Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Desert Trail Elementary

Q: Is Desert Trail Elementary a good school?

Desert Trail Elementary ranks 148 th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

148^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 57% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Desert Trail Elementary is a public elementary school in Chaparral, New Mexico, serving 467 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the Gadsden school district, which is ranked 60 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Trail Elementary consistently outperforms the Gadsden district and the state of New Mexico in mathematics proficiency, with 46.85% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to 28.57% for the district and 26.81% for the state. However, the school lags behind the district and state in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, with only 38.98% of students proficient or better, and particularly struggles in 5th grade ELA. The school's performance is generally on par with or slightly better than other nearby high-poverty schools in the Gadsden district, such as Vado Elementary and Berino Elementary, but it falls behind the higher-performing Gadsden Elementary and Loma Linda Elementary.

Over time, Desert Trail Elementary's statewide ranking has declined, from 174 out of 396 New Mexico elementary schools in 2016-2017 to 148 out of 345 in 2024-2025. The school also has significant performance gaps between different student subgroups, such as male vs. female and Hispanic vs. White students, suggesting the need for targeted interventions and strategies to improve overall academic achievement and equity.

479

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,800

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

290 East Lisa
Chaparral, NM 88021

(575) 882-6203

District: Gadsden

Students who attend Desert Trail Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Chaparral Middle
High:	Chaparral High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

95.0%

White:

3.3%

American Indian:

0.8%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Desert Trail Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 60th percentile in 2014 → 57th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (41% vs 35% meeting standards)

✓Above the New Mexico median (57th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg35%

New Mexico avg35%

148^th of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 43%▲ up 25 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to top 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 14Elementary Schools in the Gadsden

60^th of 82Gadsden 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	48.5	148 of 345	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.0	189 of 413	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	247 of 435	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	219 of 420	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.5	174 of 396	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.9	191 of 383	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.3	174 of 374	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	33.2	276 of 410	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.8	286 of 421	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	55.0	178 of 442	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	49.1	199 of 412	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	31.7	283 of 398	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	43.7	225 of 402	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.2	260 of 419	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	44.9	229 of 411	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	39.8	249 of 405	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2007	31.0	292 of 398	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.8	279 of 390	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	28.3	304 of 389	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	42.3	11 of 21	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.2	96 of 223	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.6	145 of 191	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	149 of 203	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	64.3	27 of 98	72.4%	★★★★☆
2018	56.5	25 of 83	69.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	40.9	193 of 398	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	28.0	296 of 390	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.8	218 of 395	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.9	146 of 343	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.1	187 of 339	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	112 of 255	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.2	167 of 384	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.2	229 of 395	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.0	189 of 389	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.1	125 of 320	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.0	164 of 329	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	50.2	137 of 325	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.5	86 of 356	75.8%	★★★★☆
2023	48.0	221 of 426	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.2	171 of 410	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	117 of 361	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.9	140 of 356	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	53.2	147 of 397	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.9	188 of 414	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.2	171 of 392	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.1	167 of 337	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.3	204 of 333	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	30.5	100 of 158	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	43.4	158 of 304	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.0	264 of 413	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2024)63rd percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile~ school

Female (2024)52nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)48th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2024)37th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics47%+20 vs state

English Language Arts39%-5 vs state

Science25%-4 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Desert Trail Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Desert Trail Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Desert Trail 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
Desert Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	290 East Lisa	Chaparral	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	479	33	14.4	100.0%	16 (3.3%)	3 (0.6%)	455 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	48.5	148^th of 345 public elementary schools	57.1%		47	189^th of 413 public elementary schools	54.2%	41	25.0	34.7	40.0	25.0	57.1	39.0	22.2	34.6	53.1	79.4	46.9	$8,800
Chaparral Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	300 Lisa Dr	Chaparral	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	437	34	12.8	100.0%	22 (5.0%)	8 (1.8%)	406 (92.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26.1	249^th of 345 public elementary schools	27.8%		31.8	260^th of 413 public elementary schools	37.0%	11	20.7	39.6	35.2	31.0	40.0	36.4	18.9	14.8	15.5	36.7	21.8	$9,456
Sunrise Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 County Line Dr	Anthony	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	406	33	12.3	100.0%	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	396 (97.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21.8	285^th of 345 public elementary schools	17.4%		29.3	281^st of 413 public elementary schools	32.0%	4	31.2	22.8	17.7	34.4	20.7	24.0	12.3		29.5	32.8	21.0	$9,400
Yucca Heights Elementary	Public	K-6	580 Angelina Blvd	Chaparral	88081	Otero County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 824-8210	439	29	15.1	100.0%	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	430 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	37.9	196^th of 345 public elementary schools	43.2%		42.8	203^rd of 413 public elementary schools	50.8%	7	13.6	46.2	48.2	27.1	47.1	42.5	23.1	16.7	30.5	42.9	28.7	$8,310
Loma Linda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1451 Donaldson Ave	Anthony	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	398	30	13.2	100.0%	10 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	386 (97.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	53	125^th of 345 public elementary schools	63.8%		66.2	112^th of 413 public elementary schools	72.9%	13		36.9	52.1			44.0	26.2	48.0			36.3	$10,935
Anthony Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	609 Church St	Anthony	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	163	16	10.1	100.0%	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	158 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63.6	89^th of 345 public elementary schools	74.2%		74.8	79^th of 413 public elementary schools	80.9%	10	40.3			46.8	41.8	44.2			61.0	45.6	53.2	$10,061
Berino Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	455 Shrode Rd	Anthony	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	300	28	10.6	100.0%	5 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	294 (98.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19.2	302^nd of 345 public elementary schools	12.5%		32.3	257^th of 413 public elementary schools	37.8%	45		37.2	35.1	23.3	20.5	29.0					12.4	$10,604
Gadsden Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1440 Hwy 478	Sunland Park	88063	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-3050	379	27	14.0	100.0%	4 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	372 (98.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	37.5	198^th of 345 public elementary schools	42.6%		45.5	196^th of 413 public elementary schools	52.5%	2	37.9	25.5	53.2	34.5	40.3	38.1	13.7	40.4	25.9	32.3	28.0	$9,279
Vado Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	330 Holguin Rd	Vado	88072	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	415	33	12.5	100.0%	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	411 (99.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16.7	316^th of 345 public elementary schools	8.4%		25.9	298^th of 413 public elementary schools	27.8%	18	16.1	20.4	20.0	21.4	37.9	25.5	27.8	16.4	16.1	19.7	19.9	$10,558
La Union Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	875 Mercantile	Anthony	88021	Do�a Ana County	Gadsden	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 882-6203	340	24	14.0	100.0%	26 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	313 (92.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68.3	77^th of 345 public elementary schools	77.7%		73.5	82^nd of 413 public elementary schools	80.1%	5	35.1	52.3	60.0	54.4	52.5	55.1	34.1	29.1	57.9	57.5	44.4	$10,430

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Trail Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Desert Trail Elementary?

Students at Desert Trail Elementary are 95% Hispanic, 3% White.

How many students attend Desert Trail Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 479 students attended Desert Trail Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Desert Trail Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Trail Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Chaparral Middle
High : Chaparral High

Is Desert Trail Elementary a good school?

Desert Trail Elementary ranks 148^th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Desert Trail Elementary in?

Gadsden

Rate Desert Trail Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NMNew Mexico Elementary School Rankings

NMNew Mexico District Rankings

Schools in Chaparral, NM

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Desert Trail Elementary!

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.