Los Ranchos Elementary

Los Ranchos Elementary is a PK–5 school at 7609 Fourth St NW in Albuquerque's North Valley, part of Albuquerque Public Schools, serving 194 students — the smallest PK–5 enrollment among its nearby comparison schools — with a 100% free/reduced-lunch rate and a student–teacher ratio of 8.1 in 2024–2025. It ranks 223rd of 346 New Mexico elementaries (36th percentile, 2 stars) and 55th of 87 APS schools (37th percentile, 2 stars), placing it slightly above its own district's overall position but in the lower third of the state.

On 2025–2026 tests, 29.76% of students were proficient in English language arts and 14.12% in math, versus 44.59% and 27.69% in the district and 44.66% and 27.85% statewide. Fifth-grade science came in at 31.03%, essentially at district and state parity. Math is the deepest concern — roughly half the state proficiency rate and flat across three years (12% → 16.47% → 14.12%) — while ELA has climbed steadily (21% → 27.06% → 29.76%). Neighbors with similar poverty rates post much higher results: Alvarado Elementary at 71.09% ELA and Petroglyph Elementary at 55.72% ELA. The school's standout resource is class size: at 8.1 students per teacher it has the smallest classes in the group, yet the second-lowest proficiency, ahead of only Alameda Elementary (19.12% ELA, under 10% math).

There is a sharp split by grade. Fifth grade beats the district in ELA (51.85% vs 43.72%) and sits close to benchmark in math and science, while fourth-grade ELA is 27.27% against district 49.99% — a wider gap than the school average — and fourth-grade math is suppressed by the state to under 20%. Third-grade ELA and math are suppressed as well and should be treated as unknown, not as a weakness. Most student groups have posted large multi-year gains, with boys the one group lingering in the bottom decile. The closest neighbor, North Valley Academy (0.29 miles away), shows a mirror image: stronger ELA and math but weaker science (24.49%) and a lower district rank.