Enrollment
235
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mesquite, NM
Mesquite Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mesquite Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 350108000628
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 39
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mesquite Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of New Mexico schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 235
- students enrolled
Mesquite Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Gadsden Independent Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350108000628 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesquite Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mesquite Elementary
Mesquite Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mesquite, New Mexico, enrolling 235 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Mexico schools by student-teacher ratio.
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.
With 235 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Mexico median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Among 197 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #21, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 235 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Gadsden Independent Schools also operates Gadsden High (1,219 students) and Santa Teresa High (1,154 students) alongside Mesquite Elementary.
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 Mesquite Elementary compares
Mesquite Elementary 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 20% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 235 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
235
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 26% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.3%
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
$14,189
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 235 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.9 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gadsden Independent Schools, which includes Mesquite Elementary.
$14,189
Per student
-15%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.1%
State 68.2%
Federal 21.7%
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 Mesquite Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Santa Teresa High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chaparral High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gadsden Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverside Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mesquite Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,219
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,154
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,067
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 650
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 550
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~235 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mesquite Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mesquite Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gadsden Independent 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 Mesquite Elementary
How many students attend Mesquite Elementary?
Mesquite Elementary has 235 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mesquite, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 20% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mesquite Elementary?
100.0% of students at Mesquite Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesquite Elementary?
Mesquite Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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).
Is Mesquite Elementary a good school?
Mesquite Elementary earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% 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 Gadsden Independent Schools?
Besides Mesquite Elementary, Gadsden Independent Schools also operates Gadsden High (1,219 students), Santa Teresa High (1,154 students), and Chaparral High (1,067 students). See the Gadsden Independent 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.