Best Middle Schools in Deming, NM

Deming, New Mexico has two middle schools serving grades 6 through 8 — Red Mountain Middle (grades 7–8, 746 students) and Deming Intermediate (grade 6, 373 students) — both part of Deming Public Schools, enrolling about 1,119 students combined. The district context is weak: it ranks 72nd of 87 districts in New Mexico, in the 17th percentile with 1 star. Nearly every student at both schools qualifies for free or reduced lunch (99.6% at Red Mountain and 100% at Deming Intermediate), so any academic strengths are occurring despite very high economic disadvantage.

Red Mountain Middle is the clear standout for improvement, rising from 1 star and the 15th percentile in 2024–2025 to 2 stars and the 36th percentile in 2025–2026, with ELA, math, and science scores all up roughly 5–8 points. Its brightest academic spot is seventh-grade math, at 33.53% proficient versus 27.10% statewide, and seventh-grade ELA (43.06%) is reasonably close to the state's 46.99%. The flip side is eighth grade, the biggest concern in the data: only 9.17% of eighth graders were proficient in math against 20.50% statewide, with ELA at 31.52% versus 43.85% and science at 27.22% versus 34.33%.

Deming Intermediate serves only grade 6, so its all-grade results are grade 6 results. It posted a genuine math bright spot in 2024–2025, with 27.51% proficient — above both the district's 20.27% and the state's 26.81%. In 2025–2026, its grade 6 ELA (37.29% vs. 39.14% state) is within about two points of the state, while math (27.72% vs. 32.13%) slipped below it. Because the two schools serve different grades, direct comparisons can mislead; the clearest shared priority is lifting Red Mountain's eighth-grade results, especially in math.