Enrollment
801
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350006000764
Desert Ridge Middle — Albuquerque, NM
Federal NCES profile for Desert Ridge Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 38
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: Albuquerque Public 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)
59.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.8%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Ridge Middle 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
Desert Ridge Middle reports 801 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 59.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 82% below the New Mexico average and 71% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 320 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Albuquerque Public Schools spends $15,508 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.5% from local sources (property taxes), 68.0% from the state, and 14.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Desert Ridge Middle 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 | 13.8:1 | ▼ 4% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.8% | ▼ 82% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 801 | top 93% | — | — |
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
14.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 82% 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
13.8:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 49% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.8%
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
$15,508
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 320 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
19
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 801 Top 93% in New Mexico — larger than 7% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 59.0
Students per teacher 13.8:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 14.8% -82% vs state
NCES ID 350006000764
Student demographics
White 39.5%
Hispanic or Latino 36.8%
Asian 10.2%
Two or More 8.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
African American 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 39.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 320:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.8%
In-school suspensions 19
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Albuquerque Public Schools, which includes Desert Ridge Middle.
$15,508
Per student
-19%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 68.0%
Federal 14.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,089
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,930
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,826
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,618
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,579
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar middle schools in Albuquerque
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Tony Hillerman Middle School
Standard public school
860 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Eisenhower Middle
Standard public school
740 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
James Monroe Middle
Standard public school
630 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Middle
Standard public school
615 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Madison Middle
Standard public school
532 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Truman Middle
Standard public school
520 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
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 Desert Ridge Middle
How many students attend Desert Ridge Middle?
Desert Ridge Middle has 801 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ALBUQUERQUE, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Ridge Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Ridge Middle is 13.8:1, which is 4% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Ridge Middle?
14.8% of students at Desert Ridge Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Ridge Middle?
The largest demographic group at Desert Ridge Middle is White at 39.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALBUQUERQUE, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Ridge Middle?
Desert Ridge Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.