Enrollment
238
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 350174000449
Ben Alexander Elementary — Lovington, NM
Federal NCES profile for Ben Alexander Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 41
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: Lovington Municipal 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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.8%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ben Alexander 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
Ben Alexander Elementary reports 238 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% above the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 98.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% above the New Mexico average and 91% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 238 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lovington Municipal Schools spends $14,739 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.1% from local sources (property taxes), 69.2% from the state, and 14.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Ben Alexander 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 | 16.7:1 | ▲ 16% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.8% | ▲ 22% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 238 | top 44% | — | — |
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
98.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 16% above state mean
Top 80% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.5%
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
$14,739
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 238 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 238 Top 44% in New Mexico — larger than 56% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 +16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 98.8% +22% vs state
NCES ID 350174000449
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 84.5%
White 12.6%
African American 1.3%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 84.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 238:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lovington Municipal Schools, which includes Ben Alexander Elementary.
$14,739
Per student
-23%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.1%
State 69.2%
Federal 14.7%
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
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 474
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 442
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 435
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 267
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Lovington
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Ben Alexander Elementary
How many students attend Ben Alexander Elementary?
Ben Alexander Elementary has 238 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LOVINGTON, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ben Alexander Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Ben Alexander Elementary is 16.7:1, which is 16% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ben Alexander Elementary?
98.8% of students at Ben Alexander Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ben Alexander Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Ben Alexander Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 84.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in LOVINGTON, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ben Alexander Elementary?
Ben Alexander Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.