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Ernest Stapleton Elementary

Q: Is Ernest Stapleton Elementary a good school?

Ernest Stapleton Elementary ranks 39 th of 346 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Ernest Stapleton Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 798 students attended Ernest Stapleton Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Ernest Stapleton Elementary?

Students at Ernest Stapleton Elementary are 56% Hispanic, 31% White, 9% Two or more races, 3% American Indian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Ernest Stapleton Elementary attend?

Students who attend Ernest Stapleton Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Rio Rancho High

Public Grades K-5

39^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 89% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Ernest Stapleton Elementary is a K–5 public elementary school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, serving 798 students as part of Rio Rancho Public Schools — the largest elementary enrollment among the nearby comparison schools in this dataset. In 2025–2026 the school ranked 39th of 346 New Mexico schools (89th percentile, 4 stars), well above its district, which ranks 29th of 87 statewide (67th percentile, 3 stars). Stapleton has earned 4 stars every year since 2014–2015, with percentiles typically in the high 70s to 80s, and the current 89th percentile ties its best recent mark.

Academically, Stapleton outperforms both its district and the state. In 2025–2026, all-grade Language Arts proficiency was 66.67% (district 54.07%, state 43.34%), and math was 48.51% (district 34.72%, state 25.54%). Fifth-grade science was 47.74% (district 38.9%, state 31.97%). Those ELA and math results are the highest among all nearby schools, ahead of same-district peers such as Enchanted Hills Elementary, Joe Harris Elementary, and Martin King Junior Elementary, as well as Corrales K-8 and Explore Academy - Rio Rancho. Science is strong but less of a differentiator: Enchanted Hills (47.86%) and Explore Academy (48.48%) are essentially tied with Stapleton at fifth grade.

Recent improvement is striking: all-grade ELA rose from 55% in 2022–2023 to 66.67%, math from 39% to 48.51%, and science from 36% to 47.74%. The low-socioeconomic-status subgroup ranked 19th of 256 schools (93rd percentile, 5 stars), above the school's overall standing. Internally, third-grade math (42.61%) is the lowest grade-level result but still exceeds district (36.77%) and state (26.24%), while fourth-grade ELA (70.3%) is the strongest. Special Education results have been mixed and based on limited comparisons, and English Language Learner data exists for only one year (54th percentile in 2021–2022). Free/reduced lunch figures are not reported for 2024–2025. Notably, Stapleton achieves these results with the largest enrollment and a higher student–teacher ratio (18.9) than most nearby schools.

798

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,890

Per pupil spending ?

30.2%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students in New Mexico receive free school meals.

3100 Stapleton Ave NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87124

(505) 891-8473

District: Rio Rancho Public Schools

Students who attend Ernest Stapleton Elementary usually attend:

High:

Rio Rancho High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.3%

White:

31.3%

Two or more races:

9.0%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Ernest Stapleton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 89th percentile in 2015 → 89th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (57% vs 36% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of New Mexico elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Rio Rancho Public Schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school57%

District avg46%

New Mexico avg36%

39^th of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 18% (2016) to top 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 10Elementary Schools in the Rio Rancho Public Schools

