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Gil Sanchez Elementary

Q: Is Gil Sanchez Elementary a good school?

Gil Sanchez Elementary ranks 96 th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

96^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 72% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Gil Sanchez Elementary is a public elementary school located in Belen, New Mexico, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 304 students. The school is part of the Belen school district, which is ranked 48 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Gil Sanchez Elementary has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in New Mexico, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly higher than the Belen district and state averages, with particularly strong performance in 6th grade. The school also demonstrates high rankings for various student subgroups, including female, male, Hispanic, and white students, as well as English Language Learners. Despite having a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, Gil Sanchez Elementary has maintained its strong academic performance.

When compared to nearby schools in the Belen district, such as Dennis Chavez Elementary and Belen Family School, Gil Sanchez Elementary consistently outperforms them in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency rates. This success provides valuable insights and opportunities for collaboration that could benefit the entire district and contribute to the academic growth of all students in the region.

316

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,486

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

376 Jarales Rd
Belen, NM 87002

(505) 966-1900

District: Belen

Students who attend Gil Sanchez Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Belen Middle
High:	Belen High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.1%

White:

17.7%

American Indian:

1.3%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Gil Sanchez Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 94th percentile in 2019 → 72nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (45% vs 35% meeting standards)

✓Above the New Mexico median (72nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 94th-percentile peak (2019) to 72nd (2025)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school45%

District avg34%

New Mexico avg35%

96^th of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 28%▲ up 21 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to top 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Elementary Schools in the Belen

48^th of 82Belen 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
2025	60.6	96 of 345	72.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.8	94 of 413	77.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.3	60 of 435	86.2%	★★★★☆
2022	83.0	50 of 420	88.1%	★★★★☆
2019	88.3	24 of 396	93.9%	★★★★★
2018	73.8	79 of 383	79.4%	★★★★☆
2017	52.6	141 of 374	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	48.0	186 of 410	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	43.3	206 of 421	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	37.2	285 of 442	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.5	162 of 412	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	55.7	163 of 398	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	61.8	134 of 402	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	63.1	128 of 419	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	52.9	185 of 411	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	55.7	154 of 405	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2007	45.7	215 of 398	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	55.4	158 of 390	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	42.1	231 of 389	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	60.5	14 of 35	60.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	65.0	72 of 223	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.9	49 of 191	74.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	25 of 203	87.7%	★★★★☆
2018	83.2	8 of 83	90.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	65.5	98 of 398	75.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.4	76 of 390	80.5%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	77 of 395	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	78.7	42 of 343	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.5	84 of 339	75.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	59.3	82 of 255	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.2	94 of 384	75.5%	★★★★☆
2023	84.4	58 of 395	85.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.1	31 of 389	92.0%	★★★★★
2019	92.1	8 of 320	97.5%	★★★★★
2018	80.9	36 of 329	89.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	76 of 325	76.6%	★★★★☆
2024	71.8	84 of 356	76.4%	★★★★☆
2023	94.1	24 of 426	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	90.3	16 of 410	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	94.5	2 of 361	99.4%	★★★★★
2018	83.4	27 of 356	92.4%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	71.6	87 of 397	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	88.4	51 of 414	87.7%	★★★★☆
2022	86.6	27 of 392	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	87.3	17 of 337	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	74.8	49 of 333	85.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	59.8	48 of 158	69.6%	★★★★☆
2023	66.9	53 of 165	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.2	98 of 132	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.3	14 of 47	70.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	106 of 304	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.6	84 of 339	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.7	71 of 413	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	70.8	63 of 325	80.6%	★★★★☆
2019	79.5	23 of 199	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	59 of 187	68.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Male (2024)78th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2024)75th percentile~ school

Special Education (2024)70th percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)68th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)65th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2018)60th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%+5 vs state

