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White Sands Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

31^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

White Sands Elementary is a public elementary school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 283 students. The school is part of the Las Cruces school district, which is ranked 45 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

White Sands Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in New Mexico, with a statewide ranking between 11-42 over the past several years. The school has maintained a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, indicating exceptional academic achievement. Additionally, the school excels in the performance of various student subgroups, ranking in the top 5-26 among New Mexico elementary schools for female, male, Hispanic, and multi-racial students, as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. White Sands Elementary significantly outperforms the Las Cruces and New Mexico state averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels.

Despite the school's overall high performance, the high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 97.88% to 100% over the past three years, may indicate that the school faces unique challenges in serving a predominantly economically disadvantaged population. When compared to the nearby elementary schools in the Las Cruces district, White Sands Elementary consistently outperforms its peers in academic achievement, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency.

270

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,615

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 Viking St White Sands Missi
Las Cruces, NM 88002

(575) 674-1241

District: Las Cruces

Students who attend White Sands Elementary usually attend:

High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School
	Organ Mountain High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

42.2%

White:

41.5%

Two or more races:

11.1%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare White Sands Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 77th percentile in 2014 → 91st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (60% vs 35% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of New Mexico elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg37%

New Mexico avg35%

Elementary school

31^st of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▲ up 6 pts since 2015

From top 15% (2015) to top 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

22^nd of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From top 7% (2015) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 24Elementary Schools in the Las Cruces

45^th of 82Las Cruces 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	88.1	31 of 345	91.0%	★★★★★
2024	98.2	11 of 413	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	97.8	20 of 435	95.4%	★★★★★
2022	86.4	42 of 420	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	86.7	30 of 396	92.4%	★★★★★
2018	86.7	32 of 383	91.6%	★★★★★
2017	82.8	42 of 374	88.8%	★★★★☆
2016	89.9	22 of 410	94.6%	★★★★★
2015	78.4	64 of 421	84.8%	★★★★☆
2014	71.1	101 of 442	77.1%	★★★★☆
2013	69.8	109 of 412	73.5%	★★★★☆
2012	79.2	62 of 398	84.4%	★★★★☆
2011	54.3	160 of 402	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	55.7	170 of 419	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	80.6	52 of 411	87.3%	★★★★☆
2008	89.1	28 of 405	93.1%	★★★★★
2007	80.5	55 of 398	86.2%	★★★★☆
2006	72.8	83 of 390	78.7%	★★★★☆
2005	72.2	86 of 389	77.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	98.1	5 of 398	98.7%	★★★★★
2023	98.0	14 of 390	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	81.9	45 of 395	88.6%	★★★★☆
2019	81.7	36 of 343	89.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.4	30 of 339	91.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	98.8	8 of 384	97.9%	★★★★★
2023	96.6	19 of 395	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	96.2	9 of 389	97.7%	★★★★★
2019	83.3	26 of 320	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	76.2	45 of 329	86.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	90.3	23 of 325	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	98.3	8 of 356	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	99.7	5 of 426	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.6	12 of 410	97.1%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	95.5	19 of 397	95.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.3	24 of 414	94.2%	★★★★★
2022	78.9	46 of 392	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	85.3	23 of 337	93.2%	★★★★★
2018	79.0	33 of 333	90.1%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	47.1	29 of 50	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	81.1	1 of 7	85.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	92.3	3 of 45	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.1	5 of 83	94.0%	★★★★★
2022	29.6	73 of 91	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	89.7	21 of 165	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	64.9	29 of 132	78.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	81.0	42 of 304	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	93.9	18 of 339	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	95.8	26 of 413	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	68.5	72 of 325	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	56.4	87 of 199	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.3	75 of 187	59.9%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	22 of 192	88.5%	★★★★☆
2023	97.8	10 of 239	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	93.1	14 of 232	94.0%	★★★★★
2019	92.6	10 of 200	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.6	11 of 186	94.1%	★★★★★
2017	88.4	15 of 176	91.5%	★★★★★
2016	96.2	6 of 208	97.1%	★★★★★
2015	88.9	15 of 207	92.8%	★★★★★
2014	77.5	34 of 222	84.7%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	47.6	21 of 37	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	98.0	8 of 213	96.2%	★★★★★
2022	85.6	20 of 220	90.9%	★★★★★
2019	92.9	8 of 160	95.0%	★★★★★
2018	88.6	15 of 156	90.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	96.6	10 of 204	95.1%	★★★★★
2022	91.5	11 of 214	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	79.8	21 of 150	86.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	88.9	16 of 173	90.8%	★★★★★
2023	99.7	2 of 227	99.1%	★★★★★
2022	96.8	5 of 223	97.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	96.3	15 of 221	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	15 of 213	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	89.0	12 of 152	92.1%	★★★★★
2018	72.7	27 of 151	82.1%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	58.6	11 of 37	70.3%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	94.1	5 of 53	90.6%	★★★★★
2022	47.9	35 of 65	46.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	89.7	10 of 100	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	78.2	9 of 58	84.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	84.0	22 of 178	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	95.8	15 of 229	93.4%	★★★★★
2022	76.1	29 of 187	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	73.2	17 of 121	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.4	9 of 120	92.5%	★★★★★

