Enrollment
958
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Belen, NM
Belen High
Federal NCES profile for Belen High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 350018000140
👥 S:T ratio 22
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belen High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of New Mexico schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico.
- #6 of 10
- public schools in Belen · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.6:1
- large classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Belen High has class sizes larger than 92% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Belen High ranks #6 of 10 public schools in Belen, NM.
School address
District: Belen Consolidated Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350018000140 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belen High compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belen High
Belen High is a high-poverty, large high school in Belen, New Mexico, enrolling 958 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.6:1 is larger than about 92% of New Mexico schools and 40% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 100.0% lands close to the New Mexico typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Mexico, bigger than 95% of state schools at 958 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Against 52 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #28.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (79%) and White (16%) (diversity index 36/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 240 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Belen Consolidated Schools spends $13,063 per pupil, 22% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Belen Consolidated Schools also operates Belen Middle (475 students) and La Merced Elementary (463 students) alongside Belen High.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Belen High compares
Belen High on the metrics families compare, against New Mexico and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Mexico | New Mexico avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.6:1 | ▲ 40% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 958 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.6:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
958
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% above the New Mexico average of 80.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 92% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,063
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 240 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 79 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 78.5%
White 16.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.0%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.7, Belen High is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Belen Consolidated Schools, which includes Belen High.
$13,063
Per student
-22%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.3%
State 70.9%
Federal 15.8%
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.
How Belen High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belen Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| La Merced Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Rio Grande Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Gil Sanchez Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dennis Chavez Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belen High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 475
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 463
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 316
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Mexico, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~958 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belen High's federal record.
- Compare Belen High against another school. Compare schools
- Belen Consolidated Schools's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Belen High
How many students attend Belen High?
Belen High has 958 students enrolled. It is a high school in Belen, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belen High?
The student-teacher ratio at Belen High is 19.6:1, which is 40% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belen High?
100.0% of students at Belen High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belen High?
The largest demographic group at Belen High is Hispanic or Latino at 78.5% of enrollment, in Belen, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belen High?
Belen High has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Belen High rank among public schools in Belen?
By Resource Investment Index, Belen High ranks #6 of 10 public schools in Belen, NM. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Belen on the city page.
Is Belen High a good school?
Belen High earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 92% of New Mexico schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Belen Consolidated Schools?
Besides Belen High, Belen Consolidated Schools also operates Belen Middle (475 students), La Merced Elementary (463 students), and Rio Grande Elementary (332 students). See the Belen Consolidated Schools district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.