Enrollment
1,487
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 350016001096 Charter school
New Mexico Connections Academy — Santa Fe, NM
Federal NCES profile for New Mexico Connections Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 38
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: New Mexico Connections 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)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.4%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How New Mexico Connections 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
New Mexico Connections Academy reports 1,487 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 65.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 50% above the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 36% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the New Mexico average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 297 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding New Mexico Connections Academy spends $10,833 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 10.6% from local sources (property taxes), 80.4% from the state, and 8.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), 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 New Mexico Connections 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 | 21.6:1 | ▲ 50% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.4% | ▼ 46% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,487 | top 98% | — | — |
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
43.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% below 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
21.6:1
students per teacher
— 50% above state mean
Top 97% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
24.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,833
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 297 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,487 Top 98% in New Mexico — larger than 2% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 65.0
Students per teacher 21.6:1 +50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.4% -46% vs state
NCES ID 350016001096
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 56.2%
White 25.6%
Two or More 10.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.4%
African American 2.1%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 7
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 297:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for New Mexico Connections Academy, which includes New Mexico Connections Academy.
$10,833
Per student
-43%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 10.6%
State 80.4%
Federal 8.9%
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 Santa Fe
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
El Camino Real Academy Community
Standard public school
704 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Nina Otero Community School
Standard public school
629 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Turquoise Trail Charter School
Standard public school
622 students 15:1 students per teacher
Pinon Elementary
Standard public school
513 students 16:1 students per teacher
Ramirez Thomas Elementary
Standard public school
417 students 14:1 students per teacher
Academy for Technology & Classics
Standard public school
398 students 13.1:1 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 New Mexico Connections Academy
How many students attend New Mexico Connections Academy?
New Mexico Connections Academy has 1,487 students enrolled. It is a other school in SANTA FE, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at New Mexico Connections Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at New Mexico Connections Academy is 21.6:1, which is 50% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 36% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at New Mexico Connections Academy?
43.4% of students at New Mexico Connections Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of New Mexico Connections Academy?
The largest demographic group at New Mexico Connections Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 56.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in SANTA FE, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for New Mexico Connections Academy?
New Mexico Connections Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.