Enrollment
808
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hobbs, NM
Highland Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 350126000349
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of New Mexico schools.
- #6 of 18
- public schools in Hobbs · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- large classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Highland Middle School has class sizes larger than 87% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Middle School ranks #6 of 18 public schools in Hobbs, NM.
School address
District: Hobbs Municipal Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350126000349 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland Middle School compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland Middle School
Highland Middle School is a high-poverty, large middle school in Hobbs, New Mexico, enrolling 808 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18:1 is larger than about 87% of New Mexico schools and 29% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
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 94% of state schools at 808 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Against 75 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #44.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (75%) and White (18%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 808 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Hobbs Municipal Schools spends $11,533 per pupil, 31% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 301 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 808 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Hobbs Municipal Schools also operates Hobbs High (2,312 students) and Houston Middle School (822 students) alongside Highland Middle School.
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 Highland Middle School compares
Highland Middle School 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 29% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 808 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
808
Bigger than 86% 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.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 87% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$11,533
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 808 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
206
in-school suspensions + 95 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 37.3 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 75.0%
White 18.1%
African American 4.2%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 75.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.3, Highland Middle School is about as mixed as the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hobbs Municipal Schools, which includes Highland Middle School.
$11,533
Per student
-31%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.2%
State 58.5%
Federal 9.3%
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 Highland Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbs High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Houston Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hobbs Freshman High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Heizer Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| College Lane Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,312
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 822
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 747
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar middle 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 (~808 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Hobbs Municipal 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 Highland Middle School
How many students attend Highland Middle School?
Highland Middle School has 808 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hobbs, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland Middle School is 18:1, which is 29% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Highland Middle School?
100.0% of students at Highland Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 75.0% of enrollment, in Hobbs, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Middle School?
Highland Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Highland Middle School rank among public schools in Hobbs?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Middle School ranks #6 of 18 public schools in Hobbs, 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 Hobbs on the city page.
Is Highland Middle School a good school?
Highland Middle School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of 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 Hobbs Municipal Schools?
Besides Highland Middle School, Hobbs Municipal Schools also operates Hobbs High (2,312 students), Houston Middle School (822 students), and Hobbs Freshman High (747 students). See the Hobbs Municipal 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.