29^th of 87Rio Rancho Public Schools among New Mexico districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	84.2	39 of 346	88.7%	★★★★☆
2025	78.3	51 of 345	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.6	55 of 413	86.7%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	81 of 435	81.4%	★★★★☆
2022	70.2	86 of 420	79.5%	★★★★☆
2019	74.5	82 of 396	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	77.1	68 of 383	82.2%	★★★★☆
2017	73.5	72 of 374	80.7%	★★★★☆
2016	77.0	72 of 410	82.4%	★★★★☆
2015	84.2	46 of 421	89.1%	★★★★☆
2014	81.4	55 of 442	87.6%	★★★★☆
2013	77.1	77 of 412	81.3%	★★★★☆
2012	78.4	65 of 398	83.7%	★★★★☆
2011	84.2	48 of 402	88.1%	★★★★☆
2010	80.9	56 of 419	86.6%	★★★★☆
2009	77.8	58 of 411	85.9%	★★★★☆
2008	80.2	57 of 405	85.9%	★★★★☆
2007	74.3	76 of 398	80.9%	★★★★☆
2006	83.4	47 of 390	87.9%	★★★★☆
2005	78.5	63 of 389	83.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	55.9	21 of 34	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.3	21 of 56	62.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	40.3	24 of 35	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	49.9	93 of 203	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	68.2	52 of 252	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	70.5	82 of 398	79.4%	★★★★☆
2023	72.6	98 of 390	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	86 of 395	78.2%	★★★★☆
2019	64.5	96 of 343	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	68.9	80 of 339	76.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	78.6	41 of 273	85.0%	★★★★☆
2025	77.3	38 of 255	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	78.2	67 of 384	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	62.6	137 of 395	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.4	94 of 389	75.8%	★★★★☆
2019	61.1	96 of 320	70.0%	★★★★☆
2018	65.0	93 of 329	71.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	80.9	19 of 256	92.6%	★★★★★
2025	81.4	36 of 325	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	83.7	48 of 356	86.5%	★★★★☆
2023	78.2	85 of 426	80.0%	★★★★☆
2022	51.3	147 of 410	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	177 of 361	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	132 of 356	62.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	80.1	34 of 251	86.5%	★★★★☆
2024	83.2	48 of 397	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	81.7	68 of 414	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	64.2	85 of 392	78.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.8	51 of 337	84.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.4	36 of 333	89.2%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	16.4	48 of 50	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	29.6	4 of 4	0.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	24 of 45	46.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.7	20 of 83	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	46.2	50 of 91	45.1%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	93.1	6 of 90	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	77.6	22 of 92	76.1%	★★★★☆
2022	35.2	61 of 99	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	86.5	3 of 64	95.3%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	37.0	4 of 6	33.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	33.1	90 of 158	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.0	58 of 165	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.5	85 of 132	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.3	29 of 47	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	84.4	35 of 304	88.5%	★★★★☆
2025	78.4	47 of 304	84.5%	★★★★☆
2024	78.0	52 of 339	84.7%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	80 of 413	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	57.8	117 of 325	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.1	52 of 199	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	70.8	38 of 187	79.7%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Native American (2024)93rd percentile+7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)93rd percentile+4 vs school

White (2026)88th percentile~ school

Male (2026)86th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)85th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)79th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)54th percentile-25 vs school

African American (2023)38th percentile-43 vs school

Special Education (2025)33rd percentile-52 vs school

Disabled (2018)31st percentile-51 vs school

Military Connected (2022)4th percentile-76 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)<1st percentile-85 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts67%+23 vs state

Mathematics49%+21 vs state

Science49%+16 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 8, 2016

Extremely over crowded! Parents are not welcome at the school and communication with parents is also not welcome. Close Quote

by a parent
Monday, June 18, 2012

My Son went to kindergarten at this school, I was highly impressed with the teachers, staff and the principals. The school is new, clean, and nice. My son enjoyed going to school and I loved the schedule for the school hours. Highly recommend this school! Close Quote

