Enrollment
94
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mesilla Park, NM
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy
Federal NCES profile for Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 350150001078
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of New Mexico schools.
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 94
- students enrolled
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy has class sizes larger than 91% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Las Cruces Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350150001078 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Mesilla Park, New Mexico, enrolling 94 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.8:1 is larger than about 91% of New Mexico schools and 34% 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.
Enrollment of 94 puts it in the smaller third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Among 93 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #68, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (51%) and White (45%) (diversity index 54/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Las Cruces Public Schools spends $12,237 per pupil, 27% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Las Cruces Public Schools also operates Organ Mountain High School (2,128 students) and Centennial High School (1,713 students) alongside Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy.
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 Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy compares
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy 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 | 18.8:1 | ▲ 34% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 94 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
94
Bigger than 9% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 34% above state mean
Top 91% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
33.0%
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
$12,237
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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 51.1%
White 44.7%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.1%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 53.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 53.8, Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy is more mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Las Cruces Public Schools, which includes Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy.
$12,237
Per student
-27%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.6%
State 69.4%
Federal 17.0%
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 Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organ Mountain High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Las Cruces High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mayfield High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Camino Real Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,128
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,327
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 933
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~94 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy's federal record.
- Compare Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Las Cruces Public 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 Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy
How many students attend Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy has 94 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mesilla Park, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy is 18.8:1, which is 34% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?
100.0% of students at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?
The largest demographic group at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 51.1% of enrollment, in Mesilla Park, NM. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 53.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy a good school?
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Las Cruces Public Schools?
Besides Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy, Las Cruces Public Schools also operates Organ Mountain High School (2,128 students), Centennial High School (1,713 students), and Las Cruces High (1,703 students). See the Las Cruces Public 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.