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Sunset Elementary

Q: Is Sunset Elementary a good school?

Sunset Elementary ranks in the bottom 13.6% of New Mexico elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Sunset Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 438 students attended Sunset Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Sunset Elementary?

Students at Sunset Elementary are 72% Hispanic, 25% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Sunset Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus High : Carlsbad High

Public Grades K-5

299^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Sunset Elementary is a K–5 school serving 438 students in Carlsbad, in southeastern New Mexico, and is part of Carlsbad Municipal Schools, a district ranked 53rd of 87 in the state.

For 2025–2026, the school ranks 299th of 346 New Mexico schools, placing it in the 14th percentile with 1 star. That is a sharp reversal: Sunset was a 4-star school in 2022–2023 (rank 92 of 435, 79th percentile) and 2021–2022, then slipped to 3 stars in 2023–2024, 2 stars in 2024–2025, and 1 star now. In 2022–2023, Language Arts was at 54% and Math at 38%, both above the state; today Language Arts is 33.04 (district 40.25, state 43.34) and Math is 16.96 (district 24.63, state 25.54). The weakness varies by grade: 3rd-grade Math (29.82) is above the state's 26.24, but 4th-grade Math is 14.29, and 5th grade is the most severe, with Language Arts 17.78, Math 11.11, and Science 22.22 — far below district and state.

Nearby schools show what is possible. Monterrey Elementary (28.14% free/reduced lunch) and Cottonwood Elementary (28.07%) have poverty rates almost identical to Sunset's 28.31%, yet score roughly 19–20 points higher in Language Arts and 18–22 points higher in Math. Even Loving Elementary in Loving Municipal Schools, where 95.21% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, outperforms Sunset in both subjects. Desert Willow Elementary, Ocotillo Elementary, and Cottonwood all rank between 99th and 156th statewide, compared with Sunset's 299th. Sunset's 16.9 student/teacher ratio is similar to Ocotillo's 16.4 and Monterrey's 16.6, so class size does not stand out as an explanation. In 2025–2026, effectiveness rankings for reported student groups including female, male, Hispanic, White, and low-income students all fall in the bottom 9–12% statewide, down from much stronger rankings in earlier years — pointing to a school-wide issue rather than one limited to a single group.

438

Students ?

16.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,498

Per pupil spending ?

28.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

923 North Walter St
Carlsbad, NM 88220

(575) 234-3300

District: Carlsbad Municipal Schools

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus
High:	Carlsbad High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.1%

White:

24.7%

African American:

1.1%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Sunset Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (25% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 47 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school25%

District avg35%

New Mexico avg36%

299^th of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 37 pts since 2016

From top 49% (2016) to bottom 14% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Elementary Schools in the Carlsbad Municipal Schools

53^rd of 87Carlsbad Municipal 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	20.2	299 of 346	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	40.8	184 of 345	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.2	138 of 413	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.6	92 of 435	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	62.8	114 of 420	72.9%	★★★★☆
2019	42.4	212 of 396	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.5	148 of 383	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	50.9	156 of 374	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	44.8	202 of 410	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	52.3	164 of 421	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.6	136 of 442	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.8	135 of 412	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.4	117 of 398	70.6%	★★★★☆
2011	74.3	83 of 402	79.4%	★★★★☆
2010	79.4	61 of 419	85.4%	★★★★☆
2009	70.6	102 of 411	75.2%	★★★★☆
2008	81.0	55 of 405	86.4%	★★★★☆
2007	79.2	57 of 398	85.7%	★★★★☆
2006	86.7	36 of 390	90.8%	★★★★★
2005	91.6	19 of 389	95.1%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	70.5	61 of 223	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.9	32 of 203	84.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	21.0	226 of 252	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.9	209 of 398	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.2	114 of 390	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	39.9	202 of 395	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	187 of 343	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.2	160 of 339	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	17.3	246 of 273	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	43.0	134 of 255	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.0	136 of 384	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.4	80 of 395	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	57.5	104 of 389	73.3%	★★★★☆
2019	40.2	193 of 320	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.7	151 of 329	54.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	22.7	225 of 256	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	56.1	106 of 325	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	146 of 356	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.9	89 of 426	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	41.7	189 of 410	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.6	217 of 361	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.5	170 of 356	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	18.6	224 of 251	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	65.4	112 of 397	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	80.4	73 of 414	82.4%	★★★★☆
2022	73.2	58 of 392	85.2%	★★★★☆
2019	40.7	185 of 337	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.8	130 of 333	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	19.5	131 of 132	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	276 of 304	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	34.0	199 of 304	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.0	161 of 339	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	76.1	89 of 413	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	37.7	215 of 325	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.2	158 of 199	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.4	128 of 187	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)73rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)12th percentile~ school

Male (2026)11th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)10th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)9th percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2022)1st percentile-72 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-12 vs state

Science22%-10 vs state

Mathematics17%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sunset 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-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 All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-5	923 North Walter St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3300	438	26	16.9	28.3%	108 (24.7%)	5 (1.1%)	316 (72.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.1%)	20.2	299^th of 346 public elementary schools	13.6%		40.8	184^th of 345 public elementary schools	46.7%	115	22.2	38.6	46.8	17.8	33.0	29.8	14.3	11.1	17.0	$8,498
Edison Elementary	Public	1-5	406 N. Alameda Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Monterrey Elementary	Public	K-5	1600 Johnson St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3309	366	22	16.6	28.1%	113 (30.9%)	1 (0.3%)	244 (66.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	59.3	105^th of 346 public elementary schools	69.7%		55.5	115^th of 345 public elementary schools	66.7%	10	42.1	47.5	51.8	58.9	52.6	33.9	19.6	60.7	38.0	$9,032
Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3300	207	11	18.0	9.7%	41 (19.8%)	2 (1.0%)	159 (76.8%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)								(n/a)										$10,395
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 W Lea Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3304	684	44	15.4	28.1%	99 (14.5%)	7 (1.0%)	558 (81.6%)	5 (0.7%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	8 (1.2%)	60.4	99^th of 346 public elementary schools	71.4%		52.4	128^th of 345 public elementary schools	62.9%	29	34.6	47.4	61.1	48.9	52.7	32.2	44.3	42.9	40.1
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2106 Captain Williams Ln	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	621	38	16.4	20.1%	192 (30.9%)	5 (0.8%)	388 (62.5%)	11 (1.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.5%)	48.4	156^th of 346 public elementary schools	54.9%		45.7	164^th of 345 public elementary schools	52.5%	8	35.1	52.8	57.9	35.1	49.0	29.2	29.0	37.2	31.7	$8,453
Desert Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Primrose St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3310	667	45	14.9	22.0%	149 (22.3%)	6 (0.9%)	495 (74.2%)	4 (0.6%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	52.9	132^nd of 346 public elementary schools	61.8%		61.3	93^rd of 345 public elementary schools	73.0%	39	33.0	49.2	53.5	42.6	48.3	35.9	32.3	41.7	36.8	$8,800
Loving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 South Sixth	Loving	88256	Eddy County	Loving Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 745-2071	355	28	12.7	95.2%	104 (29.3%)	3 (0.8%)	243 (68.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	55.7	120^th of 346 public elementary schools	65.3%		35.3	204^th of 345 public elementary schools	40.9%	84	41.2	61.1	41.7	52.9	52.3	35.2	< 20%	29.4	25.8	$14,857

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Sunset Elementary

All Students

English Language Learner

Female

Hispanic

Low Socio Economic Status

Male

Special Education

White

Schools Near Sunset Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunset Elementary

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