Mathematics47%+20 vs state

Science25%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Gil Sanchez Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				NM-ASR Science (2025)			NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2025)							NM-MSSA Mathematics (2025)							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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Gil Sanchez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	376 Jarales Rd	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1900	316	22	14.3	100.0%	56 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	253 (80.1%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	60.6	96^th of 345 public elementary schools	72.2%		70.8	94^th of 413 public elementary schools	77.2%	2	25.5			43.9	45.5	45.1	61.7			49.4	34.2	30.3	49.0	66.0			46.5	$9,486
Rio Grande Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	15 Eastside School Rd	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2200	332	29	11.6	100.0%	38 (11.4%)	3 (0.9%)	281 (84.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)								(n/a)				54.9						54.9	32.4						32.4	$10,150
Belen Family School	Public	1-8	4 Eastside School Road	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 966-2270	154	5	29.0	100.0%	43 (27.9%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (66.9%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.2%)	85	37^th of 345 public elementary schools	89.3%		86.9	40^th of 413 public elementary schools	90.3%	3		38.7	28.3	53.9	55.6	68.2	68.8	62.5	61.3	62.1		55.6			43.8	45.2	49.1	$8,877
La Merced Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	301 Alame Loop	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2100	463	30	15.6	100.0%	86 (18.6%)	3 (0.6%)	366 (79.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	31.1	215^th of 345 public elementary schools	37.7%		39.4	222^nd of 413 public elementary schools	46.2%	7				36.2	50.0	15.1	45.3			36.0	26.1	20.7		22.7			19.3	$9,239
La Promesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	898 Hwy 304	Belen	87002	Socorro County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-2400	230	18	12.7	100.0%	41 (17.8%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (78.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.6%)	25.5	256^th of 345 public elementary schools	25.8%		33.5	250^th of 413 public elementary schools	39.5%	6				25.0	52.4	27.8	36.1			33.6				25.0			18.4	$9,643
Dennis Chavez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	19670 Hwy 314	Belen	87002	Valencia County	Belen	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 966-1800	294	22	13.3	100.0%	43 (14.6%)	0 (0.0%)	237 (80.6%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	60.4	98^th of 345 public elementary schools	71.6%		67.8	107^th of 413 public elementary schools	74.1%	9	22.2			36.4	62.2	46.7	63.4			52.0	20.5	53.3	42.2	63.4			44.6	$9,163
Tome Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	46 Chacon Rd	Los Lunas	87031	Valencia County	Los Lunas	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 866-8231	340	23	14.7	100.0%	27 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	302 (88.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	15.8	321^st of 345 public elementary schools	7.0%		18.8	341^st of 413 public elementary schools	17.4%	20	17.1			22.7	41.2	29.3	22.2			28.1			19.5				11.0	$9,366
Desert View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	49 Camino La Canada	Los Lunas	87031	Valencia County	Los Lunas	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 866-8231	393	24	16.3	100.0%	37 (9.4%)	4 (1.0%)	339 (86.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.0%)	22.9	274^th of 345 public elementary schools	20.6%		17.3	353^rd of 413 public elementary schools	14.5%	79	13.0			28.8	29.2	29.6	40.9			31.7	26.7		13.0	34.0			20.8	$9,849
Raymond Gabaldon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	454 Coronado Rd	Los Lunas	87031	Valencia County	Los Lunas	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 866-8231	365	20	18.2	100.0%	57 (15.6%)	6 (1.6%)	291 (79.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	35.1	205^th of 345 public elementary schools	40.6%		33	255^th of 413 public elementary schools	38.3%	50	23.4			37.7	45.0	36.2	47.9			41.5		25.0	27.7	27.1			20.2	$9,064
Los Lunas Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	800 Coronado Rd	Los Lunas	87031	Valencia County	Los Lunas	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 866-8231	458	26	17.6	100.0%	43 (9.4%)	2 (0.4%)	399 (87.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.2%)	21.4	286^th of 345 public elementary schools	17.1%		33.2	252^nd of 413 public elementary schools	39.0%	34				21.3	46.3	22.8	34.0			31.5	14.8	23.9	20.7	23.4			20.6	$9,475

Frequently Asked Questions about Gil Sanchez Elementary

What schools do graduates of Gil Sanchez Elementary attend?

Students who attend Gil Sanchez Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Belen Middle
High : Belen High

How many students attend Gil Sanchez Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 316 students attended Gil Sanchez Elementary.

What district is Gil Sanchez Elementary in?

Belen

Is Gil Sanchez Elementary a good school?

Gil Sanchez Elementary ranks 96^th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Gil Sanchez Elementary?

Students at Gil Sanchez Elementary are 80% Hispanic, 18% White, 1% American Indian.

Rate Gil Sanchez Elementary!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the New Mexico Public Education Department.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.