Elementary Schools in Central

Summary:

The Central school district in New Mexico is home to 8 elementary schools serving grades PK-6, with student populations ranging from 63 to 467 students. While the district as a whole appears to be struggling, with most schools performing well below state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency, a few standout schools are showing signs of success.

Judy Nelson Elementary stands out as the highest-ranked school in the Central district, ranking 185 out of 345 New Mexico elementary schools and earning 2 out of 5 stars from SchoolDigger. In contrast, the other Central district schools are all ranked in the bottom quarter of New Mexico elementary schools. Eva B Stokely Elementary has the highest overall proficiency rates in Mathematics across all grades, at 26.26% compared to the Central district average of 17.13% and the New Mexico state average of 26.81%. Newcomb Elementary stands out with the highest overall proficiency rates in English Language Arts, at 38.89% compared to the Central district average of 30.09% and the New Mexico state average of 44.19%.

Despite these bright spots, the Central district as a whole faces significant challenges, with most schools performing well below state averages in core academic areas. This is likely due to the high levels of economic disadvantage among the student populations, with all schools having between 65.78% and 75.92% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Additionally, several schools, such as Mesa Elementary and Naschitti Elementary, have seen their statewide rankings drop significantly over the past few years, indicating a concerning trend of declining performance.

District Detail

Old High School Rd
Shiprock, NM 87420

(505) 368-4984

SchoolDigger Rank:
78^th of 82 New Mexico districts

See the 2025 New Mexico District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 4,515

Primary Schools: 8
Middle Schools: 3
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 6th 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 6th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Mesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	N Hwy 491 Mesa School Rd	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4529	229	21	11.1	100.0%	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	215 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)								(n/a)			30.0	20.5		21.2					13.5	$11,357
Naschitti Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Us Hwy 491	Sheep Springs	87364	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 732-4204	78	8	10.0	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.6%)	2 (2.6%)	71 (91.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.8%)								(n/a)												$14,007
Newcomb Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Us 491	Newcomb	87455	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 696-3415	169	22	7.7	100.0%	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	1 (0.6%)	156 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.1%)	38.4	195^th of 345 public elementary schools	43.5%		21.1	330^th of 413 public elementary schools	20.1%	135		45.8	33.3	37.5		38.9					13.9	$13,225
Nizhoni Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Hwy 491	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4565	207	20	10.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.4%)	5 (2.4%)	190 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	14.3	327^th of 345 public elementary schools	5.2%		6.3	408^th of 413 public elementary schools	1.2%	81		28.6	17.1			20.0	20.0				11.3	$11,021
Ojo Amarillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	Rd 6500 And Rd 6466	Fruitland	87416	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 960-5271	280	26	10.9	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.2%)	1 (0.4%)	261 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	19.7	298^th of 345 public elementary schools	13.6%		16.1	358^th of 413 public elementary schools	13.3%	60		22.9	31.3	23.5	25.6	26.3		25.0	23.5	30.8	21.8	$11,665
Kirtland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	30 Cr 6446	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 598-5893	388	30	13.1	100.0%	23 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	310 (79.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	25.2	258^th of 345 public elementary schools	25.2%		21.1	331^st of 413 public elementary schools	19.9%	73			43.2	24.6	34.6	27.2		29.6	21.1	25.5	20.3	$11,911
Eva B Stokely Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	West Hwy 64	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-5109	203	23	9.0	100.0%	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)	4 (2.0%)	181 (89.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.4%)	23.3	272^nd of 345 public elementary schools	21.2%		38.5	225^th of 413 public elementary schools	45.5%	47	16.7	21.1	36.8	31.0		28.3			35.7		26.3	$13,874
Judy Nelson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	40 Cr 6580	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 598-6285	486	36	13.5	100.0%	69 (14.2%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (14.4%)	5 (1.0%)	318 (65.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.7%)	40.7	185^th of 345 public elementary schools	46.4%		53.4	155^th of 413 public elementary schools	62.5%	30	17.4	41.1	43.1	42.0	47.4	43.7		18.5	37.7	39.7	28.0	$11,168

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Nenahnezad Community School	2.09 mi	1
Farmington	6.62 mi	20	64^th
Navajo Preparatory School	7.95 mi	1
Dream Dine	18.35 mi	1
Shiprock Northwest High School	18.67 mi	1

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.