Enrollment
63
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bluewater, NM
Bluewater Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Bluewater Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 350117000327
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 87
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bluewater Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of New Mexico schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.9:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 63
- students enrolled
Bluewater Elementary has class sizes smaller than 94% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Grants-Cibola County Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350117000327 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bluewater Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bluewater Elementary
Bluewater Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Bluewater, New Mexico, enrolling 63 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Bluewater Elementary is leaner than roughly 94% of New Mexico schools and 44% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
Enrollment of 63 puts it in the smaller third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 92% of the 867 New Mexico schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 67 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (30%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 63 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Grants-Cibola County Schools also operates Grants High (807 students) and Mesa View Elementary (465 students) alongside Bluewater Elementary.
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 Bluewater Elementary compares
Bluewater Elementary 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 44% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 63 | top 88% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
63
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 44% below state mean
Top 6% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$14,955
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 63 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
- 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
White 44.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 30.2%
Hispanic or Latino 20.6%
African American 4.8%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.7, Bluewater Elementary is more mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Grants-Cibola County Schools, which includes Bluewater Elementary.
$14,955
Per student
-10%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 8.9%
State 68.3%
Federal 22.8%
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 Bluewater Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grants High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mesa View Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Los Alamitos Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Milan Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mount Taylor Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bluewater Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 416
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary 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 (~63 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bluewater Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Bluewater Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Grants-Cibola County 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 Bluewater Elementary
How many students attend Bluewater Elementary?
Bluewater Elementary has 63 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bluewater, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bluewater Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Bluewater Elementary is 7.9:1, which is 44% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 50% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bluewater Elementary?
100.0% of students at Bluewater Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bluewater Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Bluewater Elementary is White at 44.4% of enrollment, in Bluewater, NM. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bluewater Elementary?
Bluewater Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Bluewater Elementary a good school?
Bluewater Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of New Mexico schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools. 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 Grants-Cibola County Schools?
Besides Bluewater Elementary, Grants-Cibola County Schools also operates Grants High (807 students), Mesa View Elementary (465 students), and Los Alamitos Middle (416 students). See the Grants-Cibola County 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.