Enrollment
53
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350255000587
Tatum Jr High — Tatum, NM
Federal NCES profile for Tatum Jr High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 67
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: Tatum 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)
4.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.3%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tatum 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
Tatum Jr High reports 53 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 4.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 56% below the New Mexico average and 32% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1325 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tatum Municipal Schools spends $18,006 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.1% from local sources (property taxes), 60.3% from the state, and 4.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Tatum 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.3% | ▼ 56% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 53 | top 9% | — | — |
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
35.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 56% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
— 11% below state mean
Top 36% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 64% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
13.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$18,006
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Per 1325 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 53 Top 9% in New Mexico — larger than 91% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 4.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.3% -56% vs state
NCES ID 350255000587
Student demographics
White 52.8%
Hispanic or Latino 43.4%
Two or More 3.8%
Largest group: White at 52.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Students per counselor 1325:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tatum Municipal Schools, which includes Tatum Jr High.
$18,006
Per student
-5%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.1%
State 60.3%
Federal 4.6%
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
- 129
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 128
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
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 Tatum Jr High
How many students attend Tatum Jr High?
Tatum Jr High has 53 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TATUM, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tatum Jr High?
The student-teacher ratio at Tatum Jr High is 12.8:1, which is 11% lower than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 19% 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 Tatum Jr High?
35.3% of students at Tatum Jr High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tatum Jr High?
The largest demographic group at Tatum Jr High is White at 52.8%. The school serves a student body in TATUM, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tatum Jr High?
Tatum Jr High has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.