Enrollment
539
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rio Rancho, NM
Puesta Del Sol Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Puesta Del Sol Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 350001000650
👥 S:T ratio 58
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 38
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Puesta Del Sol Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of New Mexico schools.
- #11 of 12
- elementary schools in Rio Rancho · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.6:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Puesta Del Sol Elementary has class sizes smaller than 79% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Puesta Del Sol Elementary ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Rio Rancho, NM.
School address
District: Rio Rancho Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350001000650 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.6:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Puesta Del Sol Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Puesta Del Sol Elementary
Puesta Del Sol Elementary is a high-poverty, large elementary school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, enrolling 539 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.6:1 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.
Enrollment of 539 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Against 218 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #60.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (70%) and White (20%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 539 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Rio Rancho Public Schools spends $11,377 per pupil, 32% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Rio Rancho Public Schools also operates Cleveland High School (2,596 students) and Rio Rancho High (2,568 students) alongside Puesta Del Sol 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 Puesta Del Sol Elementary compares
Puesta Del Sol 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 | 10.6:1 | ▼ 24% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.6:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
539
Bigger than 66% 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
10.6:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 21% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.7%
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
$11,377
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 539 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 69.9%
White 19.7%
Two or More 5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.2%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.8, Puesta Del Sol Elementary is more mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rio Rancho Public Schools, which includes Puesta Del Sol Elementary.
$11,377
Per student
-32%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 14.8%
State 74.5%
Federal 10.7%
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 Puesta Del Sol Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rio Rancho High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rio Rancho Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mountain View Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Puesta Del Sol Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,596
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 2,568
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,024
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 931
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary 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 (~539 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Puesta Del Sol Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Puesta Del Sol Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Rio Rancho 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 Puesta Del Sol Elementary
How many students attend Puesta Del Sol Elementary?
Puesta Del Sol Elementary has 539 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rio Rancho, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Puesta Del Sol Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Puesta Del Sol Elementary is 10.6:1, which is 24% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 32% 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 Puesta Del Sol Elementary?
100.0% of students at Puesta Del Sol Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Puesta Del Sol Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Puesta Del Sol Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 69.9% of enrollment, in Rio Rancho, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Puesta Del Sol Elementary?
Puesta Del Sol Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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).
How does Puesta Del Sol Elementary rank among elementary schools in Rio Rancho?
By Resource Investment Index, Puesta Del Sol Elementary ranks #11 of 12 elementary schools in Rio Rancho, NM. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Rio Rancho on the city page.
Is Puesta Del Sol Elementary a good school?
Puesta Del Sol Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% 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 Rio Rancho Public Schools?
Besides Puesta Del Sol Elementary, Rio Rancho Public Schools also operates Cleveland High School (2,596 students), Rio Rancho High (2,568 students), and Rio Rancho Middle School (1,024 students). See the Rio Rancho 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.