Enrollment
483
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Columbus, NM
Columbus Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Columbus Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 350069000238
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Columbus Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 483
- students enrolled
Columbus Elementary has class sizes near the New Mexico median. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Deming Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350069000238 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Columbus Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Columbus Elementary
Columbus Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Columbus, New Mexico, enrolling 483 students.
At 13.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New Mexico median, within a few percentage points of the 14:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
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 483 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Among 238 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #186, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 483 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 79.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Deming Public Schools also operates Deming High (1,174 students) and Red Mountain Middle (746 students) alongside Columbus 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 Columbus Elementary compares
Columbus 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 483 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
483
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 51% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
79.1%
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
$13,484
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 483 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: 1.7 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 97.7%
White 2.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Columbus Elementary is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Deming Public Schools, which includes Columbus Elementary.
$13,484
Per student
-19%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 8.0%
State 75.4%
Federal 16.5%
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 Columbus Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deming High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Red Mountain Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bataan Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chaparral Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deming Intermediate | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Columbus Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,174
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 487
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 373
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
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 (~483 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Columbus Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Columbus Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Deming Public 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 Columbus Elementary
How many students attend Columbus Elementary?
Columbus Elementary has 483 students enrolled. It is a public school in Columbus, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Columbus Elementary is 13.4:1, which is 4% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 15% 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 Columbus Elementary?
100.0% of students at Columbus Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Columbus Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Columbus Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment, in Columbus, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Columbus Elementary?
Columbus Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Columbus Elementary a good school?
Columbus Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median. 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 Deming Public Schools?
Besides Columbus Elementary, Deming Public Schools also operates Deming High (1,174 students), Red Mountain Middle (746 students), and Bataan Elementary (487 students). See the Deming Public 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.