Elementary Schools in Rio Rancho

Summary:

The Rio Rancho school district in New Mexico contains 12 elementary schools serving students from kindergarten through 5th grade, with one school (Shining Stars Preschool) serving only pre-kindergarten students. The district is ranked 30th out of 82 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. While some schools in the district excel academically, others struggle, highlighting the need to address performance gaps and provide additional support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The top-performing elementary schools in Rio Rancho are Ernest Stapleton Elementary, Sandia Vista Elementary, and Enchanted Hills Elementary, all of which rank in the top 15% of New Mexico elementary schools and have a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. These schools demonstrate consistently high test scores, with proficiency rates significantly above the district and state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics.

In contrast, some schools in the Rio Rancho district struggle academically, with proficiency rates well below the district and state averages. Schools like Puesta Del Sol Elementary and Colinas Del Norte Elementary have lower test scores, suggesting a need to address the factors contributing to these performance gaps, which may include socioeconomic disparities and the need for additional support and resources.

District Detail

500 Laser Road NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124

(505) 896-0667

SchoolDigger Rank:
30^th of 82 New Mexico districts

See the 2025 New Mexico District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 16,461

Primary Schools: 11
Middle Schools: 4
High Schools: 4
Alternative Schools: 0

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-MSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Rio Rancho Elementary	Public	K-5	4601 Pepe Ortiz Rd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 892-0220	486	30	15.9	100.0%	109 (22.4%)	6 (1.2%)	305 (62.8%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.8%)	41.6	182^nd of 345 public elementary schools	47.2%		37.9	233^rd of 413 public elementary schools	43.6%	51	19.0	51.1	52.3	35.4	46.7	19.6	34.1	27.9	27.0	$9,461
Puesta Del Sol Elementary	Public	K-5	450 Southern Blvd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 994-3305	539	29	18.3	99.8%	106 (19.7%)	4 (0.7%)	377 (69.9%)	3 (0.6%)	17 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (5.6%)	24.7	262^nd of 345 public elementary schools	24.1%		34.9	243^rd of 413 public elementary schools	41.2%	19	29.1	33.7	33.0	30.9	32.5	15.8	17.5	29.1	21.0	$8,908
Martin King Junior Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Nicklaus Dr SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 892-2575	569	31	18.1	100.0%	138 (24.3%)	16 (2.8%)	347 (61.0%)	24 (4.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.9%)	58.9	106^th of 345 public elementary schools	69.3%		72	88^th of 413 public elementary schools	78.7%	18	32.7	59.5	57.8	44.9	54.0	35.7	31.2	35.7	34.0	$7,579
Ernest Stapleton Elementary	Public	K-5	3100 Stapleton Ave NE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 891-8473	798	42	18.9		250 (31.3%)	3 (0.4%)	449 (56.3%)	3 (0.4%)	21 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (9.0%)	78.3	51^st of 345 public elementary schools	85.2%		83.6	55^th of 413 public elementary schools	86.7%	4	43.5	59.1	74.8	48.3	60.9	43.5	39.7	53.1	45.3	$8,890
Colinas Del Norte Elementary	Public	K-5	1001 Night Sky Ave NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 896-3378	540	34	15.9	100.0%	130 (24.1%)	10 (1.9%)	358 (66.3%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.7%)	22.9	275^th of 345 public elementary schools	20.3%		29.4	279^th of 413 public elementary schools	32.4%	4	21.1	33.0	43.7	32.2	36.2	13.6	16.1	23.3	17.7	$8,935
Vista Grande Elementary	Public	K-5	7001 Chayote Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 771-2366	786	34	22.9		186 (23.7%)	13 (1.7%)	444 (56.5%)	13 (1.7%)	45 (5.7%)	2 (0.3%)	83 (10.6%)	65.2	87^th of 345 public elementary schools	74.8%		76.4	75^th of 413 public elementary schools	81.8%	12	41.2	51.4	56.4	52.9	53.7	30.0	32.9	49.3	37.2	$8,253
Maggie Cordova Elementary School	Public	K-5	1500 Veranda Rd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 994-0229	608	41	14.6	100.0%	136 (22.4%)	9 (1.5%)	415 (68.3%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.8%)	45.8	163^rd of 345 public elementary schools	52.8%		61.7	129^th of 413 public elementary schools	68.8%	34	31.6	38.1	53.1	45.3	44.7	27.7	18.5	39.3	29.7	$8,930
Cielo Azul Elementary	Public	K-5	3804 Shiloh Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 338-2320	640	38	16.7	100.0%	152 (23.8%)	21 (3.3%)	368 (57.5%)	14 (2.2%)	22 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (9.7%)	39	192^nd of 345 public elementary schools	44.3%		51.8	164^th of 413 public elementary schools	60.3%	28	26.2	34.7	48.0	47.1	42.7	23.1	20.4	37.5	26.9	$8,635
Sandia Vista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6800 Franklin Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 338-2526	713	35	20.2		185 (25.9%)	17 (2.4%)	401 (56.2%)	18 (2.5%)	37 (5.2%)	2 (0.3%)	53 (7.4%)	77.4	52^nd of 345 public elementary schools	84.9%		77.3	72^nd of 413 public elementary schools	82.6%	20	51.2	41.5	66.0	67.2	57.8	37.4	37.9	67.2	48.2	$9,047
Joe Harris Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 10th Street SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 896-0706	574	32	17.9		131 (22.8%)	7 (1.2%)	371 (64.6%)	10 (1.7%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.7%)	67.5	82^nd of 345 public elementary schools	76.2%		78.8	67^th of 413 public elementary schools	83.8%	15	52.2	49.0	64.7	54.4	56.1	26.5	36.4	42.2	34.8
Enchanted Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	5400 Obregon Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 891-8526	673	42	16.0		207 (30.8%)	6 (0.9%)	384 (57.1%)	3 (0.4%)	15 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (8.6%)	75.2	55^th of 345 public elementary schools	84.1%		83.1	57^th of 413 public elementary schools	86.2%	2	45.2	51.3	60.2	61.3	57.7	31.0	39.8	62.1	44.9	$7,891

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
The Ask Academy	0.68 mi	1	5^th
Albuquerque	2.29 mi	176	54^th
Explore Academy - Rio Rancho	2.67 mi	1	27^th
North Valley Academy	5.2 mi	1	58^th
Cottonwood Classical Prep	6.14 mi	1	2^nd

See the top NM New Mexico districts

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.