Summary:
The city of Bernalillo, New Mexico, just north of Albuquerque, has five public schools, all part of Bernalillo Public Schools, serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade: two elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school, with 1,975 students enrolled in total. Every school reports 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, so economic need is high and uniform across the city. The district as a whole is ranked 82 of 87 in New Mexico, at the 6th percentile with 0 stars, but that single district number hides very large differences between individual schools.
Placitas Elementary is the clear standout. It is the only school in the city rated 4 or 5 stars, ranking 15 of 345 statewide at the 96th percentile in 2024-25, and its multi-year record stays high. In 2025-26 its all-grades language arts score is 65.96 and math is 42.55, far above both the district (31.17 and 13.8) and the state (43.34 and 25.54). Its science scores are suppressed by the state for privacy, so they cannot be judged. At the other end, Bernalillo High ranks 132 of 132 with 0 stars, a 72.9 graduation rate versus 80.6 statewide, and 11th-grade language arts of 10.22 and science of 8.89 versus state 36.78 and 34.02. Its math is under 5% in multiple exams.
Among the rest, Spartan Learning Academy is stronger in language arts (36.21 all grades) than math (9.05) or science (13.08 in 8th grade), and its rank has slipped from the 32nd percentile to the 18th. Bernalillo Elementary scores 27.89 in language arts and 15.49 in math, slightly above district math but below state. Wd Carroll Elementary, which serves only K–3, is above district and state in 3rd-grade math (29.35 versus 24.1 district and 26.24 state). Across the city, math and science are the broadest weaknesses, and Placitas shows high poverty does not make high performance impossible.
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