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Portales, New Mexico - 6 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Portales Municipal Schools #48 of 98 districts in New Mexico (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,291 per pupil, Portales Municipal Schools ranks #92 of 141 New Mexico districts by per-pupil spending (New Mexico districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,610
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$13,291
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Portales Municipal Schools operates 6 public schools serving 2,610 students, placing it among the smallest districts in New Mexico. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 combined, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Roosevelt County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,291 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 141 New Mexico districts by per-pupil spending. See how New Mexico compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 9.8% local, 68.0% state, and 22.2% 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 52/100, ranked #48 of 98 in New Mexico against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 335.9:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 24.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.9% White, 2.5% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Lindsey-Steiner Elementary, with a diversity index of 52.2/100.
Its largest campus is Portales High, enrolling 754 students (30% of the district's total enrollment).
Portales High accounts for 28.9% of all Portales Municipal Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Portales Municipal Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Portales Municipal Schools school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
Portales Municipal Schools school enrollment ranges from 326 students (lowest) to 754 students (highest), a spread of 428 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Portales Municipal Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Portales Municipal 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 Portales Municipal Schools is typically wider than the Portales Municipal Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
Portales Municipal Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 24.8% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Portales Municipal Schools is typically wider than the Portales Municipal Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Portales Municipal Schools?
Portales Municipal Schools has 6 schools, including 1 high, 3 elementary, 1 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 2,610 students.
How much does Portales Municipal Schools spend per student?
Portales Municipal Schools spends $13,291 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #48 in New Mexico.
What is the demographic composition of Portales Municipal Schools?
Portales Municipal Schools students are 68.0% Hispanic or Latino, 24.9% White, 2.5% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Portales Municipal Schools?
Portales Municipal Schools has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #48 out of 98 districts in New Mexico.