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Rio Grande High

Q: Is Rio Grande High a good school?

Rio Grande High ranks in the bottom 6.8% of New Mexico high schools.

Q: How many students attend Rio Grande High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,475 students attended Rio Grande High.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Rio Grande High?

Students at Rio Grande High are 95% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% American Indian.

Q: What schools feed into Rio Grande High?

Rio Grande High is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Adobe Acres Elementary Elementary : Armijo Elementary Elementary : Atrisco Elementary Elementary : Barcelona Elementary Elementary : Kit Carson Elementary Elementary : Los Padillas Elementary Elementary : Mountain View Elementary Elementary : Navajo Elementary Elementary : Pajarito Elementary Elementary : Valle Vista Elementary Middle : Ernie Pyle Middle Middle : Harrison Middle Middle : Polk Middle

Public Grades 9-12

123^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 132 New Mexico High Schools

Better than 7% of New Mexico high schools

Summary

Rio Grande High is a large public high school in Albuquerque Public Schools, serving grades 9–12 with 1,475 students in a high-poverty area where 98.71% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The district ranks 55th of 87 in New Mexico, while Rio Grande ranks 123rd of 132 high schools statewide for 2025–2026—7th percentile, 0 stars. Graduation rates improved from 62.0% in 2021–2022 to 74.1% in 2024–2025, still below the district (75.6%) and state (80.6%) averages.

Test proficiency is low across the board. In 2025–2026, 11th-grade proficiency on the NM Combined exam was 25.45% in Language Arts, 3.64% in Mathematics, and 15.61% in Science. Math is the most severe weak spot: Rio Grande’s 3.64% is below West Mesa High (5.75%) and Atrisco Heritage Academy High School (5.78%), and far below the district (16.08%) and state (12.72%). Science is also notably lower than nearby comprehensive schools: 15.61% versus West Mesa High (26.82%), Atrisco Heritage Academy High School (23.41%), and South Valley Academy (21.95%). Language Arts is similar to West Mesa High (25.95%) and South Valley Academy (26.51%), slightly below Atrisco Heritage Academy High School (27.89%), above Siembra Leadership High School (16.83%), and far below Amy Biehl Charter High School (61.9%). SAT math was just 3% in 2025–2026.

The school’s student-teacher ratio of 12.7 is better than other large nearby high schools (14.5 and 14.2), yet that advantage has not translated into stronger test outcomes. High poverty is the norm nearby, but a high-performing charter with 100% free/reduced lunch achieves much higher proficiency, suggesting school design and instruction matter. Subgroup effectiveness is broadly low: low-income students rank in the 26th percentile in 2025–2026—the highest recent subgroup result—while English Language Learners rank 20th percentile and special education students rank 3rd percentile; no subgroup exceeds the 26th percentile. Compared with nearby schools, the school outperforms some alternative and charter options on graduation, but trails the stronger local comprehensive schools on key metrics. The most critical improvement areas are math, science, special education, and English Language Learner support.

1,475

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,858

Per pupil spending ?

98.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2300 Arenal Rd SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105

(505) 873-0220

District: Albuquerque Public Schools

Feeder schools for Rio Grande High:

Elementary:	Adobe Acres Elementary
	Armijo Elementary
	Atrisco Elementary
	Barcelona Elementary
	More...
	Kit Carson Elementary
	Los Padillas Elementary
	Mountain View Elementary
	Navajo Elementary
	Pajarito Elementary
	Valle Vista Elementary
Middle:	Ernie Pyle Middle
	Harrison Middle
	Polk Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.8%

White:

2.4%

American Indian:

1.3%

See top rated New Mexico high schools

Compare Rio Grande High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 30th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (15% vs 28% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the New Mexico average (74% vs 81%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg30%

New Mexico avg28%

123^rd of 132

New Mexico public high schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

19^th of 20High Schools in the Albuquerque Public Schools

55^th of 87Albuquerque 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	15.1	123 of 132	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	14.0	119 of 131	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	155 of 172	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.6	156 of 170	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	124 of 177	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.3	154 of 181	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.0	137 of 182	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.8	121 of 158	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.3	131 of 185	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	27.8	135 of 193	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	38.2	130 of 198	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	25.2	138 of 177	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.8	116 of 163	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.6	112 of 157	28.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	34.3	108 of 154	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	27.5	115 of 151	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.4	93 of 146	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	20.2	124 of 150	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	17.0	116 of 134	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	14.2	113 of 129	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	35.1	31 of 51	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	8 of 10	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	37 of 42	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.4	17 of 31	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.2	12 of 20	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	88 of 95	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	131 of 142	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	132 of 143	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	132 of 157	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.4	131 of 144	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	20.5	123 of 145	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	87 of 100	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.0	93 of 98	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	14.5	122 of 136	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	125 of 132	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	132 of 150	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	119 of 139	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.4	102 of 133	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2019	43.6	5 of 9	44.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	25.3	66 of 89	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.6	102 of 115	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.1	113 of 127	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	140 of 157	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	92 of 154	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.2	130 of 161	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	107 of 164	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	15.0	94 of 100	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.2	142 of 150	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	143 of 146	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	146 of 159	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	130 of 151	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.9	115 of 143	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	7.5	31 of 32	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.4	40 of 62	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	12.2	112 of 117	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.7	109 of 117	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	124 of 136	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.0	151 of 157	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.2	102 of 133	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.7	103 of 109	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.7	104 of 115	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2019)44th percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2018)39th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)26th percentile+19 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)20th percentile+11 vs school

