Enrollment
39
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Velarde, NM
Velarde Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Velarde Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 350090000277
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Velarde Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of New Mexico schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 6.5:1
- small classes for New Mexico
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 39
- students enrolled
Velarde Elementary has class sizes smaller than 96% of New Mexico schools. Computed live against every New Mexico school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Espanola Public Schools · New Mexico
NCES ID 350090000277 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
6.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.5:1
vs 14:1 New Mexico avg
-54% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Velarde Elementary compares with New Mexico and U.S. medians
What stands out at Velarde Elementary
Velarde Elementary is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Velarde, New Mexico, enrolling 39 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.5:1, Velarde Elementary is leaner than roughly 96% of New Mexico schools and 54% under the state's 14:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of New Mexico schools, with 39 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 867 scored New Mexico schools.
Among 43 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Mexico schools statewide, it ranks #36, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 195 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Espanola Public Schools also operates Espanola Valley High (869 students) and Carlos F. Vigil Middle (379 students) alongside Velarde 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 Velarde Elementary compares
Velarde 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 | 6.5:1 | ▼ 54% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 39 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.5:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
39
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
6.5:1
students per teacher
- 54% below state mean
Top 4% in New Mexico - lower ratio than 96% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
43.6%
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
$14,886
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Mexico avg of $16,652
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 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 97.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 5.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 5.1, Velarde Elementary is less mixed than the New Mexico school average of 39.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Espanola Public Schools, which includes Velarde Elementary.
$14,886
Per student
-11%
vs New Mexico
Avg $16,652
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.0%
State 69.3%
Federal 21.7%
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 Velarde Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espanola Valley High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Carlos F. Vigil Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eutimio Salazar Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Rodriguez Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Tony Quintana Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Velarde Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 869
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 233
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 208
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
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 (~39 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Velarde Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Velarde Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Espanola 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 Velarde Elementary
How many students attend Velarde Elementary?
Velarde Elementary has 39 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Velarde, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Velarde Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Velarde Elementary is 6.5:1, which is 54% lower than the New Mexico average of 14:1 and 59% 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 Velarde Elementary?
100.0% of students at Velarde Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Velarde Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Velarde Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.4% of enrollment, in Velarde, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Velarde Elementary?
Velarde Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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).
Is Velarde Elementary a good school?
Velarde Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 96% of New Mexico schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most New Mexico schools. 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 Espanola Public Schools?
Besides Velarde Elementary, Espanola Public Schools also operates Espanola Valley High (869 students), Carlos F. Vigil Middle (379 students), and Eutimio Salazar Elementary (339 students). See the Espanola 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.