Enrollment
754
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Portales, NM
Portales High
Federal NCES profile for Portales High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 350210000488
👥 S:T ratio 34
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Portales High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% of New Mexico schools.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Portales · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for New Mexico
- 58.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Portales High has class sizes larger than 78% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Portales High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portales, NM.
School address
District: Portales Municipal Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350210000488 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.9%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Portales High compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Portales High
Portales High is a higher-need, large high school in Portales, New Mexico, enrolling 754 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 58.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Mexico, bigger than 92% of state schools at 754 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (26%) (diversity index 48/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 251 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Portales Municipal Schools spends $13,291 per pupil, 20% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.2% 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 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Portales Municipal Schools also operates Lindsey-Steiner Elementary (376 students) and Valencia Elementary (366 students) alongside Portales High.
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 Portales High compares
Portales High 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 17% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.9% | ▼ 27% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 754 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
754
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 78% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 22% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$13,291
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 251 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
33
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 67.6%
White 25.7%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.6, Portales High is more mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portales Municipal Schools, which includes Portales High.
$13,291
Per student
-20%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.8%
State 68.0%
Federal 22.2%
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 Portales High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lindsey-Steiner Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valencia Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| James Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Brown Early Childhood Center | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Portales Jr High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Portales High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 326
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high 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 (~754 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Portales High's federal record.
- Compare Portales High against another school. Compare schools
- Portales 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 Portales High
How many students attend Portales High?
Portales High has 754 students enrolled. It is a high school in Portales, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portales High?
The student-teacher ratio at Portales High is 16.4:1, which is 17% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Portales High?
58.9% of students at Portales High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Portales High?
The largest demographic group at Portales High is Hispanic or Latino at 67.6% of enrollment, in Portales, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portales High?
Portales High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Portales High rank among public schools in Portales?
By Resource Investment Index, Portales High ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Portales, 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 Portales on the city page.
Is Portales High a good school?
Portales High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 78% 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 Portales Municipal Schools?
Besides Portales High, Portales Municipal Schools also operates Lindsey-Steiner Elementary (376 students), Valencia Elementary (366 students), and James Elementary (364 students). See the Portales 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.