Cubero Elementary

Cubero Elementary is a K–6 school in rural Cubero, NM, serving 197 students as part of Grants-Cibola County Schools, a district ranked 64th of 87 in New Mexico (26th percentile, 1 star). The single most important thing to know is how much the school stands out from its own district: Cubero Elementary ranked 111th of 346 New Mexico schools in 2025–2026 (68th percentile, 3 stars), placing it in the top third of the state while its district sits in the bottom third.

Academically, the school outperforms both its district and the state, with math as its clearest strength. All-grades proficiency was 45.45% in Language Arts and 40.91% in Mathematics, compared with 34.03% and 16.37% for the district and 43.34% and 25.54% statewide. Among nearby same-district schools, Cubero leads clearly: Mesa View Elementary posted 29.33% in Language Arts and 21.78% in math, and Mount Taylor Elementary posted 42.64% and 19.29%. Upper-grade results are exceptional — 5th-grade math at 76.19%, 6th-grade math around 59–61%, and 5th-grade science at 42.86%, all well above district and state averages. Third-grade math (22.58%) and 5th-grade Language Arts (38.1%) fall below state averages but remain at or above district levels.

Poverty is high here: the free/reduced lunch rate was 87.31% in 2024–2025, though that is lower than Mesa View Elementary, Mount Taylor Elementary, Seboyeta Elementary, Laguna Elementary School, and Haak'u Community Academy. Its student-teacher ratio improved to 8.1, better than most nearby schools. The school has held in the top third of the state for four straight reported years, up from 352nd of 396 in 2018–2019, and it ranks strongly for many student groups, including low-income students and English learners. Keep in mind that 4th-grade math and all of Seboyeta's scores are suppressed by the state, so those are unknown rather than weaknesses.