State profile · NM

New Mexico Public Schools

Every public school, district, and the headline NCES measures for New Mexico — 152 districts, drawn straight from federal records.

873
Schools
305,112
Students
14.4:1
Avg ratio
80.8%
Free lunch

The state in one line

New Mexico runs 873 public schools across 152 districts, with a 14.4:1 average classroom and 80.8% of students on subsidized lunch.

873
public schools
152
school districts
14.4:1
avg student–teacher
80.8%
free/reduced lunch

What the NCES Data Says About New Mexico Schools

New Mexico operates 873 public K-12 schools organised into 152 independent school districts serving 305,112 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, Albuquerque Public Schools, enrolls 79,805 pupils across 176 schools at $12,964 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.

Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 14.4:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 80.8% across New Mexico public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.

Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.

New Mexico's average class size vs. every US state

Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)

14 smaller classes than 49% of 51 US states

11–12: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 12–13: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 13–14: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 14–15: 10 US states (20%). This entry sits in this band. 15–16: 5 US states (10%). Above this entry. 16–17: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. 17–18: 4 US states (8%). Above this entry. 18–19: 5 US states (10%). Above this entry. 20–21: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 21–22: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 22–23: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 23–24: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. This state 11 24 every US state, by average class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

Or browse all New Mexico schools

Federal data — no proprietary formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.

Albuquerque Public Schools accounts for 26.2% of all New Mexico K-12 enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-district share — means state-level averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant district. Albuquerque Public Schools operates 176 schools serving 79,805 students, spending $12,964 per pupil. When one district dominates a state's K-12 footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the state's students.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Local Education Agency (District) Universe Survey · 2024-25

New Mexico per-pupil spending varies 4.9× across districts

Per-pupil spending in New Mexico ranges from $8,130 (lowest district) to $39,596 (highest), a spread of $31,466. That spread reflects typical state-level variation between high-property-value suburbs and rural or low-tax-base districts. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Local Education Agency Finance Survey (F-33) · FY 2021-22

New Mexico has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 80.8% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch

Free-lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), which replaced No Child Left Behind in defining how the federal government distributes K-12 supplemental funding. Districts above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. States with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local property tax base, which can either offset spending gaps or reinforce them depending on state allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility · 2024-25

Average New Mexico student-teacher ratio is 14.4:1 — near the U.S. average of approximately 16:1

Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Variation between districts within the state is wider than the state-average figure suggests — large urban districts may run 20:1 while small rural districts run 10:1, both inside the same average. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data — Public School Universe School-level enrollment and staffing · 2024-25

School Spending

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Schools ranked by per-pupil expenditure

District Spending

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Districts ranked by per-pupil expenditure

Largest Schools

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Schools ranked by student enrollment

Funding Equity

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Districts ranked by funding equity score

Best Student-Teacher Ratios

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Schools with the smallest class sizes

Best Schools

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Top-rated schools by quality score

Best Districts

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Top-ranked districts by quality score

Chronic Absenteeism

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Schools ranked by absenteeism rates

Affordable Districts

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Quality schools in affordable areas

