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Desert Star Elementary

Q: Is Desert Star Elementary a good school?

Desert Star Elementary ranks 221 st of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

221^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Desert Star Elementary is a public elementary school in Alamogordo, New Mexico, serving 463 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Alamogordo school district, which is ranked 35 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Desert Star Elementary has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with over 50% receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the school has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 36.06%, compared to the district's 47.8% and the state's 44.19%. Similarly, in Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 24.04%, compared to the district's 33.32% and the state's 26.81%. The school's performance has declined over the years, with its statewide ranking dropping from 140 out of 396 elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 221 out of 345 in 2024-2025.

Interestingly, the nearby Holloman Elementary and Buena Vista Elementary have significantly outperformed Desert Star Elementary in both ELA and Mathematics proficiency, with Holloman Elementary ranked 25 out of 345 New Mexico elementary schools and Buena Vista Elementary ranked 49 out of 345 in the 2024-2025 school year. This suggests that the challenges faced by Desert Star Elementary may be unique and require targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes.

466

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,422

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

400 S Washington Ave
Alamogordo, NM 88310

(575) 812-5750

District: Alamogordo

Students who attend Desert Star Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Mountain View Middle
High:	Alamogordo High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

55.8%

White:

29.6%

Two or more races:

7.9%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Desert Star Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 65th percentile in 2019 → 36th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (30% vs 35% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 65th-percentile peak (2019) to 36th (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg41%

New Mexico avg35%

221^st of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 17% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Alamogordo

35^th of 82Alamogordo among New Mexico districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	221 of 345	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.5	320 of 413	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	316 of 435	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	243 of 420	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	140 of 396	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.1	201 of 383	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	32.3	248 of 374	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.3	275 of 410	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	23.8	350 of 421	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.6	337 of 442	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	19.7	355 of 412	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.5	292 of 398	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.1	302 of 402	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.8	350 of 419	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.6	317 of 411	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.2	348 of 405	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	20.1	350 of 398	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	22.0	335 of 390	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	35.1	273 of 389	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	12.6	16 of 19	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.8	32 of 34	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	47 of 56	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	92.6	1 of 11	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	46.1	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	23.7	175 of 203	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	28.8	266 of 398	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.1	282 of 390	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.4	226 of 395	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	117 of 343	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.5	165 of 339	51.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	14.8	242 of 255	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.3	344 of 384	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	296 of 395	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	233 of 389	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	56.9	113 of 320	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.8	203 of 329	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	203 of 325	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.4	245 of 356	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.8	377 of 426	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.5	190 of 410	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	71.4	66 of 361	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	34.1	245 of 356	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	16.3	341 of 397	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.0	330 of 414	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.8	266 of 392	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.1	161 of 337	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.0	206 of 333	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	51.8	9 of 15	40.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.9	27 of 50	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.9	3 of 7	57.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	63.8	31 of 83	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	41 of 91	54.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	11.9	157 of 158	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	152 of 165	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	231 of 304	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	283 of 339	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.9	354 of 413	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.5	310 of 325	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.3	147 of 199	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	160 of 187	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2023)63rd percentile+35 vs school

Military Connected (2024)40th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)38th percentile~ school

Female (2024)33rd percentile+11 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile-12 vs school

African American (2024)16th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2024)14th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)14th percentile-28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile-31 vs school

Special Education (2024)1st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts36%-8 vs state

