Best High Schools in Aztec, NM

The city of Aztec, New Mexico is home to two high schools: Aztec High and Vista Nueva High. While both schools serve grades 9-12, they exhibit stark contrasts in their academic performance and student demographics.

Aztec High, the larger of the two with 692 students, consistently ranks in the bottom third of New Mexico high schools and has significantly lower test scores than the state average in both English Language Arts and Science. In contrast, Vista Nueva High, with just 80 students, has consistently ranked in the top half of New Mexico high schools and maintains a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.2 compared to Aztec High's 17.6.

Despite the performance gap, both schools share the same four-year graduation rate of 78.0%. However, the student demographics differ, with Aztec High having a relatively more affluent student population, as indicated by its low free/reduced lunch rate of 0.58%, while Vista Nueva High serves a more economically disadvantaged community with a free/reduced lunch rate of 31.25%. These factors may contribute to the observed differences in academic performance between the two high schools within the Aztec School District.