Largest districts in New Mexico

By total K-12 enrollment — NCES Common Core 2024-25

Top district = 26% of enrollment
Albuquerque Public Schools79,805Las Cruces Public Schools23,631Rio Rancho Public Schools17,272Gadsden Independent Schools12,551Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools12,224Santa Fe Public Schools11,769Farmington Municipal Schools11,201Hobbs Municipal Schools9,990Roswell Independent Schools9,701Los Lunas Public Schools8,234
# District Enrollment
1 Albuquerque Public Schools Albuquerque 79,805
2 Las Cruces Public Schools Las Cruces 23,631
3 Rio Rancho Public Schools Rio Rancho 17,272
4 Gadsden Independent Schools Anthony 12,551
5 Gallup-Mckinley Cty Schools Gallup 12,224
6 Santa Fe Public Schools Santa Fe 11,769
7 Farmington Municipal Schools Farmington 11,201
8 Hobbs Municipal Schools Hobbs 9,990
9 Roswell Independent Schools Roswell 9,701
10 Los Lunas Public Schools Los Lunas 8,234
11 Clovis Municipal Schools Clovis 7,664
12 Carlsbad Municipal Schools Carlsbad 7,102
13 Alamogordo Public Schools Alamogordo 5,575
14 Deming Public Schools Deming 5,366
15 Central Consolidated Schools Shiprock 5,037
16 Los Alamos Public Schools Los Alamos 3,724
17 Artesia Public Schools Artesia 3,722
18 Belen Consolidated Schools Belen 3,602
19 Lovington Municipal Schools Lovington 3,382
20 Grants-Cibola County Schools Grants 3,211
21 Espanola Public Schools Espanola 2,954
22 Bernalillo Public Schools Bernalillo 2,786
23 Portales Municipal Schools Portales 2,610
24 Bloomfield Schools Bloomfield 2,584
25 Aztec Municipal Schools Aztec 2,562
26 Moriarty-Edgewood School District Moriarty 2,331
27 Silver Consolidated Schools Silver City 2,273
28 Taos Municipal Schools Taos 2,267
29 Mission Achievement and Success Albuquerque 2,105
30 Ruidoso Municipal Schools Ruidoso 1,820
31 Pojoaque Valley Public Schools Santa Fe 1,630
32 West Las Vegas Public Schools Las Vegas 1,555
33 Socorro Consolidated Schools Socorro 1,438
34 New Mexico Connections Academy Santa Fe 1,401
35 T or C Municipal Schools T or C 1,287
36 Pecos Cyber Academy Edgewood 1,276
37 Explore Academy Albuquerque 1,204
38 Las Vegas City Public Schools Las Vegas 1,202
39 Hatch Valley Public Schools Hatch 1,166
40 Zuni Public Schools Zuni 1,095
41 Cobre Consolidated Schools Bayard 1,023
42 Abq School of Excellence Albuquerque 910
43 Tucumcari Public Schools Tucumcari 907
44 Tularosa Municipal Schools Tularosa 890
45 Raton Public Schools Raton 844
46 Dexter Consolidated Schools Dexter 812
47 Cuba Independent Schools Cuba 746
48 Eunice Municipal Schools Eunice 726
49 Turquoise Trail Charter School Santa Fe 677
50 Loving Municipal Schools Loving 647
51 Estancia Valley Classical Academy Edgewood 626
52 The Ask Academy Rio Rancho 625
53 Hozho Academy Gallup 616
54 School of Dreams Academy Los Lunas 606
55 Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools Santa Rosa 603
56 Texico Municipal Schools Texico 551
57 Mccurdy Charter School Espanola 540
58 Estancia Municipal Schools Estancia 539
59 Jal Public Schools Jal 527
60 Dulce Independent Schools Dulce 521
61 Pecos Independent Schools Pecos 511
62 Horizon Academy West Albuquerque 481
63 Capitan Municipal Schools Capitan 471
64 Montessori Elementary School Albuquerque 439
65 Mora Independent Schools Mora 433
66 Lordsburg Municipal Schools Lordsburg 425
67 Cimarron Municipal Schools Cimarron 401
68 Clayton Municipal Schools Clayton 395
69 21st Century Public Academy Albuquerque 393
70 North Valley Academy Charter Los Ranchos De Albuquerque 380
71 Albuquerque Bilingual Academy Albuquerque 379
72 Cloudcroft Municipal Schools Cloudcroft 379
73 Monte Del Sol Charter Santa Fe 369
74 Hagerman Municipal Schools Hagerman 368
75 Chama Valley Indep. Schools Tierra Amarilla 363
76 Jemez Valley Public Schools Jemez Pueblo 359
77 Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science Albuquerque 342
78 Nm School for Arts Santa Fe 329
79 Questa Independent Schools Questa 326
80 Logan Municipal Schools Logan 317
81 Tatum Municipal Schools Tatum 298
82 Melrose Public Schools Melrose 295
83 Tierra Encantada Charter School Santa Fe 289
84 Magdalena Municipal Schools Magdalena 285
85 Penasco Independent Schools Penasco 284
86 Sw Aeronautics Mathematics and Science Academy Albuquerque 278
87 Taos Academy Taos 274
88 Fort Sumner Municipal Schools Fort Sumner 273
89 Solare Collegiate Charter School Albuquerque 259
90 Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools Ojo Caliente 246
91 Tierra Adentro Albuquerque 243
92 The Masters Program Santa Fe 242
93 Sandoval Academy of Bilingual Education Rio Rancho 228
94 Floyd Municipal Schools Floyd 228
95 Amy Biehl Charter High School Albuquerque 222
96 Altura Preparatory School Albuquerque 222
97 Dora Municipal Schools Dora 219
98 Mountainair Public Schools Mountainair 210
99 Taos Integrated School of the Arts Taos 206
100 J Paul Taylor Academy Las Cruces 198

Showing top 100 of 152 districts by enrollment.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 Local Education Agency Universe Federal universe survey of all U.S. school districts

Largest Schools in New Mexico

Cleveland High School
Rio Rancho — high
2,596
students
Rio Rancho High
Rio Rancho — high
2,568
students
Hobbs High
Hobbs — high
2,312
students
Organ Mountain High School
Las Cruces — high
2,128
students
Volcano Vista High
Albuquerque — high
2,089
students
Atrisco Heritage Academy Hs
Albuquerque — high
1,930
students
La Cueva High
Albuquerque — high
1,826
students
Farmington High
Farmington — high
1,747
students
Centennial High School
Las Cruces — high
1,713
students
Las Cruces High
Las Cruces — high
1,703
students

Other States

Nevada
NV public schools
New Hampshire
NH public schools
New Jersey
NJ public schools
New York
NY public schools
North Carolina
NC public schools
North Dakota
ND public schools

Side-by-side: Compare Albuquerque Public Schools vs Las Cruces Public Schools → · Compare any two districts

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in New Mexico?

New Mexico has 873 public schools across 152 school districts, serving 305,112 students.

What is the average student-teacher ratio in New Mexico?

The average student-teacher ratio in New Mexico public schools is 14.4:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.

What percentage of New Mexico students qualify for free lunch?

80.8% of students in New Mexico qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.

What is the largest school district in New Mexico?

The largest school district in New Mexico is Albuquerque Public Schools with 79,805 students across 176 schools.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Top schools in New Mexico by enrollment

Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled

students

What this shows The largest public schools in New Mexico by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.