Enrollment
1,024
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350001000865
Rio Rancho Middle School — Rio Rancho, NM
Federal NCES profile for Rio Rancho Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 19
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: Rio Rancho Public 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)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.1%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Rio Rancho Middle School 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
Rio Rancho Middle School reports 1,024 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 70.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% above the New Mexico state mean of 14.4:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 23.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 71% below the New Mexico average and 55% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 341 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rio Rancho Public Schools spends $13,705 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 14.8% from local sources (property taxes), 74.5% from the state, and 10.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F), 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 Rio Rancho Middle School 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.1% | ▼ 71% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,024 | top 95% | — | — |
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
23.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 71% below the New Mexico average of 80.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 75% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
32.2%
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
$13,705
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 341 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
309
in-school suspensions + 173 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 30.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 47.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,024 Top 95% in New Mexico — larger than 5% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 70.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 23.1% -71% vs state
NCES ID 350001000865
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 61.7%
White 22.5%
Two or More 7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.1%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 61.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 341:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.2%
In-school suspensions 309
Out-of-school suspensions 173
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rio Rancho Public Schools, which includes Rio Rancho Middle School.
$13,705
Per student
-28%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,596
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,568
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 931
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 798
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
Similar middle schools in Rio Rancho
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 Rio Rancho Middle School
How many students attend Rio Rancho Middle School?
Rio Rancho Middle School has 1,024 students enrolled. It is a middle school in RIO RANCHO, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Rio Rancho Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Rio Rancho Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 13% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Rio Rancho Middle School?
23.1% of students at Rio Rancho Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Rio Rancho Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Rio Rancho Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 61.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in RIO RANCHO, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Rio Rancho Middle School?
Rio Rancho Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) 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.