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Desert Willow Elementary

Q: Is Desert Willow Elementary a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary ranks 93 rd of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 667 students attended Desert Willow Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 22% White, 1% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Desert Willow Elementary attend?

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

Public Grades K-5

93^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 73% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Desert Willow Elementary is a public elementary school in Carlsbad, New Mexico, serving 820 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Carlsbad school district, which is ranked 42 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Willow Elementary consistently outperforms the Carlsbad district and the state of New Mexico in proficiency rates for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics across all grade levels. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 58.79%, compared to 44.45% for Carlsbad and 44.19% for the state. In Mathematics, Desert Willow's proficiency rate was 33.55%, compared to 28.35% for Carlsbad and 26.81% for the state. The school's performance is particularly strong in 3rd grade ELA, where 66.28% of students were proficient or better, compared to 44.47% for Carlsbad and 40.22% for the state.

When compared to other elementary schools in the Carlsbad district, Desert Willow Elementary stands out for its consistently high academic performance, with lower student-teacher ratios and a lower percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. Other high-performing schools in the district include Ocotillo Elementary and Monterrey Elementary.

667

Students ?

14.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,800

Per pupil spending ?

22%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 Primrose St
Carlsbad, NM 88220

(575) 234-3310

District: Carlsbad

Students who attend Desert Willow Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

74.2%

White:

22.3%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Desert Willow Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 64th percentile in 2019 → 73rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (44% vs 35% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2019

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Carlsbad

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

93^rd of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 27%▲ up 9 pts since 2019

From top 36% (2019) to top 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 4Elementary Schools in the Carlsbad

42^nd of 82Carlsbad 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	61.3	93 of 345	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	47.7	182 of 413	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.8	183 of 435	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.7	210 of 420	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	141 of 396	64.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	72.4	6 of 56	89.3%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	44.0	127 of 223	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	75.2	47 of 191	75.4%	★★★★☆
2018	32.4	57 of 83	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	40.8	194 of 398	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.8	177 of 390	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.3	193 of 395	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.9	116 of 343	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	138 of 339	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	58.8	86 of 255	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	42.6	198 of 384	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.4	180 of 395	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.8	201 of 389	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.1	121 of 320	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.1	148 of 329	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	8.8	36 of 36	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	63.6	77 of 325	76.3%	★★★★☆
2024	29.7	257 of 356	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.0	190 of 426	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.2	262 of 410	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	53.9	144 of 361	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	128 of 356	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	39.4	208 of 397	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.8	171 of 414	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.0	223 of 392	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.6	157 of 337	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.7	166 of 333	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	41.0	106 of 165	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	55.0	114 of 304	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.8	188 of 339	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.5	184 of 413	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	22.2	284 of 325	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.9	112 of 199	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.3	145 of 187	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2022)89th percentile+39 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)76th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)66th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile-11 vs school

Female (2024)51st percentile-5 vs school

Male (2024)48th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)43rd percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2023)36th percentile-22 vs school

Homeless (2022)<1st percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts59%+15 vs state

Mathematics34%+7 vs state

Science31%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Desert Willow 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-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
Desert Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Primrose St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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%)	61.3	93^rd of 345 public elementary schools	73.0%		47.7	182^nd of 413 public elementary schools	55.9%	89	30.8	66.3	60.0	51.4	58.8	33.7	35.8	30.8	33.6	$8,800
Edison Elementary	Public	1-5	406 N. Alameda Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 W Lea Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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%)	52.4	128^th of 345 public elementary schools	62.9%		45.2	198^th of 413 public elementary schools	52.1%	70	26.9	35.7	57.5	43.5	45.9	27.8	50.7	35.9	38.5
Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-5	923 North Walter St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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%)	40.8	184^th of 345 public elementary schools	46.7%		58.2	138^th of 413 public elementary schools	66.6%	46	37.5	42.7	43.0	46.1	43.9	26.8	22.6	20.2	23.1	$8,498
Monterrey Elementary	Public	K-5	1600 Johnson St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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%)	55.5	115^th of 345 public elementary schools	66.7%		67.2	108^th of 413 public elementary schools	73.8%	7	35.9	38.1	49.2	56.6	47.5	34.9	18.5	60.4	36.5	$9,032
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2106 Captain Williams Ln	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	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%)	45.7	164^th of 345 public elementary schools	52.5%		70.2	97^th of 413 public elementary schools	76.5%	67	31.5	48.3	52.0	30.4	44.2	32.8	30.4	22.8	29.0	$8,453
Loving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 South Sixth	Loving	88256	Eddy County	Loving	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%)	35.3	204^th of 345 public elementary schools	40.9%		72.7	86^th of 413 public elementary schools	79.2%	118	25.0	27.7	56.5	45.5	43.1	14.3	21.3	34.1	22.9	$14,857

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Willow Elementary

How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 667 students attended Desert Willow Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary are 74% Hispanic, 22% White, 1% Two or more races.

What district is Desert Willow Elementary in?

Carlsbad

What schools do graduates of Desert Willow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Willow Elementary usually go on to attend:

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

Is Desert Willow Elementary a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary ranks 93^rd of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Desert Willow 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.