Enrollment
1,413
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 350016701103 Charter school
Explore Academy — Albuquerque, NM
Federal NCES profile for Explore Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 71
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 · 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)
93.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.8%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-78% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Explore Academy 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 reports 1,413 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 93.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 17.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 78% below the New Mexico average and 66% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 707 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Explore Academy spends $15,366 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.6% from local sources (property taxes), 73.0% from the state, and 17.4% 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 Explore Academy 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 10% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.8% | ▼ 78% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,413 | top 97% | — | — |
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
17.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 78% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 37% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
11.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,366
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 707 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,413 Top 97% in New Mexico — larger than 3% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 93.0
Students per teacher 12.9:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 17.8% -78% vs state
NCES ID 350016701103
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 47.7%
White 32.6%
Two or More 15.9%
African American 2.3%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 707:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.8%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 16
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Explore Academy, which includes Explore Academy.
$15,366
Per student
-19%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.6%
State 73.0%
Federal 17.4%
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.
Similar other schools in Albuquerque
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Eldorado High
Standard public school
1,579 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Mission Achievement and Success 1.0
Standard public school
1,193 students 11.6:1 students per teacher
Manzano High
Standard public school
1,157 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Mission Achievement and Success 2.0
Standard public school
1,040 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Abq School of Excellence
Standard public school
1,005 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
George I Sanchez
Standard public school
997 students 15.9:1 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
How many students attend Explore Academy?
Explore Academy has 1,413 students enrolled. It is a other school in ALBUQUERQUE, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Explore Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Explore Academy is 12.9:1, which is 10% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 19% 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?
17.8% of students at Explore Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Explore Academy?
The largest demographic group at Explore Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 47.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALBUQUERQUE, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Explore Academy?
Explore Academy 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.