New Mexico is a popular tourist destination for those seeking the truth about extraterrestrial life. It’s also home to several out-of-this-world school districts that are teaching students to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams.
At the top of the list is Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico’s largest city. This large school district performs above the state average in standardized testing at all grade levels. This district is also home to both the girl’s and boy’s state basketball championship teams.
Los Alamos Public Schools in Los Alamos County rank next on the list. This district reports math, science, and reading proficiency levels that well outpace the state average. Graduation rates are also above 90% in Los Alamos Public Schools.
In 3rd rank is Cloudcroft Municipal Schools in Otero County. This expansive district covers a wide area full of natural beauty and is home to the Bears athletics programs.
4th place goes to Dora Municipal Schools in Roosevelt County. Dora schools have regularly earned “A” ratings from the department of education and Dora Elementary is a National Blue Ribbon School.
Rounding out the top 5 rankings is Las Cruces Public Schools. This unique district has seen students perform at Carnegie Hall, a prestigious appearance to be sure.
Top School Districts in New Mexico, 2019
Rank School District County City State
1 Albuquerque Public Schools Bernalillo County Albuquerque New Mexico
2 Los Alamos Public Schools Los Alamos County Los Alamos New Mexico
3 Cloudcroft Municipal Schools Otero County Cloudcroft New Mexico
4 Dora Municipal Schools Roosevelt County Dora New Mexico
5 Las Cruces Public Schools Doña Ana County Las Cruces New Mexico
6 Rio Rancho Public Schools Sandoval County Rio Rancho New Mexico
7 Gadsden Independent Schools Doña Ana County Anthony New Mexico
8 Tatum Municipal Schools Lea County Tatum New Mexico
9 Artesia Public Schools Eddy County Artesia New Mexico
10 Capitan Municipal Schools Lincoln County Capitan New Mexico
11 Hobbs Municipal Schools Lea County Hobbs New Mexico
12 Silver Consolidated Schools Grant County Silver City New Mexico
13 Mora Independent Schools Mora County Mora New Mexico
14 Estancia Municipal Schools Torrance County Estancia New Mexico
15 Fort Sumner Municipal Schools De Baca County Fort Sumner New Mexico
16 Clovis Municipal Schools Curry County Clovis New Mexico
17 Cobre Consolidated Schools Grant County Bayard New Mexico
18 Lordsburg Municipal Schools Hidalgo County Lordsburg New Mexico
19 T Or C Municipal Schools Sierra County T Or C New Mexico
20 Cimarron Municipal Schools Colfax County Cimarron New Mexico
21 Farmington Municipal Schools San Juan County Farmington New Mexico
22 Los Lunas Public Schools Valencia County Los Lunas New Mexico
23 Santa Fe Public Schools Santa Fe County Santa Fe New Mexico
24 Lovington Municipal Schools Lea County Lovington New Mexico
25 Loving Municipal Schools Eddy County Loving New Mexico
Methodology
The following contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, teacher quality, school funding, student to teacher ratio, standardized test results (reading and math; the percentage of students scoring at or above state proficiency level). Data from a total of 10,728 school districts had sufficient values for the variables above.
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