Enrollment
466
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 350003000012
Desert Star Elementary — Alamogordo, NM
Federal NCES profile for Desert Star Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 0
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: Alamogordo 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.2%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Star Elementary 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 Star Elementary reports 466 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 21% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the New Mexico average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 466 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 41.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alamogordo Public Schools spends $13,070 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.4% from local sources (property taxes), 68.6% from the state, and 19.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), 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 Star Elementary 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 34% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.2% | ▼ 32% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 79% | — | — |
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
55.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% below 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
19.3:1
students per teacher
— 34% above state mean
Top 93% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
41.8%
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
$13,070
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 466 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 466 Top 79% in New Mexico — larger than 21% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 19.3:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.2% -32% vs state
NCES ID 350003000012
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 55.8%
White 29.6%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 4.3%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 466:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 41.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alamogordo Public Schools, which includes Desert Star Elementary.
$13,070
Per student
-31%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.4%
State 68.6%
Federal 19.0%
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
- 1,440
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 517
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 513
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 436
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar elementary schools in Alamogordo
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Desert Star Elementary
How many students attend Desert Star Elementary?
Desert Star Elementary has 466 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in ALAMOGORDO, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Star Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Star Elementary is 19.3:1, which is 34% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Star Elementary?
55.2% of students at Desert Star Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Star Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Star Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 55.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALAMOGORDO, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Star Elementary?
Desert Star Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) 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.