Enrollment
616
New Mexico · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 350150000399
Zia Middle — Las Cruces, NM
Federal NCES profile for Zia Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 38
📋 Attendance 0
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: Las Cruces 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 14.4:1 New Mexico avg
+22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 80.8% New Mexico avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Zia Middle 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
Zia Middle reports 616 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the New Mexico average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 308 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Las Cruces Public Schools spends $13,226 per pupil district-wide, below the New Mexico average of $19,045 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.6% from local sources (property taxes), 69.4% from the state, and 17.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Zia Middle 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 22% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 24% | 80.8% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 616 | top 88% | — | — |
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
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
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 22% above state mean
Top 85% in New Mexico — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
55.0%
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
$13,226
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 308 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 616 Top 88% in New Mexico — larger than 12% of 873 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +24% vs state
NCES ID 350150000399
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 80.2%
White 15.9%
African American 1.9%
Two or More 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 308:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.0%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Las Cruces Public Schools, which includes Zia Middle.
$13,226
Per student
-31%
vs New Mexico
Avg $19,045
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 13.6%
State 69.4%
Federal 17.0%
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
- 2,128
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,713
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,703
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,327
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 933
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
Similar middle schools in Las Cruces
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Camino Real Middle
Standard public school
933 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Mesa Middle
Standard public school
728 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Sierra Middle
Standard public school
698 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Picacho Middle
Standard public school
698 students 16.2:1 students per teacher
Vista Middle
Standard public school
574 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Lynn Middle
Standard public school
507 students 13.7:1 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 Zia Middle
How many students attend Zia Middle?
Zia Middle has 616 students enrolled. It is a middle school in LAS CRUCES, NM.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Zia Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Zia Middle is 17.6:1, which is 22% higher than the New Mexico average of 14.4:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Zia Middle?
100.0% of students at Zia Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Mexico average of 80.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Zia Middle?
The largest demographic group at Zia Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 80.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAS CRUCES, NM.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Zia Middle?
Zia Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.