Summary
Gadsden High in Anthony, NM, is a large 9–12 comprehensive high school with 1,219 students in Gadsden Independent Schools, serving a high-poverty community where 100% of students receive free/reduced lunch. In 2025–2026 it ranks 101st of 132 New Mexico high schools, in the 23rd percentile with 1 star, continuing a long pattern of bottom-quartile performance. The district overall is 54th of 87, in the 38th percentile with 2 stars.
Gadsden’s clearest strength is its graduation rate: 89.8% in 2024–2025, 9.2 points above the state’s 80.6% but 1.1 points below the district. However, test proficiency is low. Only 7.77% of 11th graders were proficient in math and 21.55% in Language Arts in 2025–2026, both below district and state averages. Science is a relative bright spot at 27.37%, above the district’s 24.83% and above Chaparral High and Santa Teresa High, though still 6.65 points below the state. Math is the most urgent weakness, with SAT Math proficiency at 7.83% versus 10.14% district and 12.53% state.
Compared with nearby comprehensive schools, Gadsden is mixed: its Language Arts is about tied with Chaparral but below Santa Teresa, its math is below both, its science is strongest, and its graduation rate is just above Chaparral’s 89.5% but below Santa Teresa’s 94.5%. Alta Vista Early College High School, less than a mile away in the same district and also with 100% free/reduced lunch, ranks 9th of 132 with 5 stars and much higher proficiency (71.79% ELA, 56.41% math). Arrowhead Park Early College High School in Las Cruces Public Schools is also top-decile. The school’s effectiveness rankings for student groups are low across the board: no recent subgroup ranks above the 29th percentile, and English Language Learner and special education students are in the 5th percentile. Bottom line: graduation is a foundation, but math, ELA, and support for ELL and special education students are the areas where improvement would most change Gadsden’s profile.
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