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Painted Sky Elementary

Q: Is Painted Sky Elementary a good school?

Painted Sky Elementary ranks in the bottom 7.2% of New Mexico elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Painted Sky Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 536 students attended Painted Sky Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Painted Sky Elementary?

Students at Painted Sky Elementary are 81% Hispanic, 8% White, 5% American Indian, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Painted Sky Elementary attend?

Students who attend Painted Sky Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Jimmy Carter Middle High : West Mesa High

Public Grades PK, KG-5

321^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 7% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Painted Sky Elementary is a PK–5 school serving 536 students at 8101 Gavin Dr NW on Albuquerque's West Side, part of Albuquerque Public Schools. It is one of the larger elementary enrollments among its nearby peers, and nearly all of its families are low-income — free/reduced-price lunch participation was 99.63% in 2024-25. Class sizes have been shrinking, with a student-teacher ratio of 11.7, among the smallest in the neighborhood.

Academically, the school is in a weak position. In 2025-26, 31.51% of students were proficient in English language arts and 15.55% in math, against district figures of 44.59% and 27.69%. Fifth-grade science proficiency was 11.54%. Statewide, Painted Sky ranks 321st of 346 schools (7th percentile) — the lowest of any year in the past decade, down from the 49th percentile in 2022-23. That decline is school-specific: while district and state scores rose slightly from 2024-25 to 2025-26, Painted Sky's ELA fell 4.7 points and math fell 6.0 points. Math is the largest gap, about 12 points below district and state; reading is more mid-pack locally, and science is the most conspicuous weakness, at roughly a third of district and state norms for fifth graders.

Comparisons with neighbors are telling. Chaparral Elementary (35.89% ELA) and Edward Gonzales Elementary (39.70% ELA) serve essentially the same population yet outperform Painted Sky in reading, and both post roughly double its science proficiency. Horizon Academy West, 1.7 miles away, reports 63.18% ELA and 60.00% math despite the largest classes in the group, while the two smallest-ratio schools, Alamosa Elementary and Lavaland Elementary, are the weakest performers — so class size isn't tracking with results here. Two bright spots stand out: third-grade math (24.39%) is close to district level, and in 2023-24 the school ranked 1st of 90 statewide for Native American students, a promising but possibly small-cohort result.

536

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,854

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8101 Gavin Dr NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120

(505) 836-7763

District: Albuquerque Public Schools

Students who attend Painted Sky Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jimmy Carter Middle
High:	West Mesa High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.3%

White:

8.0%

American Indian:

5.2%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Painted Sky Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2015 → 7th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (22% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (7th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 31 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school22%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg36%

321^st of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 7%▼ down 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 22% (2016) to bottom 7% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

65^th of 77Elementary 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	14.1	321 of 346	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	26.7	244 of 345	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.0	269 of 413	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.9	224 of 435	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	278 of 420	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.5	340 of 396	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.3	298 of 383	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.0	316 of 374	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	26.1	319 of 410	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.9	263 of 421	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.4	265 of 442	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	57.1	158 of 412	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	62.3	136 of 398	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2011	51.9	176 of 402	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.3	172 of 419	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.4	176 of 411	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	52.6	175 of 405	56.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.9	139 of 398	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.1	164 of 390	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	51.8	171 of 389	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	42.5	26 of 40	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	36.7	143 of 223	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.2	118 of 191	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.0	193 of 203	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.6	89 of 98	9.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.7	71 of 83	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	12.7	239 of 252	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	32.1	244 of 398	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	215 of 390	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.6	274 of 395	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.1	308 of 343	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	265 of 339	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	10.2	263 of 273	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	29.8	183 of 255	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	245 of 384	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.7	202 of 395	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	263 of 389	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.7	298 of 320	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	248 of 329	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	17.0	233 of 256	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	225 of 325	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.7	210 of 356	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.4	194 of 426	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.2	234 of 410	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.7	302 of 361	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	259 of 356	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	10.8	243 of 251	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.7	290 of 397	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.6	252 of 414	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.9	270 of 392	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.9	310 of 337	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	289 of 333	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	99.5	1 of 90	98.9%	★★★★★
2022	28.2	75 of 99	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	24.9	125 of 158	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.2	134 of 165	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	12.3	288 of 304	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.3	233 of 304	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.0	272 of 339	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.9	241 of 413	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.2	165 of 325	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	14.9	172 of 187	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)99th percentile+64 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)36th percentile~ school

Asian (2022)35th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)21st percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)9th percentile~ school

White (2026)5th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)4th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2026)3rd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts32%-13 vs state

