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Mesa Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

Summary

Mesa Elementary is an elementary school located in Shiprock, New Mexico, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 293 students. The school is part of the Central School District, which is ranked 108 out of 119 districts in New Mexico and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Mesa Elementary consistently performs below the state and district averages in academic proficiency across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, only 11% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 39% and the district average of 26%. Similarly, only 4% of students were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to the state average of 25% and the district average of 14%. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as Native American students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who perform significantly worse than their peers at the state and district levels.

While the nearby schools in the Central School District, such as Kirtland Elementary, Ojo Amarillo Elementary, and Judy Nelson Elementary, also perform below the state average, they generally outperform Mesa Elementary across academic measures. This suggests that the unique challenges faced by Mesa Elementary, such as its remote location and the high percentage of Native American students, combined with the high poverty rates in the area, may be contributing to the school's consistently low performance.

229

Students ?

11.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,357

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

N Hwy 491 Mesa School Rd
Shiprock, NM 87420

(505) 368-4529

District: Central

Students who attend Mesa Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Tse Bit Ai Middle
High:	Shiprock High

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

93.9%

Hispanic:

3.5%

Two or more races:

1.7%

See top rated New Mexico public schools

Compare Mesa Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2013 → 1st in 2024

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (17% vs 35% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 23 pts below the New Mexico average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg24%

New Mexico avg35%

Not ranked this year

Mesa Elementary did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

78^th of 82Central 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
2024	6.2	409 of 413	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.1	422 of 435	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.2	343 of 420	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.4	350 of 396	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	329 of 383	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.0	334 of 374	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.3	341 of 410	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	23.4	351 of 421	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	15.1	410 of 442	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	9.3	400 of 412	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.5	374 of 398	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.0	391 of 402	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	24.8	339 of 419	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.5	364 of 411	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	13.2	384 of 405	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.0	387 of 398	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	14.5	366 of 390	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	15.0	365 of 389	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	20.8	189 of 223	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	4.1	392 of 398	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	279 of 395	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.9	293 of 343	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	13.5	315 of 339	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	7.8	350 of 356	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	413 of 426	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.1	301 of 410	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.9	324 of 361	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.3	302 of 356	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	4.6	395 of 397	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.5	412 of 414	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.6	305 of 392	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.7	311 of 337	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.1	261 of 333	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	6.7	89 of 90	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	90 of 92	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	72 of 99	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	52 of 64	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.7	36 of 48	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)15th percentile+14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2024)2nd percentile~ school

Native American (2024)1st percentile~ school

Male (2024)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts21%-23 vs state

Mathematics13%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mesa 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 6th 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 All Grades	Total
Mesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	N Hwy 491 Mesa School Rd	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4529	229	21	11.1	100.0%	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	215 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.7%)								(n/a)			30.0	20.5		21.2					13.5	$11,357
Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community School	Public	K-6	Pinon Street Bdg 1415	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 368-2100	200	21	9.6	98.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	200 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Eva B Stokely Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	West Hwy 64	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-5109	203	23	9.0	100.0%	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.4%)	4 (2.0%)	181 (89.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.4%)	23.3	272^nd of 345 public elementary schools	21.2%		38.5	225^th of 413 public elementary schools	45.5%	47	16.7	21.1	36.8	31.0		28.3			35.7		26.3	$13,874
Nizhoni Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Hwy 491	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4565	207	20	10.3	100.0%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	7 (3.4%)	5 (2.4%)	190 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	14.3	327^th of 345 public elementary schools	5.2%		6.3	408^th of 413 public elementary schools	1.2%	81		28.6	17.1			20.0	20.0				11.3	$11,021
Nenahnezad Community School	Public	K-6	6675 SJ County Road South	Fruitland	87416	San Juan County	Nenahnezad Community School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 960-6922	156	4	39.0	98.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	156 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Judy Nelson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	40 Cr 6580	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 598-6285	486	36	13.5	100.0%	69 (14.2%)	1 (0.2%)	70 (14.4%)	5 (1.0%)	318 (65.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.7%)	40.7	185^th of 345 public elementary schools	46.4%		53.4	155^th of 413 public elementary schools	62.5%	30	17.4	41.1	43.1	42.0	47.4	43.7		18.5	37.7	39.7	28.0	$11,168
Kirtland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	30 Cr 6446	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 598-5893	388	30	13.1	100.0%	23 (5.9%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (10.6%)	0 (0.0%)	310 (79.9%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.4%)	25.2	258^th of 345 public elementary schools	25.2%		21.1	331^st of 413 public elementary schools	19.9%	73			43.2	24.6	34.6	27.2		29.6	21.1	25.5	20.3	$11,911
Beclabito Day School	Public	K-4	Clliford Ward Drive Hwy 64 Wes	Beclabito	87420	San Juan County	Beclabito Day School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(928) 656-3555	21	4	5.2	85.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Ojo Amarillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	Rd 6500 And Rd 6466	Fruitland	87416	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 960-5271	280	26	10.9	100.0%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.2%)	1 (0.4%)	261 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	19.7	298^th of 345 public elementary schools	13.6%		16.1	358^th of 413 public elementary schools	13.3%	60		22.9	31.3	23.5	25.6	26.3		25.0	23.5	30.8	21.8	$11,665

Frequently Asked Questions about Mesa Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Mesa Elementary?

Students at Mesa Elementary are 94% American Indian, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Mesa Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mesa Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Tse Bit Ai Middle
High : Shiprock High

How many students attend Mesa Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 229 students attended Mesa Elementary.

What district is Mesa Elementary in?

Central

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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.