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Cielo Azul Elementary

Q: Is Cielo Azul Elementary a good school?

Cielo Azul Elementary ranks 181 st of 346 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

181^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 48% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Cielo Azul Elementary is a K–5 school at 3804 Shiloh Rd NE in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, serving 640 students as part of Rio Rancho Public Schools, one of the state's stronger districts, ranked 29th of 87.

For 2025-26, Cielo Azul Elementary ranks 181st of 346 ranked New Mexico elementary schools — 48th percentile, 2 stars. Its proficiency is modestly above the state average but consistently below its own district: about 45% in language arts and 28% in math, roughly 9 and 7 points behind district averages, while the district itself sits at the 67th percentile statewide. Rank history shows a long drift from a peak of 83rd percentile in 2014-15 and 78th in 2021-22 down to the 44th–48th range the past two years. Recent momentum is mildly positive: language arts proficiency has risen three straight years, and fifth-grade science climbed from 25% in 2022-23 to about 37%, moving from below the state to above it.

The most useful context is local. Colinas Del Norte Elementary, just 1.42 miles away, was near the bottom of the area last year but surged and now leads Cielo Azul in both subjects. Four schools within a few miles — Ernest Stapleton Elementary, Sandia Vista Elementary, Vista Grande Elementary and Enchanted Hills Elementary — perform at 4-star levels with larger student-teacher ratios than Cielo Azul's 16.7, so class size does not explain the difference. Inside the school, third and fifth grades are above state in both subjects, but fourth grade is below state in both, and its 19.67% math proficiency is the lowest figure in the local comparison set. One caution: the 2024-25 free/reduced-lunch figure of 100% reflects a district reporting change, not a real demographic shift, so it shouldn't be read as a poverty measure.

640

Students ?

16.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,635

Per pupil spending ?

36.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

All students in New Mexico receive free school meals.

3804 Shiloh Rd NE
Rio Rancho, NM 87144

(505) 338-2320

District: Rio Rancho Public Schools

Students who attend Cielo Azul Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Rio Rancho Middle School
High:	Cleveland High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.5%

White:

23.8%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Cielo Azul Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 83rd percentile in 2015 → 48th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 35 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Rio Rancho Public Schools's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg46%

New Mexico avg36%

181^st of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From top 31% (2016) to bottom 48% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th 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	43.3	181 of 346	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.0	192 of 345	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.8	164 of 413	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	185 of 435	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.4	94 of 420	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	65.0	113 of 396	71.5%	★★★★☆
2018	60.0	123 of 383	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	55.2	133 of 374	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.0	127 of 410	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.9	71 of 421	83.1%	★★★★☆
2014	68.6	116 of 442	73.8%	★★★★☆
2013	74.4	94 of 412	77.2%	★★★★☆
2012	85.6	41 of 398	89.7%	★★★★☆
2011	78.5	69 of 402	82.8%	★★★★☆
2010	76.0	80 of 419	80.9%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	61.9	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.2	23 of 34	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	69.3	15 of 56	73.2%	★★★★☆
2019	51.0	5 of 11	54.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	38.2	25 of 35	28.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	49.2	104 of 223	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.5	52 of 191	72.8%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	46 of 203	77.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	37.6	159 of 252	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	166 of 398	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.1	191 of 390	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.3	93 of 395	76.5%	★★★★☆
2019	69.3	77 of 343	77.6%	★★★★☆
2018	66.1	94 of 339	72.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	171 of 273	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.4	154 of 255	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.7	178 of 384	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.0	175 of 395	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.2	65 of 389	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	63.4	86 of 320	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	62.0	103 of 329	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	35.7	171 of 256	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.6	171 of 325	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	49.1	161 of 356	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.7	296 of 426	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	64.1	78 of 410	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	57.5	128 of 361	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	102 of 356	71.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	29.0	182 of 251	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.2	186 of 397	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.9	170 of 414	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.3	109 of 392	72.2%	★★★★☆
2019	52.3	136 of 337	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	140 of 333	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	67.5	12 of 50	76.0%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	42.5	30 of 45	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.4	53 of 83	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	62 of 91	31.9%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	78.4	21 of 92	77.2%	★★★★☆
2019	90.3	1 of 64	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	88.7	3 of 48	93.8%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	46.8	87 of 165	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.5	44 of 47	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	42.5	158 of 304	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.9	172 of 304	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	189 of 339	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.3	202 of 413	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.8	172 of 325	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	137 of 199	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.4	143 of 187	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2023)77th percentile+20 vs school

Military Connected (2022)76th percentile~ school

African American (2024)63rd percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)53rd percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)48th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)47th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile-10 vs school

Female (2026)37th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)33rd percentile-27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile-14 vs school

Disabled (2018)29th percentile-39 vs school

Male (2026)27th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts47%~ state avg

Science37%+5 vs state

Mathematics29%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Cielo Azul 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
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
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
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
Vista Grande Elementary	Public	K-5	7001 Chayote Rd NE	Rio Rancho	87144	Sandoval County	Rio Rancho Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 771-2366	786	34	22.9	26.1%	186 (23.7%)	13 (1.7%)	444 (56.5%)	13 (1.7%)	45 (5.7%)	2 (0.3%)	83 (10.6%)	79	47^th of 346 public elementary schools	86.4%		65.2	87^th of 345 public elementary schools	74.8%	40	50.6			67.2	62.8	60.5				63.2	47.5	37.2	49.7				45.0	$8,253
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
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
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
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
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
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

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