Best High Schools in Deming, NM

Deming, New Mexico has three high schools serving grades 9–12, all within Deming Public Schools: Deming High (1,174 students), Early College High School (180 students), and Deming Cesar Chavez (177 students). Together they enroll 1,531 high schoolers, with Deming High holding 76.7% of that total. The district overall ranks 72nd of 87 in New Mexico, at the 17th percentile with 1 star — but school-level results vary widely.

Early College High School is the academic standout. It ranked 43rd of 132 (67th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–2026, after 14th of 131 (89th percentile, 5 stars) in 2024–2025. In 2025–2026 grade 11, it reached 46.43% proficiency in Language Arts and 35.71% in Mathematics, far above district (26.36% and 8.60%) and state (36.78% and 12.72%). Deming High graduates students at 85.2%, above the district's 82.5% and the state's 80.6%, yet its test proficiency sits mostly below district and state levels — grade 11 math is just 6.94%. Deming Cesar Chavez has the lowest graduation rate at 62.5%, the highest student-teacher ratio at 18:1, and 2025–2026 proficiency reported as under 20% in every listed subject.

Poverty does not distinguish these schools: free/reduced-lunch rates run from 99.74% at Deming High to 100% at both others. Nor does size — Early College and Cesar Chavez are nearly identical in enrollment (180 vs. 177) with dramatically different outcomes, suggesting school model and culture matter more than student counts. Math is the weakest area across the group, with Deming High and the district well below the state and Early College the clear exception. A "—" value means the state suppressed the figure; it is unknown, not zero.