Best Public Schools in Belen, NM

Summary:

The city of Belen, New Mexico is home to 10 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. The schools in this Belen school district serve a diverse student population, with many students coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Among the standout schools in Belen are Rio Grande Elementary, Gil Sanchez Elementary, and Dennis Chavez Elementary, all of which have consistently ranked in the top 25-30% of New Mexico elementary schools and earned 4-star ratings. These schools excel in both English Language Arts and math, outperforming the district and state averages. In contrast, the middle and high schools in Belen struggle to meet state proficiency levels, with Belen Middle and Belen High performing below average in core subjects.

One bright spot in the district is Belen Infinity High, which has shown steady improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from the bottom 10% to the top 50% over the past several years. Additionally, the Belen Family School, a small K-8 school, stands out as the top performer in the district, ranking in the top 10% of New Mexico elementary schools and earning a 5-star rating with exceptional test scores.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT School Day English Language Arts (2025)	SAT School Day Mathematics (2025)	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	SAT School Day English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT School Day Mathematics 11th Grade	NM-ASR Science 5th Grade	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science 11th Grade	NM-ASR Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 8th 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 6th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Belen High	Public	9-12	1619 West Delgado Ave	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1300	958	51	18.9	99.9%	154 (16.1%)	10 (1.0%)	752 (78.5%)	2 (0.2%)	20 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.1%)	19	108^th of 131 public high schools	17.6%		27.2	114^th of 172 public high schools	33.7%	6	28.9	4.2			29.0																$9,581
Belen Middle	Public	7-8	314 South 4th St	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1600	475	30	15.8	99.8%	67 (14.1%)	9 (1.9%)	382 (80.4%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	28.6	134^th of 192 public middle schools	30.2%		30.4	99^th of 165 public middle schools	40.0%	35				16.1							43.5	39.3	41.2					24.0	13.1	18.0	$9,375
Central Elementary	Public	4-6	600 W. Picard Ave	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1200	166	15	11.4	99.4%	26 (15.7%)	3 (1.8%)	135 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)								(n/a)								42.0	37.8	30.5			36.3		22.0	18.9	13.6			17.8	$9,859
Dennis Chavez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	19670 Hwy 314	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1800	294	22	13.3	100.0%	43 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	237 (80.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	60.4	98^th of 345 public elementary schools	71.6%		67.8	107^th of 413 public elementary schools	74.1%	9			22.2				36.4	62.2	46.7	63.4			52.0	20.5	53.3	42.2	63.4			44.6	$9,163
Gil Sanchez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	376 Jarales Rd	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1900	316	22	14.3	100.0%	56 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	253 (80.1%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	60.6	96^th of 345 public elementary schools	72.2%		70.8	94^th of 413 public elementary schools	77.2%	2			25.5				43.9	45.5	45.1	61.7			49.4	34.2	30.3	49.0	66.0			46.5	$9,486
Rio Grande Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	15 Eastside School Rd	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2200	332	29	11.6	100.0%	38 (11.4%)	3 (0.9%)	281 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)							54.9						54.9	32.4						32.4	$10,150
Belen Infinity High	Public	9-12	221 S 4th St	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1500	112	10	11.7	100.0%	24 (21.4%)	2 (1.8%)	82 (73.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.9%)	41.3	58^th of 131 public high schools	55.7%					(n/a)	38.7				41.9																$8,877
La Promesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	898 Hwy 304	Belen	87002	Socorro County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2400	230	18	12.7	100.0%	41 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (78.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	25.5	256^th of 345 public elementary schools	25.8%		33.5	250^th of 413 public elementary schools	39.5%	6							25.0	52.4	27.8	36.1			33.6				25.0			18.4	$9,643
Belen Family School	Public	1-8	4 Eastside School Road	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 966-2270	154	5	29.0	100.0%	43 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (66.9%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.2%)	85	37^th of 345 public elementary schools	89.3%		86.9	40^th of 413 public elementary schools	90.3%	3				38.7		28.3	53.9	55.6	68.2	68.8	62.5	61.3	62.1		55.6			43.8	45.2	49.1	$8,877
La Merced Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	301 Alame Loop	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2100	463	30	15.6	100.0%	86 (18.6%)	3 (0.6%)	366 (79.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31.1	215^th of 345 public elementary schools	37.7%		39.4	222^nd of 413 public elementary schools	46.2%	7							36.2	50.0	15.1	45.3			36.0	26.1	20.7		22.7			19.3	$9,239

Cities Near Belen

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Los Lunas	6.41 mi	18	61^st
Albuquerque	16.81 mi	212	44^th
Mountainair	30.5 mi	3
Polvadera	34.37 mi	1
Tijeras	35.69 mi	2	20^th

See the top NM New Mexico cities

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.