Cloudcroft Middle

Cloudcroft Middle is a small public middle school in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, serving 105 students in grades 6–8, with the nearest comparable middle schools roughly 12 to 18 miles away. It is part of Cloudcroft Municipal Schools, a district ranked 22nd of 87 in New Mexico (75th percentile, 4 stars). The school itself is a standout: in 2025–2026 it ranked 21st of 191 middle schools statewide, placing in the 89th percentile with 4 stars, and it has stayed in the top quartile or better for a decade, with several 5-star years.

Academically, proficiency runs well above state averages: 66.3% in language arts (state 43.34%), 53.26% in math (state 25.54%) and 70.97% in 8th grade science (state 34.19%). The contrast with nearby schools is striking. Tularosa Middle ranks 184th of 191 (4th percentile), Mountain View Middle 126th (34th percentile) and Chaparral Middle 80th (58th percentile). Cloudcroft's math proficiency is 20 to 46 percentage points higher than these schools, and its 8th grade science rate is more than double Mountain View's and more than quadruple Tularosa's. Grade-level results follow the same pattern, with 7th and 8th grade language arts in the mid-70s and math around 58–60%; 6th grade is the relative weak spot, but still above state norms.

Subgroup rankings suggest the school serves a range of students well: female students ranked 7th of 136 (95th percentile, 5 stars) in 2025–2026, and special education and military-connected students each reached the 94th–97th percentile in 2023–2024. Class size and poverty do not appear to explain the results — Cloudcroft's student–teacher ratio (13.5) is close to Chaparral's and lower than Mountain View's, while Tularosa has the smallest classes (8.3) yet ranks near the bottom. One caveat: with only 105 students, year-to-year percentages can swing, but the long rank history suggests the performance is consistent rather than a one-year fluke.