Desert Willow Family School

Desert Willow Family School is a small K–8 school at 3303 Monroe NE in Albuquerque, serving 289 students as part of Albuquerque Public Schools, the state's largest district — and it posts results that look nothing like its district's.

In 2025-2026, Desert Willow ranks 7th of 346 New Mexico elementary schools (98th percentile, 5 stars). That is no fluke: over ten reported years the school has never ranked outside the top 7 statewide and finished 1st four times. All-grade proficiency is 83.6% in language arts, 74.6% in math and 75.4% in science — roughly 1.9x, 2.9x and 2.25x the district and state rates. Nearby schools show how unusual that is. Bel-Air Elementary, a quarter mile away, posts 25.6% in language arts and 8.9% in math; Hodgin Elementary, about half a mile away, ranks 341st of 346. New Mexico International School is the closest performer in the comparison set, and even there Desert Willow leads by 9 points in language arts and 19.4 points in math. Ecademy K-8, an identical K–8 span 1.2 miles away, ranks in the 9th percentile — so grade configuration alone explains nothing.

Results hold across every student group the state reports: female students rank 2nd of 252, male 7th of 251, low-income students 3rd of 256, and special education students 2nd of 158. Scores also climb the longer students stay, with margins over the state widening from about +20 points in 3rd-grade math to +63 to +65 points in 7th and 8th grade. A few caveats: the state rank slipped from 3rd to 7th this year, language arts is down about 4 points, and 3rd-grade math (46.43%) and 5th grade are the softest spots — still strong by any external measure. Note that the school's reported free/reduced-lunch rate jumped from 8.5% to 99.65% in two years, which reflects a district reporting change rather than a real shift in families.