Science28%~ state avg

Mathematics24%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Star Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NM-ASR Science (2025)	NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2025)				NM-MSSA Mathematics (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM-ASR Science 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Desert Star Elementary	Public	K-5	400 S Washington Ave	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5750	466	30	15.5	100.0%	138 (29.6%)	20 (4.3%)	260 (55.8%)	6 (1.3%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (7.9%)	29.7	221^st of 345 public elementary schools	35.9%		22.5	320^th of 413 public elementary schools	22.5%	99	27.5	39.1	40.0	29.0	36.1	21.9	22.7	27.5	24.0	$7,422
Yucca Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	310 Dale Scott Blvd	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-6900	179	16	11.1	100.0%	57 (31.8%)	9 (5.0%)	92 (51.4%)	5 (2.8%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.8%)	58.1	109^th of 345 public elementary schools	68.4%		38.2	229^th of 413 public elementary schools	44.6%	120	48.4	41.7		45.2	36.4	29.2		38.7	29.9	$7,573
Sunset Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	2410 10th St	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5200	436	32	13.6	100.0%	124 (28.4%)	24 (5.5%)	256 (58.7%)	9 (2.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.6%)	48.6	146^th of 345 public elementary schools	57.7%		49.2	176^th of 413 public elementary schools	57.4%	30	37.2	46.6	59.0	37.2	46.7	35.6	23.0	24.4	27.8	$8,016
North Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 North Florida	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5400	159	15	10.6	100.0%	51 (32.1%)	4 (2.5%)	96 (60.4%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.8%)								(n/a)		32.0	40.0		27.5				14.5	$7,485
Buena Vista Elementary	Public	K-5	2600 19th St	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5100	222	15	14.8	100.0%	80 (36.0%)	10 (4.5%)	109 (49.1%)	5 (2.3%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (7.2%)	78.8	49^th of 345 public elementary schools	85.8%		75.8	76^th of 413 public elementary schools	81.6%	27	52.9	59.0	30.8	67.7	54.6	51.3		50.0	43.4	$8,302
Sierra Elementary	Public	K-5	2211 Puerto Rico Ave	Alamogordo	88310	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5800	284	17	17.2	99.6%	104 (36.6%)	12 (4.2%)	133 (46.8%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (11.3%)	80.2	45^th of 345 public elementary schools	87.0%		81.3	64^th of 413 public elementary schools	84.5%	19	58.3	50.0	62.5	60.4	58.2	31.6	56.3	50.0	47.0	$8,417
La Luz Elementary	Public	K-5	99 Alamo	La Luz	88337	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5300	224	12	18.6	99.6%	104 (46.4%)	2 (0.9%)	102 (45.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.4%)	43.9	174^th of 345 public elementary schools	49.6%		47.7	181^st of 413 public elementary schools	56.2%	7	36.8	25.0	60.0	38.5	39.5	22.5	36.7	35.9	31.2	$8,366
High Rolls Mountain Park Elementary	Public	K-5	23 Karr Canyon	High Rolls	88325	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 812-5275	21	2	10.5	100.0%	15 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.8%)								(n/a)										$13,293
Holloman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	750 Arnold	Holloman Air Force Base	88330	Otero County	Alamogordo	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 812-6100	517	29	17.8	100.0%	236 (45.6%)	56 (10.8%)	142 (27.5%)	16 (3.1%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (12.0%)	89.9	25^th of 345 public elementary schools	92.8%		88.2	35^th of 413 public elementary schools	91.5%	10	67.2	65.2	78.5	65.6	69.7	57.6	46.2	46.9	50.3	$7,119
Cloudcroft Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	810 James Canyon Hwy	Cloudcroft	88317	Otero County	Cloudcroft	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 601-4416	186	13	14.5	33.3%	117 (62.9%)	1 (0.5%)	51 (27.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.6%)	70	71^st of 345 public elementary schools	79.4%		85.5	45^th of 413 public elementary schools	89.1%	26	37.5	62.5	63.6	62.5	62.9	31.3	36.4	40.6	36.1	$12,522

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Star Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Desert Star Elementary?

Students at Desert Star Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 30% White, 8% Two or more races, 4% African American, 1% Asian, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Desert Star Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 466 students attended Desert Star Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Desert Star Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Star Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Mountain View Middle
High : Alamogordo High

What district is Desert Star Elementary in?

Alamogordo

Is Desert Star Elementary a good school?

Desert Star Elementary ranks 221^st of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Star Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Mexico Public Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.