Enrollment
479
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Chaparral, NM
Desert Trail Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Desert Trail Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 350108000655
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 4
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Trail Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of New Mexico schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Chaparral · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16:1
- large classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Desert Trail Elementary has class sizes larger than 75% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Trail Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Chaparral, NM.
School address
District: Gadsden Independent Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350108000655 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
+14% 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
What stands out at Desert Trail Elementary
Desert Trail Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Chaparral, New Mexico, enrolling 479 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by student-teacher ratio.
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 479 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Against 238 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #88.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 479 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Gadsden Independent Schools also operates Gadsden High (1,219 students) and Santa Teresa High (1,154 students) alongside Desert Trail 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 Desert Trail Elementary compares
Desert Trail 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 | 16:1 | ▲ 14% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 479 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
479
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
16:1
students per teacher
- 14% above state mean
Top 75% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.7%
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
$14,189
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Desert Trail 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 Gadsden Independent Schools, which includes Desert Trail Elementary.
$14,189
Per student
-15%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Desert Trail Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Santa Teresa High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chaparral High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gadsden Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Riverside Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Trail Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,219
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary 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 (~479 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Trail Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Desert Trail Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gadsden Independent 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 Desert Trail Elementary
How many students attend Desert Trail Elementary?
Desert Trail Elementary has 479 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Chaparral, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Trail Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Trail Elementary is 16:1, which is 14% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Chaparral, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Trail Elementary?
Desert Trail Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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).
How does Desert Trail Elementary rank among public schools in Chaparral?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Trail Elementary ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Chaparral, NM. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Chaparral on the city page.
Is Desert Trail Elementary a good school?
Desert Trail Elementary earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% 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 Gadsden Independent Schools?
Besides Desert Trail Elementary, Gadsden Independent Schools also operates Gadsden High (1,219 students), Santa Teresa High (1,154 students), and Chaparral High (1,067 students). See the Gadsden Independent 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.