232842023-242702024-25276
Penasco Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 284, 2023-24: 270, 2024-25: 27601002003002022-232842023-242702024-25276
Penasco Independent Schools enrollment by school year2022-23: 284, 2023-24: 270, 2024-25: 27601002003002022-232842023-242702024-25276

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2328412.023.7
2023-2427011.822.8
2024-2527617.815.5

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Penasco Independent Schools scored proficient or above: 25-29% in reading and 10-14% in math, against 33.8% in reading and 24.5% in math across New Mexico. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within New Mexico, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtNew MexicoStudents tested
Reading and language arts25-29%33.8%170
Math10-14%24.5%170

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

90% or more of the 31 students in Penasco Independent Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 76.5% across New Mexico. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtNew Mexico
Four-year graduation rate90% or more76.5%
Students in the class3125,411

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

1 elementary school, 127 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Penasco Elementary12717.9100.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 74 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Penasco Middle7415.5100.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 75 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Penasco High7512.7100.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Penasco Independent Schools

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Penasco Independent Schools

  1. New Mexico districts by spending per studentPenasco Independent Schools ranks 20 of 103 New Mexico districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($26,106).#20 of 103
  2. Every school district in New MexicoPenasco Independent Schools is the number 85 by size of 152 New Mexico districts, with 284 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#85 of 152
  3. Magdalena Municipal SchoolsThe next larger New Mexico district: 285 students in fall 2022, $29,460 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$29,460
  4. Albuquerque Aviation AcademyThe next smaller New Mexico district: 278 students in fall 2022, $10,788 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,788
  5. Compare Penasco Independent Schools with Magdalena Municipal SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Penasco High, its largest high school75 students in 2024-25, 12.7 per teacher.75
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Penasco Independent Schools

  1. How many schools and students are in Penasco Independent Schools?
    3 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), enrolling 276 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Penasco Independent Schools spend per student?
    $26,106 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the New Mexico median for districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $18,971 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $30,196 per student, up 15.7% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Penasco Independent Schools' money come from?
    $8,753,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 71.8% state, 10.1% local and 18.1% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Penasco Independent Schools live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 72 of the 392 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 18.4%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How do students in Penasco Independent Schools do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Penasco Independent Schools scored proficient or above: 25-29% in reading and 10-14% in math, against 33.8% in reading and 24.5% in math across New Mexico. New Mexico's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  6. What is the graduation rate in Penasco Independent Schools?
    90% or more of the 31 students in Penasco Independent Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 76.5% across New Mexico. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  7. What is Penasco Independent Schools' NCES district ID?
    3502040. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .