Enrollment
118
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Shiprock, NM
Career Prep Alternative
Federal NCES profile for Career Prep Alternative, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 350039000772
👥 S:T ratio 61
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Career Prep Alternative earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of New Mexico schools.
- #1 of 7
- public schools in Shiprock · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Career Prep Alternative has class sizes smaller than 84% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Career Prep Alternative ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Shiprock, NM.
School address
District: Central Consolidated Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350039000772 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Career Prep Alternative compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Career Prep Alternative
Career Prep Alternative is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Shiprock, New Mexico, enrolling 118 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.8:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Mexico schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 118 puts it in the smaller third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 867 New Mexico schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 98 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 118 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 39.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Central Consolidated Schools also operates Kirtland Central High (743 students) and Shiprock High (502 students) alongside Career Prep Alternative.
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 Career Prep Alternative compares
Career Prep Alternative 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 | 9.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 118 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
118
Bigger than 12% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 16% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$17,904
per pupil, district-wide
- above New Mexico avg of $16,652
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 118 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 88.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
Two or More 5.1%
White 0.8%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 88.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.8, Career Prep Alternative is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Central Consolidated Schools, which includes Career Prep Alternative.
$17,904
Per student
+8%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 8.0%
State 52.2%
Federal 39.8%
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 Career Prep Alternative Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirtland Central High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shiprock High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Judy Nelson Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tse Bit Ai Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kirtland Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Career Prep Alternative's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 390
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~118 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Career Prep Alternative's federal record.
- Compare Career Prep Alternative against another school. Compare schools
- Central 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 Career Prep Alternative
How many students attend Career Prep Alternative?
Career Prep Alternative has 118 students enrolled. It is a high school in Shiprock, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Career Prep Alternative?
The student-teacher ratio at Career Prep Alternative is 9.8:1, which is 30% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 38% 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 Career Prep Alternative?
100.0% of students at Career Prep Alternative are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Career Prep Alternative?
The largest demographic group at Career Prep Alternative is American Indian / Alaska Native at 88.1% of enrollment, in Shiprock, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Career Prep Alternative?
Career Prep Alternative has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Career Prep Alternative rank among public schools in Shiprock?
By Resource Investment Index, Career Prep Alternative ranks #1 of 7 public schools in Shiprock, 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 Shiprock on the city page.
Is Career Prep Alternative a good school?
Career Prep Alternative earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 84% of 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 Central Consolidated Schools?
Besides Career Prep Alternative, Central Consolidated Schools also operates Kirtland Central High (743 students), Shiprock High (502 students), and Judy Nelson Elementary (486 students). See the Central 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.