Hispanic (2026)13th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile~ school

Male (2026)6th percentile~ school

White (2026)4th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2024)3rd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts26%-11 vs state

Science16%-18 vs state

Mathematics3%-10 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, January 3, 2016

They need another administrator to run this school. Current principal is a basket case. No tardy policy and is always fighting with staff and students. She needs to be removed from the school in order for it to become better. Maybe the New chief will look at this school and see why the school is getting an F 12/2015 maybe he/she can remove the principal from the school and respect the community, teachers and students. I would not send my children to this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Rio Grande High

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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)				SAT School Day English Language Arts (2026)			SAT School Day Mathematics (2026)			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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	SAT School Day English Language Arts 10th Grade	SAT School Day English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT School Day English Language Arts All Grades	SAT School Day Mathematics 10th Grade	SAT School Day Mathematics 11th Grade	SAT School Day Mathematics All Grades	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science 11th Grade	NM-ASR Science All Grades	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 6th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Rio Grande High	Public	9-12	2300 Arenal Rd SW	Albuquerque	87105	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 873-0220	1,475	115	12.7	98.7%	36 (2.4%)	8 (0.5%)	1,398 (94.8%)	2 (0.1%)	19 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (0.8%)	15.1	123^rd of 132 public high schools	6.8%		14	119^th of 131 public high schools	9.2%	4		25.8			3.0			16.1										$9,858
La Academia De Esperanza	Public, Charter	6-12	1401 Old Coors Rd SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 764-5500	238	13	18.4	97.1%	3 (1.3%)	2 (0.8%)	230 (96.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)		< 10%	< 10%		< 10%	< 10%		< 10%	< 10%									$14,042
New America School	Public, Charter	9-12	1734 Isleta Blvd SW	Albuquerque	87105	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 222-4360	131	15	8.7	99.2%	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (97.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)								(n/a)
South Valley Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	3426 Blake Road SW	Albuquerque	87105	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 452-3132	604	52	11.6	99.5%	444 (73.5%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	69 (11.4%)	18.8	110^th of 132 public high schools	16.7%		38.6	65^th of 131 public high schools	50.4%	45		25.6			< 10%	< 10%	25.0	22.2	23.7	27.3	47.2	29.2	34.6	26.1	28.1	11.5	22.0	$8,739
Mark Armijo Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	6800 Gonzales Rd SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 873-7758	233	16	14.3	79.4%	8 (3.4%)	2 (0.9%)	215 (92.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)								(n/a)		< 20%	< 20%		< 20%	< 20%		< 20%	< 20%									$11,058
Robert F. Kennedy Charter	Public, Charter	6-12	4300 Blake Rd SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 243-1118	314	26	12.3	99.7%	8 (2.5%)	5 (1.6%)	292 (93.0%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	3 (1.0%)								(n/a)							< 20%		11.1			24.3	17.5			< 20%	< 10%	$10,714
School On Wheels High School	Public	9-12	129 Hartline Rd SW	Albuquerque	87105	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 243-2395	65	9	7.6	98.5%	2 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (89.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)								(n/a)																		$15,074
Siembra Leadership High School	Public, Charter	9-12	524 Central Ave SW	Albuquerque	87102	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 205-0329	452	17	26.1	100.0%	77 (17.0%)	11 (2.4%)	314 (69.5%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (6.2%)	7.8	131^st of 132 public high schools	0.8%		7.4	129^th of 131 public high schools	1.5%	2		16.8			< 10%	< 10%		10.5										$11,053
West Mesa High	Public	9-12	6701 Fortuna Rd NW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 831-6993	1,565	110	14.2	97.4%	67 (4.3%)	44 (2.8%)	1,271 (81.2%)	16 (1.0%)	126 (8.1%)	3 (0.2%)	38 (2.4%)	20.1	106^th of 132 public high schools	19.7%		25.5	94^th of 131 public high schools	28.2%	12		25.6	24.2		4.7	4.5		26.4										$9,378
Amy Biehl Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	123 4th St SW	Albuquerque	87102	Bernalillo County	Amy Biehl Charter High School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 299-9409	196	18	10.9	100.0%	26 (13.3%)	4 (2.0%)	144 (73.5%)	3 (1.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (8.7%)	88.4	17^th of 132 public high schools	87.1%		89.3	15^th of 131 public high schools	88.5%	2		61.9			< 20%	< 20%		64.3										$11,354

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Grande High

What is the racial makeup of Rio Grande High?

Students at Rio Grande High are 95% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% American Indian.

What schools feed into Rio Grande High?

Rio Grande High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Adobe Acres Elementary
Elementary : Armijo Elementary
Elementary : Atrisco Elementary
Elementary : Barcelona Elementary
Elementary : Kit Carson Elementary
Elementary : Los Padillas Elementary
Elementary : Mountain View Elementary
Elementary : Navajo Elementary
Elementary : Pajarito Elementary
Elementary : Valle Vista Elementary
Middle : Ernie Pyle Middle
Middle : Harrison Middle
Middle : Polk Middle

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