Enrollment
1,244
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gallup, NM
Gallup Central Alternative
Federal NCES profile for Gallup Central Alternative, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 350111000545
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gallup Central Alternative earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico.
- #2 of 11
- schools in Gallup · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,244
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Gallup Central Alternative ranks #2 of 11 schools in Gallup, NM.
School address
District: Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350111000545 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
What stands out at Gallup Central Alternative
Gallup Central Alternative is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Gallup, New Mexico, enrolling 1,244 students.
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.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Mexico, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,244 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Against 30 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #5.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (57%) and White (21%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 61/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1244 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 45.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools also operates Miyamura High School (1,237 students) and Gallup High (796 students) alongside Gallup Central Alternative.
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 Gallup Central Alternative compares
Gallup Central Alternative on the metrics families compare, against New Mexico and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Mexico | New Mexico avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,244 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1,244
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
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.
Engagement
14.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$16,054
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1244 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 57.1%
White 21.0%
Two or More 10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.4%
African American 2.9%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.2, Gallup Central Alternative is more mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools, which includes Gallup Central Alternative.
$16,054
Per student
-4%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 3.9%
State 50.8%
Federal 45.3%
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 Gallup Central Alternative Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miyamura High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Gallup High | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| John F. Kennedy Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Chief Manuelito Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Gallup Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Gallup Central Alternative's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,237
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 796
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 634
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 22.9:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar other 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gallup Central Alternative's federal record.
- Compare Gallup Central Alternative against another school. Compare schools
- Gallup-Mckinley Cty 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 Gallup Central Alternative
How many students attend Gallup Central Alternative?
Gallup Central Alternative has 1,244 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Gallup, NM.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gallup Central Alternative?
100.0% of students at Gallup Central Alternative are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gallup Central Alternative?
The largest demographic group at Gallup Central Alternative is Hispanic or Latino at 57.1% of enrollment, in Gallup, NM. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gallup Central Alternative?
Gallup Central Alternative has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gallup Central Alternative rank among schools in Gallup?
By Resource Investment Index, Gallup Central Alternative ranks #2 of 11 schools in Gallup, NM. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Gallup on the city page.
Is Gallup Central Alternative a good school?
Gallup Central Alternative earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico. 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 Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools?
Besides Gallup Central Alternative, Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools also operates Miyamura High School (1,237 students), Gallup High (796 students), and John F. Kennedy Middle (648 students). See the Gallup-Mckinley Cty 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.