Belen High

Belen High is a 9–12 public high school in Belen, New Mexico, serving 958 students as part of Belen Consolidated Schools, a district ranked 52 of 87 in New Mexico (40th percentile, 2 stars). The school itself ranked 112 of 132 in 2025–2026, placing it in the 15th percentile with 1 star — a continuation of a recent downward trend from the 46th percentile in 2022–2023 and the 34th percentile in 2023–2024. Nearly all students (99.9%) qualified for free or reduced lunch in 2024–2025, and the student-teacher ratio is 18.9.

Academically, Belen High's 2024–2025 graduation rate was 73.6%, above its district average of 72.6% but below the state's 80.6%. In 2025–2026, 11th-grade proficiency was 30.92% in Language Arts, 6.28% in Math, and 17.48% in Science on NM Combined; SAT School Day results were 30.61% in ELA and 3.55% in Math. Language Arts and graduation are relative strengths — both slightly above district averages — but every reported subject trails the state, with the largest gaps in math and science. Among nearby schools, Belen High outperforms Valencia High in 11th-grade Language Arts (30.92% vs. 23.83%), math (6.28% vs. 4.66%), and SAT ELA (30.61% vs. 23.96%), and has a better student-teacher ratio (18.9 vs. 23.4). Los Lunas High outperforms it in graduation (81.6% vs. 73.6%) and nearly every reported test subject. Belen High's graduation rate is higher than Belen Infinity High's (62.1%) and Century Alt High's (53.5%), though those two report higher science scores.

One of the most striking internal patterns is a gender gap: in 2025–2026, female students ranked at the 34th percentile (2 stars) while male students ranked at the 3rd percentile (0 stars), down from the 38th percentile in 2022–2023. Older data shows bright spots — military-connected students at the 88th percentile with 5 stars in 2021–2022, and English Language Learner students at the 45th percentile with 2 stars in 2022–2023 — though these are historical context rather than current performance.