Best Public Schools in Pecos, NM

Pecos, New Mexico is served by three public schools in the Pecos Independent Schools district, covering PK–12 with a combined enrollment of 434 students and no alternative schools. Pecos Elementary (PK–5) enrolls 194 students, Pecos Middle (6–8) enrolls 110, and Pecos High (9–12) enrolls 130. Roughly 47% of elementary students qualify for free or reduced lunch, compared with about 90% at both secondary schools, and staffing follows the same split: 11.4 students per teacher at the elementary versus 21.9 at the middle school and 21.5 at the high school.

Comparisons favor the elementary school. On 2025-26 NM Combined tests, Pecos Elementary posted 36% proficiency in language arts and 15% in math, above the district's 30.88% and 10.6% but below the state's 43.34% and 25.54%. Its 3rd grade language arts score of 50% exceeded the state's 44.33%. Pecos Middle has the weakest reported results: 28.72% in language arts, math under 10%, and science under 20%, all below district and state figures. Pecos High's picture is mixed — its 2024-25 graduation rate of 81.2% was slightly above the state's 80.6%, and 11th grade science was 34.78% on NM Combined versus 34.02% statewide, though 31.82% on NM-ASR versus 34.27%. Most of the high school's language arts and math data is suppressed by the state and is unknown.

Rankings show a downward trend at the secondary level. Pecos Middle fell from the 47th percentile and 2 stars in 2023-24 to the 20th percentile and 1 star in 2024-25; Pecos High fell from the 35th percentile and 2 stars to the 16th percentile and 1 star. Pecos Elementary has held 1 star throughout, most recently 19th percentile. District proficiency remains below state in core subjects, and language arts movement is uneven — elementary rose from 30.11% to 36% while middle fell from 33.33% to 27.96%. Suppressed figures are unknown, not zero.