Enrollment
429
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 350165000428
Barranca Mesa Elementary — Los Alamos, NM
Federal NCES profile for Barranca Mesa Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 34
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Los Alamos Public Schools · New Mexico
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barranca Mesa Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Barranca Mesa Elementary reports 429 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% below the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 81% below the New Mexico average and 71% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 429 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Los Alamos Public Schools spends $14,273 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.6% from local sources (property taxes), 61.1% from the state, and 18.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Barranca Mesa Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Mexico state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Mexico | New Mexico avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.0% | ▼ 81% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 429 | top 74% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
15.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 81% below the New Mexico average of 80.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 31% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,273
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Mexico avg of $19,045
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 429 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 429 Top 74% in New Mexico — larger than 26% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.0% -81% vs state
NCES ID 350165000428
Student demographics
White 56.9%
Hispanic or Latino 33.1%
Asian 7.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: White at 56.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 429:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Los Alamos Public Schools, which includes Barranca Mesa Elementary.
$14,273
Per student
-25%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 61.1%
Federal 18.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,181
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 350
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar other schools in Los Alamos
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Barranca Mesa Elementary
How many students attend Barranca Mesa Elementary?
Barranca Mesa Elementary has 429 students enrolled. It is a other school in LOS ALAMOS, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barranca Mesa Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Barranca Mesa Elementary is 12.3:1, which is 15% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 23% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Barranca Mesa Elementary?
15.0% of students at Barranca Mesa Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barranca Mesa Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Barranca Mesa Elementary is White at 56.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in LOS ALAMOS, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barranca Mesa Elementary?
Barranca Mesa Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.