Enrollment
256
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 350017300950 Charter school
Tierra Encantada Charter School — Santa Fe, NM
Federal NCES profile for Tierra Encantada Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 55/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 85
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: Tierra Encantada Charter School · 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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.6:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.7%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
-76% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tierra Encantada Charter 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
Tierra Encantada Charter School reports 256 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% 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 30% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 19.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 76% below the New Mexico average and 62% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 256 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tierra Encantada Charter School spends $13,983 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.5% from local sources (property taxes), 69.7% from the state, and 12.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C), 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 Tierra Encantada Charter 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 | 20.6:1 | ▲ 43% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.7% | ▼ 76% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 256 | top 46% | — | — |
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
19.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 76% 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
20.6:1
students per teacher
— 43% above state mean
Top 95% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,983
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 256 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 256 Top 46% in New Mexico — larger than 54% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 20.6:1 +43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 19.7% -76% vs state
NCES ID 350017300950
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 93.0%
White 4.3%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 93.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 256:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.9%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tierra Encantada Charter School, which includes Tierra Encantada Charter School.
$13,983
Per student
-27%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 69.7%
Federal 12.8%
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.
Similar other schools in Santa Fe
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
New Mexico Connections Academy
Standard public school
1,487 students 21.6:1 students per teacher
El Camino Real Academy Community
Standard public school
704 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Nina Otero Community School
Standard public school
629 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Turquoise Trail Charter School
Standard public school
622 students 15:1 students per teacher
Pinon Elementary
Standard public school
513 students 16:1 students per teacher
Ramirez Thomas Elementary
Standard public school
417 students 14:1 students per teacher
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 Tierra Encantada Charter School
How many students attend Tierra Encantada Charter School?
Tierra Encantada Charter School has 256 students enrolled. It is a other school in SANTA FE, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tierra Encantada Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tierra Encantada Charter School is 20.6:1, which is 43% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tierra Encantada Charter School?
19.7% of students at Tierra Encantada Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tierra Encantada Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Tierra Encantada Charter School is Hispanic or Latino at 93.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in SANTA FE, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tierra Encantada Charter School?
Tierra Encantada Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (C) 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.