Summary:
Capitan Municipal Schools contains a single high school serving grades 9–12: Capitan High, a small school of 134 students located at 519 Smokey Bear Blvd in Capitan, New Mexico. Because the district has only one high school, school and district figures frequently match exactly. The district is ranked 36th of 87 in New Mexico, at the 59th percentile with 3 stars.
Graduation is the clearest strength. Capitan High posted a 90.4% graduation rate in 2024–2025, well above New Mexico's 80.6% and 9.8 percentage points higher. Science is also consistently above state: 42.11% on 2025–2026 NM Combined science (11th grade) versus 34.02% statewide, 43.24% on NM-ASR science versus 34.27%, and 55.17% on 2024–2025 NM-ASR science versus 41.69%. The science margin narrowed from about +13 points to about +9 points year over year. The school's profile is small and well-staffed, with an 8.2 student-teacher ratio and 28.36% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch—roughly 38 students based on enrollment.
English/language arts sits just below state in every reported measure—33.33% versus 36.78% on NM Combined Language Arts (11th grade), 34.21% versus 37.07% on SAT English Language Arts, and 34.48% versus 38.44% the prior year—a consistent gap of roughly 3–4 points. Math is the least transparent area, as every reported school math value is under 20%. The only conclusive comparison is NM Combined All Grades math, where the school is under 20% and the state is 25.54%, placing the school below state; for SAT and 11th-grade math the state is also under 20%, so the school's exact standing is unknown. Ranking has slipped from 22nd of 172 (87th percentile, 4 stars) in 2023–2024 to 50th of 131 (62nd percentile) and then 58th of 132 (56th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–2026—a 31-point percentile drop. With only 134 students, year-to-year percentages can shift substantially from just a few students.
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