Enrollment
46
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mesilla, NM
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute
Federal NCES profile for Rio Grande Preparatory Institute, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 64/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 350150000932
👥 S:T ratio 85
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 90
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of New Mexico schools.
- 64
- Resource Index · Higher
- 3.8:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 46
- students enrolled
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute has class sizes smaller than 99% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Las Cruces Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350150000932 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
3.8:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rio Grande Preparatory Institute compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is a high-poverty, small high school in Mesilla, New Mexico, enrolling 46 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 3.8:1, Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is leaner than roughly 99% of New Mexico schools and 73% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of New Mexico schools, with 46 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 100% of the 867 New Mexico schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 51 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and White (22%) (diversity index 37/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 51 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The surrounding Las Cruces Public Schools spends $12,237 per pupil, 27% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Las Cruces Public Schools also operates Organ Mountain High School (2,128 students) and Centennial High School (1,713 students) alongside Rio Grande Preparatory Institute.
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 Rio Grande Preparatory Institute compares
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute 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 | 3.8:1 | ▼ 73% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 46 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
3.8:1
Leaner classes than 99% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
46
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
3.8:1
students per teacher
- 73% below state mean
Top 1% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,237
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 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 76.1%
White 21.7%
African American 2.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.3, Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is less 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 Las Cruces Public Schools, which includes Rio Grande Preparatory Institute.
$12,237
Per student
-27%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.6%
State 69.4%
Federal 17.0%
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 Rio Grande Preparatory Institute Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organ Mountain High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Centennial High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Las Cruces High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mayfield High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Camino Real Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Rio Grande Preparatory Institute's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,128
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,327
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 933
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
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 (~46 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~3.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rio Grande Preparatory Institute's federal record.
- Compare Rio Grande Preparatory Institute against another school. Compare schools
- Las Cruces 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 Rio Grande Preparatory Institute
How many students attend Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute has 46 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mesilla, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?
The student-teacher ratio at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is 3.8:1, which is 73% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 76% 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 Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?
100.0% of students at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?
The largest demographic group at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is Hispanic or Latino at 76.1% of enrollment, in Mesilla, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute has a Resource Investment Index of 64/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Rio Grande Preparatory Institute a good school?
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute earns 64/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% 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 Las Cruces Public Schools?
Besides Rio Grande Preparatory Institute, Las Cruces Public Schools also operates Organ Mountain High School (2,128 students), Centennial High School (1,713 students), and Las Cruces High (1,703 students). See the Las Cruces 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.