Enrollment
1,685
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 350030000163
Carlsbad High — Carlsbad, NM
Federal NCES profile for Carlsbad High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 13
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 27
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: Carlsbad 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)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.8:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.8%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carlsbad High 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
Carlsbad High reports 1,685 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 71.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 51% 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 37% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% below the New Mexico average and 52% below the national baseline. The school offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1685 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Carlsbad Municipal Schools spends $15,882 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.9% from local sources (property taxes), 41.9% from the state, and 7.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Carlsbad High 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 | 21.8:1 | ▲ 51% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.8% | ▼ 69% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,685 | top 99% | — | — |
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
24.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% 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
21.8:1
students per teacher
— 51% above state mean
Top 98% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
29.1%
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
$15,882
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 1685 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 149 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 60 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,685 Top 99% in New Mexico — larger than 1% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 71.0
Students per teacher 21.8:1 +51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.8% -69% vs state
NCES ID 350030000163
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.4%
White 28.4%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 1685:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.1%
In-school suspensions 65
Out-of-school suspensions 149
Expulsions 60
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carlsbad Municipal Schools, which includes Carlsbad High.
$15,882
Per student
-17%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.9%
State 41.9%
Federal 7.3%
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
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 740
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 684
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 667
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
Similar high schools in Carlsbad
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) 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 Carlsbad High
How many students attend Carlsbad High?
Carlsbad High has 1,685 students enrolled. It is a high school in CARLSBAD, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carlsbad High?
The student-teacher ratio at Carlsbad High is 21.8:1, which is 51% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 37% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carlsbad High?
24.8% of students at Carlsbad High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carlsbad High?
The largest demographic group at Carlsbad High is Hispanic or Latino at 66.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in CARLSBAD, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carlsbad High?
Carlsbad High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.