Enrollment
486
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Rio Rancho, NM
Rio Rancho Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Rio Rancho Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 350001000101
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Rio Rancho Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median.
- #1 of 12
- elementary schools in Rio Rancho · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Rio Rancho Elementary has class sizes near the New Mexico median. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Rio Rancho Elementary ranks #1 of 12 elementary schools in Rio Rancho, NM.
School address
District: Rio Rancho Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350001000101 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.2:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rio Rancho Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Rio Rancho Elementary
Rio Rancho Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, enrolling 486 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 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 486 puts it in the larger third of New Mexico schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Among 237 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 (63%) and White (22%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 243 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.1% 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 Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho Elementary compares
Rio Rancho 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 | 12.2:1 | ▼ 13% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 486 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
486
Bigger than 60% 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
12.2:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 35% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 243 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 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 62.8%
White 22.4%
Two or More 8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.3%
African American 1.2%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.6, Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho 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 (~486 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Rio Rancho Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Rio Rancho 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 Rio Rancho Elementary
How many students attend Rio Rancho Elementary?
Rio Rancho Elementary has 486 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Rio Rancho, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rio Rancho Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Rio Rancho Elementary is 12.2:1, which is 13% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 22% 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 Rancho Elementary?
100.0% of students at Rio Rancho Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rio Rancho Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Rio Rancho Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 62.8% of enrollment, in Rio Rancho, NM. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rio Rancho Elementary?
Rio Rancho Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher 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 Rio Rancho Elementary rank among elementary schools in Rio Rancho?
By Resource Investment Index, Rio Rancho Elementary ranks #1 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 Rio Rancho Elementary a good school?
Rio Rancho Elementary earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median. 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 Rio Rancho 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.