Schools Near Ernest Stapleton Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NM-ASR Science (2026)			NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2026)							NM-MSSA Mathematics (2026)							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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM-ASR Science 5th Grade	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science All Grades	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 7th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Ernest Stapleton Elementary	Public	K-5	3100 Stapleton Ave NE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 891-8473	798	42	18.9	30.2%	250 (31.3%)	3 (0.4%)	449 (56.3%)	3 (0.4%)	21 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (9.0%)	84.2	39^th of 346 public elementary schools	88.7%		78.3	51^st of 345 public elementary schools	85.2%	12	48.7			66.4	70.7	64.5				67.4	42.7	51.8	50.7				49.1	$8,890
Rio Rancho Elementary	Public	K-5	4601 Pepe Ortiz Rd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 892-0220	486	30	15.9	46.9%	109 (22.4%)	6 (1.2%)	305 (62.8%)	2 (0.4%)	21 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (8.8%)	44.1	179^th of 346 public elementary schools	48.3%		41.6	182^nd of 345 public elementary schools	47.2%	3	35.9			50.6	49.4	41.0				47.2	21.5	29.2	37.2				29.3	$9,461
Martin King Junior Elementary	Public	K-5	1301 Nicklaus Dr SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 892-2575	569	31	18.1	29.2%	138 (24.3%)	16 (2.8%)	347 (61.0%)	24 (4.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (6.9%)	62.9	92^nd of 346 public elementary schools	73.4%		58.9	106^th of 345 public elementary schools	69.3%	14	29.5			62.8	64.6	51.4				58.9	48.7	31.7	39.1				39.6	$7,579
Enchanted Hills Elementary	Public	K-5	5400 Obregon Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 891-8526	673	42	16.0	23.2%	207 (30.8%)	6 (0.9%)	384 (57.1%)	3 (0.4%)	15 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (8.6%)	74.1	59^th of 346 public elementary schools	82.9%		75.2	55^th of 345 public elementary schools	84.1%	4	48.7			61.3	61.4	53.0				58.6	36.1	47.4	47.0				43.4	$7,891
Maggie Cordova Elementary School	Public	K-5	1500 Veranda Rd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 994-0229	608	41	14.6	51.6%	136 (22.4%)	9 (1.5%)	415 (68.3%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	35 (5.8%)	34.7	219^th of 346 public elementary schools	36.7%		45.8	163^rd of 345 public elementary schools	52.8%	56	26.2			42.9	46.8	29.8				40.6	30.5	28.4	27.4				28.9	$8,930
Colinas Del Norte Elementary	Public	K-5	1001 Night Sky Ave NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 896-3378	540	34	15.9	47.4%	130 (24.1%)	10 (1.9%)	358 (66.3%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.7%)	47.6	161^st of 346 public elementary schools	53.5%		22.9	275^th of 345 public elementary schools	20.3%	114	33.7			62.9	40.4	47.3				50.0	39.3	23.4	28.6				30.3	$8,935
Explore Academy - Rio Rancho	Public, Charter	K-8	6090 Zenith Court	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Explore Academy - Rio Rancho	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(505) 306-5283	430	31	13.8	18.8%	150 (34.9%)	8 (1.9%)	201 (46.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	65 (15.1%)	70.7	67^th of 346 public elementary schools	80.6%		64.8	88^th of 345 public elementary schools	74.5%	21	48.5	72.0	62.7	65.9	83.3	57.6	47.9	50.0	56.0	61.1	36.4	43.3	39.4	29.2	28.0	18.0	32.3
Cielo Azul Elementary	Public	K-5	3804 Shiloh Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 338-2320	640	38	16.7	36.7%	152 (23.8%)	21 (3.3%)	368 (57.5%)	14 (2.2%)	22 (3.4%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (9.7%)	43.3	181^st of 346 public elementary schools	47.7%		39	192^nd of 345 public elementary schools	44.3%	11	37.0			50.5	43.3	46.7				46.6	32.3	20.0	35.9				28.5	$8,635
Puesta Del Sol Elementary	Public	K-5	450 Southern Blvd SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 994-3305	539	29	18.3	50.6%	106 (19.7%)	4 (0.7%)	377 (69.9%)	3 (0.6%)	17 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	30 (5.6%)	26.3	261^st of 346 public elementary schools	24.6%		24.7	262^nd of 345 public elementary schools	24.1%	1	24.0			32.9	48.1	29.8				37.4	21.4	26.9	24.0				24.5	$8,908
Joe Harris Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 10th Street SE	Rio Rancho	87124	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 896-0706	574	32	17.9	27.9%	131 (22.8%)	7 (1.2%)	371 (64.6%)	10 (1.7%)	11 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.7%)	67.6	78^th of 346 public elementary schools	77.5%		67.5	82^nd of 345 public elementary schools	76.2%	4	39.4			61.6	68.3	49.0				59.6	39.0	38.5	39.4				39.0

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