Chama Elementary

Chama Elementary is a small public school in Chama, New Mexico, serving 52 students in grades PK–5 as part of the Chama Valley Indep. Schools district, which ranks 87 of 87 in New Mexico. The school has recently ranked near the bottom of the state: 340 of 346 (2nd percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–2026 and 406 of 413 (2nd percentile, 0 stars) in 2023–2024 — a steep drop from its 2016–2017 peak of 93 of 374 (75th percentile, 4 stars). It also reports a very high poverty indicator, with 100% free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025 and 2022–2023, and a low student-teacher ratio of 5.5 in 2024–2025.

The closest comparison is Tierra Amarilla Elementary, about 14 miles away, with 76 students in grades PK–6 and the same district. Chama has smaller classes (5.5 vs 10.1 students per teacher) but far weaker math: 7.56% all-grade math proficiency on NM Combined versus Tierra's 23.26% (state: 25.54%), and 7.26% versus 21.43% on NM-MSSA (state: 27.85%). English/language arts is much closer — 24.37% for Chama versus 25.58% for Tierra — though both trail the state's 43.34%. Math is Chama's most severe weakness, at roughly one-third of the state rate, while ELA is also about 19 percentage points below state.

By grade, Chama's strongest ELA result is 4th grade (28.74%) and its weakest is 3rd grade (16.67%). Math stays consistently low: 4th grade 9.2%, 5th grade 9.89%, and 3rd grade reported as under 20%. Fifth-grade science is 18.68% on NM Combined, below the state but slightly above district figures. One cautiously positive sign: all-grade ELA on NM-MSSA rose from 15% in 2023–2024 to 24.36% in 2025–2026, though no comparable math trend is provided. Chama ranks at or near the bottom statewide for every reported student group in 2025–2026, which points to a school-wide effectiveness concern rather than one affecting a single group. Keep in mind that suppressed scores are unknown, not evidence of poor performance.