Enrollment
326
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350210000489
Portales Jr High — Portales, NM
Federal NCES profile for Portales Jr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 10
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: Portales Municipal Schools · 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)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.6:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.8%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Portales Jr High 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
Portales Jr High reports 326 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% below the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 14% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% below the New Mexico average and 15% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 326 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Portales Municipal Schools spends $15,222 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.8% from local sources (property taxes), 68.0% from the state, and 22.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Portales Jr High 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 | 13.6:1 | ▼ 6% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.8% | ▼ 26% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 326 | top 58% | — | — |
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
59.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% 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
13.6:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 46% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.9%
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
$15,222
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 326 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 78 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 326 Top 58% in New Mexico — larger than 42% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 13.6:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.8% -26% vs state
NCES ID 350210000489
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 70.6%
White 20.9%
Two or More 4.3%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 326:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.9%
In-school suspensions 37
Out-of-school suspensions 78
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Portales Municipal Schools, which includes Portales Jr High.
$15,222
Per student
-20%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 332
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
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 Portales Jr High
How many students attend Portales Jr High?
Portales Jr High has 326 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PORTALES, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Portales Jr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Portales Jr High is 13.6:1, which is 6% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Portales Jr High?
59.8% of students at Portales Jr High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Portales Jr High?
The largest demographic group at Portales Jr High is Hispanic or Latino at 70.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PORTALES, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Portales Jr High?
Portales Jr High has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.