Enrollment
479
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 350108000655
Desert Trail Elementary — Chaparral, NM
Federal NCES profile for Desert Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 46
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: Gadsden Independent 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Trail 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 Trail Elementary reports 479 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 4% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the New Mexico average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 479 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gadsden Independent Schools spends $15,234 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.1% from local sources (property taxes), 68.2% from the state, and 21.7% 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 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 Trail 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 15% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 479 | top 80% | — | — |
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
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
16.5:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 79% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$15,234
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 479 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 479 Top 80% in New Mexico — larger than 20% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 16.5:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 350108000655
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 95.0%
White 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
African American 0.6%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 479:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gadsden Independent Schools, which includes Desert Trail Elementary.
$15,234
Per student
-20%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.1%
State 68.2%
Federal 21.7%
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
- 1,219
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
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 Trail Elementary
How many students attend Desert Trail Elementary?
Desert Trail Elementary has 479 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in CHAPARRAL, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Trail Elementary is 16.5:1, which is 15% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Trail Elementary?
100.0% of students at Desert Trail Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Trail Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Trail Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 95.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in CHAPARRAL, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Trail Elementary?
Desert Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.