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Chief Manuelito Middle

Q: Is Chief Manuelito Middle a good school?

Chief Manuelito Middle ranks 120 th of 191 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

120^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 191 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 37% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Chief Manuelito Middle is a mid-sized public school serving about 634 students in grades 6–8 in Gallup, a city in northwestern New Mexico, as part of Gallup-McKinley City Schools.

For 2025-2026, Chief Manuelito Middle ranked 120th of 191 New Mexico middle schools — 37th percentile, 2 stars. That places it in the lower-middle band statewide, but it reverses the prior year's 1-star, 20th-percentile result. The longer record shows genuine if uneven progress: the school climbed out of a 1-star trough in the mid-2010s (19th–24th percentile) into a mostly 2-star, 30th–43rd percentile range, though it has plateaued rather than kept rising. Two nearby same-district middle schools make useful comparisons. Gallup Middle (about 5 miles away, 480 students, 61st percentile, 3 stars) is the strongest of the three, and its edge is concentrated in literacy and science — its ELA proficiency is 54.55% versus 35.74% here, while math is nearly tied (23.85% vs. 22.68%). John F. Kennedy Middle (about 6.4 miles away, 648 students, 38th percentile) finishes almost even with Chief Manuelito overall, but in the opposite way: its ELA matches the state average while its math sits far below it. Chief Manuelito is the more balanced school, with no subject collapsing. Poverty rates are similar at all three (82.9%–87.5% free/reduced lunch), so family economics does not explain the gaps; reported student-teacher ratios do differ sharply — 21.6:1 here versus 8.2:1 at Gallup Middle.

Grade by grade, eighth grade is the engine and seventh grade the drag: 8th-grade math (22.73% proficient) beats both the district and the state average, while 7th-grade ELA (34.31%) trails the state by more than 12 points. School-wide math rose from 15% to 22.68% over two years, cutting the gap to the state roughly in half, while ELA moved only from 31% to 35.74% and now sits slightly below the district. Among the school's own performance measures, Native American students rank at the 50th percentile with 3 stars — above the school's overall standing — and low-income students improved to the 42nd percentile after a 1-star year. Bottom line: a 2-star school that is measurably improving and balanced across subjects, with 7th-grade reading the clearest place for growth.

634

Students ?

21.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,573

Per pupil spending ?

85.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1325 South Rico St
Gallup, NM 87301

(505) 721-1051

District: Gallup-McKinley City Schools

Students who attend Chief Manuelito Middle usually attend:

High:

Gallup High

Feeder schools for Chief Manuelito Middle:

Elementary:	Chee Dodge Elementary
	Del Norte Elementary
	Stagecoach Elementary
	Tobe Turpen Elementary

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

65.1%

Hispanic:

24.6%

White:

4.3%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Chief Manuelito Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2015 → 37th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (29% vs 36% meeting standards)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg33%

New Mexico avg36%

120^th of 191

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▲ up 15 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 7Middle Schools in the Gallup-McKinley City Schools

60^th of 87Gallup-McKinley City Schools 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
2026	31.2	120 of 191	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	22.3	153 of 192	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	110 of 165	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.9	148 of 239	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.1	162 of 232	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	38.0	115 of 200	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	115 of 186	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	25.9	134 of 176	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.8	161 of 208	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	24.7	168 of 207	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	18.6	199 of 222	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	18.1	167 of 193	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.5	165 of 178	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	14.8	159 of 173	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	18.2	153 of 179	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	15.8	160 of 178	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	34.2	36 of 52	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	33.2	12 of 21	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.0	59 of 108	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.1	20 of 97	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	34.5	40 of 69	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	32.6	14 of 21	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	84 of 136	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.7	101 of 162	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	135 of 213	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.4	135 of 220	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.2	96 of 160	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	103 of 156	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	23.4	121 of 148	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.4	96 of 154	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	60.3	60 of 204	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	48.9	74 of 214	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	83.4	15 of 150	90.0%	★★★★★
2018	66.7	30 of 149	79.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	77 of 133	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.5	136 of 173	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.7	99 of 144	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.5	126 of 227	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	130 of 223	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	72 of 175	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.9	88 of 168	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	93 of 145	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.5	114 of 161	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	150 of 221	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.0	153 of 213	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.6	85 of 152	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.3	104 of 151	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	38.9	46 of 65	29.2%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	45.3	12 of 24	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	35.9	20 of 30	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.2	32 of 59	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.9	33 of 58	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.6	52 of 67	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.1	21 of 43	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.0	19 of 32	40.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	48.3	36 of 100	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.7	39 of 58	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	144 of 178	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.4	84 of 142	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.7	71 of 229	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.6	78 of 187	58.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Special Education (2023)64th percentile+26 vs school

Native American (2026)50th percentile+13 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)43rd percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)42nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile~ school

Male (2026)36th percentile~ school

Disabled (2018)31st percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)29th percentile~ school

White (2025)19th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)18th percentile~ school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts36%-9 vs state

Science29%-5 vs state

Mathematics23%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chief Manuelito Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				NM-ASR Science (2026)	NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2026)			NM-MSSA Mathematics (2026)			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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Chief Manuelito Middle	Public	6-8	1325 South Rico St	Gallup	87301	McKinley County	Gallup-McKinley City Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 721-1051	634	29	21.6	85.8%	27 (4.3%)	8 (1.3%)	156 (24.6%)	4 (0.6%)	413 (65.1%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.1%)	31.2	120^th of 191 public middle schools	37.2%		22.3	153^rd of 192 public middle schools	20.3%	33	29.0	34.3	37.0	35.7	22.5	22.9	22.7	$10,573
Gallup Middle	Public	6-8	1001 South Grandview	Gallup	87301	McKinley County	Gallup-McKinley City Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 721-2700	480	58	8.2	82.9%	58 (12.1%)	1 (0.2%)	151 (31.5%)	6 (1.3%)	236 (49.2%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.8%)	53.8	75^th of 191 public middle schools	60.7%		29.4	130^th of 192 public middle schools	32.3%	55	43.3	48.3	61.5	54.6	29.0	18.3	23.9	$10,615
John F. Kennedy Middle	Public	6-8	600 South Boardman Dr	Gallup	87301	McKinley County	Gallup-McKinley City Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 721-3100	648	30	21.8	87.5%	54 (8.3%)	3 (0.5%)	153 (23.6%)	0 (0.0%)	413 (63.7%)	2 (0.3%)	23 (3.5%)	31.2	119^th of 191 public middle schools	37.7%		18.1	165^th of 192 public middle schools	14.1%	46	28.3	51.8	37.6	44.3	16.4	10.8	13.4	$9,826

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