Mathematics16%-12 vs state

Science12%-21 vs state

3.0

3 ratings · 1 written review

5★1

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, July 10, 2011

I honestly think that they need to relax a bit more with the dress code. They should allow them to wear their shirts out and not require them to wear a belt. It's bad enough that they have to wear a uniform. Also, green and gray should be added to the shirt color list. As part of their spirit shirt, jeans should be allowed on that day as well.The kids don't get enough recognition either. The teachers seem to hand out the coyote cares coupons to the same kids(who tend to be favorites) or they just don't recognize enough of the ones who are deserving of them. I am also very disappointed that they haven't done a year book in "TWO YEARS!"It isn't fair to the kids because these are their school memories!Something really needs to be done about that. Possibly change picture companies since the current one seems to have dropped the ball a lot. Close Quote

Schools Near Painted Sky 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	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	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
Painted Sky Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8101 Gavin Dr NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 836-7763	536	46	11.7	99.6%	43 (8.0%)	12 (2.2%)	436 (81.3%)	4 (0.7%)	28 (5.2%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.1%)	14.1	321^st of 346 public elementary schools	7.2%		26.7	244^th of 345 public elementary schools	29.3%	77	11.5			32.9	32.1	29.5				31.5	24.4	10.3	11.5				15.6	$8,854
Tres Volcanes Community Collaborative School	Public	K-8	9601 Tierra Pintada NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 253-0200	865	59	14.7	99.4%	68 (7.9%)	32 (3.7%)	597 (69.0%)	20 (2.3%)	104 (12.0%)	2 (0.2%)	42 (4.9%)	38.7	202^nd of 346 public elementary schools	41.6%		47.6	155^th of 345 public elementary schools	55.1%	47	31.4	23.7	27.0	45.2	45.6	45.4	33.6	45.6	42.4	42.2	32.9	34.2	32.6	24.0	17.0	17.0	24.5	$9,400
Susie Rayos Marmon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 72nd St NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 831-5400	507	43	11.7	100.0%	50 (9.9%)	12 (2.4%)	388 (76.5%)	10 (2.0%)	36 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.2%)	9.9	338^th of 346 public elementary schools	2.3%		18	307^th of 345 public elementary schools	11.0%	31	15.8			29.0	29.7	26.0				28.2	< 10%	< 10%	9.1				8.1	$9,619
Albuquerque Bilingual Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7500 La Morada NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Bilingual Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 836-7706	328	23	14.5		75 (22.9%)	2 (0.6%)	247 (75.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	31.6	234^th of 346 public elementary schools	32.4%		21.2	288^th of 345 public elementary schools	16.5%	54	16.7	< 20%	16.0	33.3	60.7	33.3		32.1	27.3	34.2		28.6	< 20%			< 20%	11.4	$11,432
Horizon Academy West	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	3021 Todos Santos NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Horizon Academy West	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 998-0459	495	29	17.0		8 (1.6%)	3 (0.6%)	394 (79.6%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (17.4%)	86.9	38^th of 346 public elementary schools	89.0%		74.6	57^th of 345 public elementary schools	83.5%	19	45.5			65.8	63.0	60.6				63.2	61.6	55.6	63.6				60.0	$7,696
Lavaland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 57th St NW	Albuquerque	87105	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 836-4911	369	33	11.1	100.0%	19 (5.1%)	8 (2.2%)	329 (89.2%)	1 (0.3%)	7 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.4%)								(n/a)	< 20%		< 20%	14.3	32.2	< 20%				20.8	< 20%	< 20%	< 20%				4.4	$8,894
Helen Cordero Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	8800 Eucariz SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 833-5830	445	36	12.5	99.6%	31 (7.0%)	7 (1.6%)	374 (84.0%)	3 (0.7%)	23 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.6%)								(n/a)																		$9,006
Edward Gonzales Elementary	Public	3-5	554 90th St SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 831-6214	339	28	12.3	100.0%	16 (4.7%)	4 (1.2%)	301 (88.8%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	22.1	286^th of 346 public elementary schools	17.3%		16.9	314^th of 345 public elementary schools	9.0%	28	24.1			32.8	41.2	45.5				39.7	12.9	11.8	20.5				15.2	$8,958
Christine Duncan Heritage Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1900 Atrisco Dr. NW	Albuquerque	87120	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 839-4971	534	38	14.0	71.0%	22 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	509 (95.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24.5	270^th of 346 public elementary schools	22.0%		19.9	297^th of 345 public elementary schools	13.9%	27	13.6	< 20%	9.5	43.4	48.2	24.6	34.2	33.3	32.6	36.1	20.4	20.4	27.6	22.0	20.4	< 20%	19.2	$9,587
Alamosa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6500 Sunset Gardens Rd SW	Albuquerque	87121	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 836-0288	382	36	10.6	99.7%	16 (4.2%)	4 (1.0%)	348 (91.1%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	6.8	343^rd of 346 public elementary schools	0.9%		21.2	287^th of 345 public elementary schools	16.8%	56	< 10%		< 10%	20.8	22.2	< 10%				15.5	< 20%	14.8	< 10%				9.5	$9,495

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