Gadsden Independent Schools

Gadsden Independent Schools serves 11,217 students across 22 schools in southern New Mexico near the Texas border: 14 elementary schools (5,652 students), 3 middle schools (1,724), and 5 high schools (3,841). The district is rated 54th of 87 in New Mexico, at the 38th percentile with 2 stars. That district rating applies to every school, so it is context rather than a school-specific grade. Economic need is nearly universal — free/reduced lunch is 100% at almost every school, with only Santa Teresa High (99.83%) and Gadsden Middle (99.85%) slightly under.

The biggest standout is Alta Vista Early College High School, ranked 9 of 132 high schools statewide (93rd percentile, 5 stars), with 11th-grade proficiency of 71.79% in language arts and 56.41% in math — far above district and state. Elementary math is a district-wide bright spot: La Union Elementary (4 stars, 84th percentile), North Valley Elementary (4 stars), Loma Linda Elementary (4 stars), Riverside Elementary, and Desert Trail Elementary all post math results well above the state average of 25.54%. Santa Teresa Middle is the middle-school standout at 3 stars, with 56.33% ELA and 41.63% in 8th-grade science.

Outside Alta Vista, high school outcomes are the district's main challenge: the three comprehensive high schools average only 22.7% ELA, 8.2% math, and 23.5% science in 11th grade, below district and state. Gadsden High, Chaparral High, Vado Elementary, Sunrise Elementary, Berino Elementary, and Desert Pride Academy (75.0% graduation, several scores under 20%) have the lowest results. Notably, Santa Teresa High graduates 94.5% of students — above the district's 90.9% and the state's 80.6% — despite low test proficiency.