Des Moines High

Des Moines High is a small public high school serving grades 7-12 in the rural town of Des Moines, New Mexico, with a total enrollment of just 51 students. Despite its small size, this school has consistently ranked among the top high schools in the state, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade.

Des Moines High's academic performance is truly exceptional, with 39% of students proficient or better in Mathematics and 65% proficient or better in Science, far surpassing the state averages of 25% and 36%, respectively. The school's rankings have been as high as 2nd out of 182 high schools in New Mexico, and in the most recent school year, it ranked 19th out of 190 schools statewide. This consistent academic excellence is particularly noteworthy for the school's female and white student populations, which have ranked as high as 2nd and 10th in the state, respectively, demonstrating a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.

The small size of Des Moines High, with its low student-teacher ratio ranging from 5.9 to 7.9 students per teacher, likely contributes to the school's ability to provide personalized attention and support to its students. Additionally, the school's integration within the highly ranked Des Moines District, which is ranked 6th out of 119 districts in New Mexico, suggests a strong level of community engagement and support that has been crucial to the school's remarkable success.