High school (grades 9-12) · Albuquerque, NM

Valley High

Federal NCES profile for Valley High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 350006000116
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
40
📚 AP courses
35
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
68
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Valley High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico.

#14 of 29
high schools in Albuquerque · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
15:1
students per teacher
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

Valley High has class sizes near the New Mexico median. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Valley High ranks #14 of 29 high schools in Albuquerque, NM.

Enrollment

962

New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

64.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15:1

vs 14:1 New Mexico avg

+7% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 80.8% New Mexico avg

+24% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Valley High compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Valley High

Valley High is a high-poverty, large high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, enrolling 962 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger 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.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Mexico, bigger than 95% of state schools at 962 students.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 867 scored New Mexico schools.

Against 52 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage is strong, about 160 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Albuquerque Public Schools spends $12,964 per pupil, 22% below the New Mexico average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Albuquerque Public Schools also operates Volcano Vista High (2,089 students) and Atrisco Heritage Academy Hs (1,930 students) alongside Valley High.

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 Valley High compares

Valley High 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 15:1 ▲ 7% 14:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 24% 80.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 962 top 5% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
962
Bigger than 90% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

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
15:1
students per teacher - 7% above state mean
Top 68% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,964
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 160 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 153 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 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 82.2%
White 8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.4%
Two or More 3.1%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.5%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 82.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 31.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 31.4, Valley High is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.

Programs

AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Albuquerque Public Schools, which includes Valley High.

$12,964
Per student
-22%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 68.0%
Federal 14.5%

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 Valley High Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Volcano Vista High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Atrisco Heritage Academy Hs Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
La Cueva High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sandia High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Eldorado High Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Valley High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Albuquerque Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Valley High's federal record.

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 Valley High

How many students attend Valley High?

Valley High has 962 students enrolled. It is a high school in Albuquerque, NM.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley High?

The student-teacher ratio at Valley High is 15:1, which is 7% higher than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley High?

100.0% of students at Valley High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley High?

The largest demographic group at Valley High is Hispanic or Latino at 82.2% of enrollment, in Albuquerque, NM.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley High?

Valley High has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Valley High rank among high schools in Albuquerque?

By Resource Investment Index, Valley High ranks #14 of 29 high schools in Albuquerque, NM. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Albuquerque on the city page.

Is Valley High a good school?

Valley High earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Mexico median. It is also one of the largest schools in New Mexico. 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 Albuquerque Public Schools?

Besides Valley High, Albuquerque Public Schools also operates Volcano Vista High (2,089 students), Atrisco Heritage Academy Hs (1,930 students), and La Cueva High (1,826 students). See the Albuquerque Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.