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Judy Nelson Elementary

Q: Is Judy Nelson Elementary a good school?

Judy Nelson Elementary ranks 185 th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

185^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 46% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Judy Nelson Elementary is a public elementary school located in Kirtland, New Mexico, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 467 students. The school is part of the Central school district, which is ranked 78 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Judy Nelson Elementary has shown mixed academic performance compared to the state and district averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (43.66%) and Mathematics (27.99%) were higher than the Central district averages (30.09% and 17.13%, respectively) but lower than the state averages (44.19% and 26.81%). The school's performance in Science for 5th grade was also higher than the district but lower than the state (17.39% vs. 12.22% and 29.3%, respectively). Judy Nelson Elementary has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the past few years, ranging from 135th out of 396 schools in 2018-2019 to 241st out of 420 schools in 2021-2022.

Judy Nelson Elementary has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 66.6% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024. This is significantly higher than the state average and indicates that the school serves a predominantly disadvantaged population. However, the school has shown strong performance for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic, Native American, and White students, as well as English Language Learners. The relatively lower performance for Special Education students is an area that the school may want to focus on improving. Compared to nearby schools, Judy Nelson Elementary generally outperforms Ojo Amarillo Elementary and Kirtland Elementary in academic proficiency, but lags behind schools in the Farmington district, such as McCormick Elementary and Northeast Elementary.

486

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,168

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

40 Cr 6580
Kirtland, NM 87417

(505) 598-6285

District: Central

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

65.4%

Hispanic:

14.4%

White:

14.2%

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Compare Judy Nelson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 63rd percentile in 2018 → 46th in 2025

Strengths

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Central

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2018

!Science scores 12 pts below the New Mexico average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg23%

New Mexico avg35%

185^th of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 46%▼ down 17 pts since 2018

From top 37% (2018) to bottom 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Elementary Schools in the Central

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
2025	40.7	185 of 345	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.4	155 of 413	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.3	200 of 435	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	35.5	241 of 420	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.1	135 of 396	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.5	141 of 383	63.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	79.2	39 of 223	82.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.9	50 of 191	73.8%	★★★★☆
2019	52.8	40 of 98	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.6	29 of 83	65.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	53.8	141 of 398	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.0	211 of 390	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.2	228 of 395	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.8	118 of 343	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	54.2	133 of 339	60.8%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	64.2	109 of 384	71.6%	★★★★☆
2023	47.6	196 of 395	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.6	167 of 389	57.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	165 of 325	49.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.0	115 of 356	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.0	169 of 426	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.1	193 of 410	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.2	73 of 361	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	66.4	85 of 356	76.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	45.9	179 of 397	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.6	198 of 414	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.1	238 of 392	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.1	144 of 337	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.2	133 of 333	60.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	51.8	44 of 91	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	67.8	6 of 34	82.4%	★★★★☆
2024	62.0	27 of 90	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	62.9	38 of 92	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.2	71 of 99	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.7	22 of 64	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.1	14 of 48	70.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	36.5	79 of 158	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.5	129 of 165	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	70.0	68 of 304	77.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.1	40 of 339	88.2%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	99 of 413	76.0%	★★★★☆
2022	61.7	103 of 325	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.9	63 of 199	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.6	28 of 187	85.0%	★★★★☆

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)83rd percentile+20 vs school

Native American (2025)82nd percentile+36 vs school

White (2025)78th percentile+31 vs school

Hispanic (2024)72nd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2024)65th percentile~ school

Male (2024)55th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)52nd percentile+9 vs school

Special Education (2024)50th percentile-12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)49th percentile+3 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%~ state avg

Mathematics28%~ state avg

Science17%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Judy Nelson 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
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
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)
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
Apache Elementary	Public	K-5	700 West Apache	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 599-8602	375	33	11.2	100.0%	28 (7.5%)	1 (0.3%)	62 (16.5%)	1 (0.3%)	243 (64.8%)	1 (0.3%)	39 (10.4%)	16.7	315^th of 345 public elementary schools	8.7%		12.4	379^th of 413 public elementary schools	8.2%	64	18.0	20.9	35.4	23.0		26.4		20.0	24.6		17.6	$8,685
Ladera Del Norte Elementary	Public	K-5	308 East 35th St	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 599-8605	504	31	16.2		225 (44.6%)	1 (0.2%)	119 (23.6%)	2 (0.4%)	104 (20.6%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (10.3%)	40.7	187^th of 345 public elementary schools	45.8%		55.5	149^th of 413 public elementary schools	63.9%	38	31.3	37.1	49.5	37.5		41.5	21.4	36.3	27.5		28.5	$7,549
McKinley Elementary	Public	K-5	1201 North Butler Ave	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 599-8607	438	28	15.9	100.0%	106 (24.2%)	0 (0.0%)	135 (30.8%)	0 (0.0%)	153 (34.9%)	1 (0.2%)	43 (9.8%)	22	283^rd of 345 public elementary schools	18.0%		33.7	248^th of 413 public elementary schools	40.0%	35	28.8	36.4	33.3	28.8		32.6	16.7	15.5	20.0		17.4	$8,007
McCormick Elementary	Public	K-5	701 Mc Cormick Rd	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 599-8606	426	30	14.0	100.0%	44 (10.3%)	1 (0.2%)	154 (36.2%)	5 (1.2%)	189 (44.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (7.7%)	28.9	226^th of 345 public elementary schools	34.5%		18.3	346^th of 413 public elementary schools	16.2%	120	20.6	30.4	29.0	42.0		33.8	15.2	24.2	40.6		26.2	$9,982
Northeast Elementary	Public	K-6	1400 East 23rd	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 599-8609	502	32	15.9	100.0%	85 (16.9%)	4 (0.8%)	131 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	249 (49.6%)	2 (0.4%)	31 (6.2%)	49.6	136^th of 345 public elementary schools	60.6%		71.2	93^rd of 413 public elementary schools	77.5%	43	29.0	35.1	57.8	46.8		46.0	13.4	42.2	45.7		33.2	$7,721
Bluffview Elementary	Public	K-5	1204 Camino Real	Farmington	87401	San Juan County	Farmington	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 599-8603	355	25	14.0	100.0%	62 (17.5%)	2 (0.6%)	128 (36.1%)	0 (0.0%)	127 (35.8%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.1%)	17.5	310^th of 345 public elementary schools	10.1%		19	338^th of 413 public elementary schools	18.2%	28		28.3	39.3	19.0		28.7	18.9	14.3			12.6	$9,453

Frequently Asked Questions about Judy Nelson Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Judy Nelson Elementary?

Students at Judy Nelson Elementary are 65% American Indian, 14% Hispanic, 14% White, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Judy Nelson Elementary in?

Central

How many students attend Judy Nelson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 486 students attended Judy Nelson Elementary.

Is Judy Nelson Elementary a good school?

Judy Nelson Elementary ranks 185^th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Judy Nelson 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.