Enrollment
599
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 350018801160 Charter school
Explore Academy Las Cruces — Las Cruces, NM
Federal NCES profile for Explore Academy Las Cruces, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 66/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 83
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: Explore Academy Las Cruces · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.1%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Explore Academy Las Cruces 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
Explore Academy Las Cruces reports 599 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 47.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the New Mexico average and 9% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (B-), calculated from 3 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 Explore Academy Las Cruces 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.1% | ▼ 42% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 599 | top 87% | — | — |
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
47.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 45% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 599 Top 87% in New Mexico — larger than 13% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 47.1% -42% vs state
NCES ID 350018801160
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 81.6%
White 10.0%
Two or More 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.7%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Similar other schools in Las Cruces
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Monte Vista Elementary
Standard public school
706 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Highland Elementary
Standard public school
704 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Sonoma Elementary
Standard public school
660 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Tombaugh Elementary
Standard public school
565 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Desert Hills Elementary
Standard public school
502 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Cesar Chavez Elementary
Standard public school
492 students 13.7:1 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 Explore Academy Las Cruces
How many students attend Explore Academy Las Cruces?
Explore Academy Las Cruces has 599 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAS CRUCES, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Explore Academy Las Cruces?
The student-teacher ratio at Explore Academy Las Cruces is 13.5:1, which is 6% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 15% 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 Explore Academy Las Cruces?
47.1% of students at Explore Academy Las Cruces are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Explore Academy Las Cruces?
The largest demographic group at Explore Academy Las Cruces is Hispanic or Latino at 81.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAS CRUCES, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Explore Academy Las Cruces?
Explore Academy Las Cruces has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (B-) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.