Best Public Schools in Penasco, NM

Summary:

The city of Penasco, New Mexico is home to three schools: Penasco Elementary, Penasco Middle, and Penasco High. These schools serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade within the Penasco school district.

Among the three schools, Penasco High School stands out as a top performer, ranking 29th out of 172 New Mexico high schools and maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past two school years. The school's low student-teacher ratio of 15.3 and 78.0% four-year graduation rate contribute to its success. In contrast, Penasco Middle School has a 3-star rating and has maintained this level of performance for the past three years, with mixed academic results in English Language Arts and Science proficiency compared to state averages.

While Penasco Elementary and Penasco Middle schools face some challenges, with mixed academic performance and high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, the data suggests that Penasco High School is a standout performer in the district, providing a strong educational foundation for students in the Penasco community.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	NM-ASR Science 5th Grade	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Penasco Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	13 School Rd	Penasco	87553	Taos County	Penasco	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 587-2230	127	7	17.8	100.0%	6 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (87.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	56.3	112^th of 345 public elementary schools	67.5%		51.9	163^rd of 413 public elementary schools	60.5%	51	36.0		36.4	60.0			45.2	36.0	17.7	$14,409
Penasco High	Public	9-12	13 School Rd	Penasco	87553	Taos County	Penasco	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 587-2230	75	6	12.7	100.0%	3 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$17,459
Penasco Middle	Public	6-8	13 School Rd	Penasco	87553	Taos County	Penasco	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 587-2230	74	5	15.5	100.0%	3 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (86.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.1%)	57.2	64^th of 192 public middle schools	66.7%		39.7	75^th of 165 public middle schools	54.5%	11		52.6			37.9	57.9	40.0		10.0	$13,109

Cities Near Penasco

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Dixon	8.03 mi	1
Espanola	12.42 mi	12	83^rd
Velarde	13.25 mi	1
Ranchos De Taos	15.04 mi	1	70^th
Taos	16.06 mi	12	30^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.