Dexter Consolidated Schools

Dexter Consolidated Schools is a small, high-poverty New Mexico district with three schools — one elementary, one middle, and one high school — serving 772 students in total, and it ranks 75th of 87 districts statewide, at the 14th percentile with 1 star. Dexter Elementary (PK–5) is the largest campus with 330 students, followed by Dexter High (9–12) with 264 and Dexter Middle (6–8) with 178. All three schools report 100% free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, and student-teacher ratios are fairly similar: 12.9 at the middle school, 15.2 at the elementary, and 15.5 at the high school.

Comparing the three, Dexter Middle holds the strongest current standing at 112th of 191 schools, the 41st percentile with 2 stars, and its 7th grade ELA proficiency of 53.06% beats the state's 46.63%. Dexter Elementary also earned 2 stars, at the 34th percentile, with 3rd grade ELA at 53.49% and 5th grade math at 42.55%, both above state averages, though 4th grade math (13.33%) and 4th grade ELA (40%) lag well behind. Dexter High ranks lowest at the 20th percentile with 1 star, yet its 2024–2025 graduation rate of 89.4% far exceeds the state's 80.6%.

Math is the district's broadest weakness, with middle school math at 12.84% versus 27.85% statewide and high school NM Combined math under 10% versus 25.54%. Science falls below state at every level — 25.53% in 5th grade, 21.43% in 8th grade, and 18.33% in 11th grade — while high school 11th grade ELA sits at 30% versus 37.07%. Dexter High dropped from the 63rd percentile and 3 stars in 2023–2024 to the 20th percentile and 1 star in 2025–2026, even as the elementary and middle schools improved from 1 star to 2 stars.