Enrollment
52
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Chama, NM
Chama Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Chama Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 350042000192
👥 S:T ratio 77
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 81
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Chama Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of New Mexico schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.8:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 52
- students enrolled
Chama Elementary has class sizes smaller than 97% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Chama Valley Indep. Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350042000192 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.8:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-59% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Chama Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Chama Elementary
Chama Elementary is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Chama, New Mexico, enrolling 52 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.8:1, Chama Elementary is leaner than roughly 97% of New Mexico schools and 59% 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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of New Mexico schools, with 52 enrolled.
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 61 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #16.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 208 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Chama Valley Indep. Schools also operates Escalante Middle/High School (134 students) and Tierra Amarilla Elementary (76 students) alongside Chama 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 Chama Elementary compares
Chama 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 | 5.8:1 | ▼ 59% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 52 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.8:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
52
Bigger than 6% 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
5.8:1
students per teacher
- 59% below state mean
Top 3% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,669
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
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Hispanic or Latino 92.3%
White 1.9%
Asian 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 92.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.7, Chama Elementary is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Chama Valley Indep. Schools, which includes Chama Elementary.
$17,669
Per student
+6%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 12.9%
State 77.4%
Federal 9.6%
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 Chama Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escalante Middle/High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tierra Amarilla Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chama Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Chama Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 134
- Students per teacher
- 9.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 7.6:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 40
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
Similar other 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 (~52 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~5.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Chama Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Chama Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Chama Valley Indep. 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 Chama Elementary
How many students attend Chama Elementary?
Chama Elementary has 52 students enrolled. It is a public school in Chama, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Chama Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Chama Elementary is 5.8:1, which is 59% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 63% 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 Chama Elementary?
100.0% of students at Chama Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Chama Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Chama Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 92.3% of enrollment, in Chama, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Chama Elementary?
Chama 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 Chama Elementary a good school?
Chama Elementary earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of New Mexico schools. It is also less 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 Chama Valley Indep. Schools?
Besides Chama Elementary, Chama Valley Indep. Schools also operates Escalante Middle/High School (134 students), Tierra Amarilla Elementary (76 students), and Chama Middle (40 students). See the Chama Valley Indep. 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.