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)

Elementary school

Female (2024)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2024)98th percentile~ school

Male (2024)95th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2024)93rd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)87th percentile-8 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile-5 vs school

Military Connected (2022)42nd percentile-48 vs school

Middle school

Female (2023)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)95th percentile~ school

Male (2023)93rd percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)91st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)91st percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2023)90th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)88th percentile~ school

Military Connected (2022)70th percentile-24 vs school

Asian (2022)43rd percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts64%+20 vs state

Mathematics58%+31 vs state

Science57%+22 vs state

★

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Schools Near White Sands 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-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science All Grades	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 7th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
White Sands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1 Viking St White Sands Missi	Las Cruces	88002	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 674-1241	270	26	10.5	100.0%	112 (41.5%)	8 (3.0%)	114 (42.2%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.7%)	30 (11.1%)	88.1	31^st of 345 public elementary schools	91.0%		98.2	11^th of 413 public elementary schools	97.3%	20	61.5	52.4	57.5	44.4	74.1	65.4	61.9	83.3	52.4	63.7	44.4	81.5	65.4	71.4	62.5	58.2	$9,615
Sunrise Elementary	Public	3-5	5300 N Holman Rd	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9626	363	29	12.5	100.0%	23 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	337 (92.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	37.4	199^th of 345 public elementary schools	42.3%		38.3	228^th of 413 public elementary schools	44.8%	29	36.0			36.1	50.0	43.6				42.9	16.0	12.0	33.6			20.7	$9,045
Cesar Chavez Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	5250 N Holman Rd	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-6022	492	48	10.3	100.0%	38 (7.7%)	3 (0.6%)	443 (90.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	4 (0.8%)								(n/a)																	$12,728
Monte Vista Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4675 Peachtree Hills	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9490	706	56	12.6	100.0%	105 (14.9%)	15 (2.1%)	555 (78.6%)	10 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.7%)	48.3	151^st of 345 public elementary schools	56.2%		49.2	175^th of 413 public elementary schools	57.6%	24	29.1			44.7	53.3	52.4				50.0	18.4	34.6	31.1			27.8	$9,083
Sonoma Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4201 Northrise Dr	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 541-7320	660	55	12.0	99.8%	115 (17.4%)	10 (1.5%)	503 (76.2%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.0%)	75.8	54^th of 345 public elementary schools	84.3%		68.8	101^st of 413 public elementary schools	75.5%	47	44.9			55.9	67.8	53.1				59.3	35.1	44.9	45.9			41.9	$8,200
Highland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4201 Emerald St	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9636	704	49	14.3	100.0%	127 (18.0%)	11 (1.6%)	522 (74.1%)	14 (2.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.6%)	58.4	108^th of 345 public elementary schools	68.7%		65.2	115^th of 413 public elementary schools	72.2%	7	33.7			44.6	66.1	53.9				55.3	17.9	32.3	48.1			32.4	$8,078
Desert Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	280 North Roadrunner Pkwy	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9619	502	42	12.0	100.0%	103 (20.5%)	13 (2.6%)	340 (67.7%)	26 (5.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.2%)	85.6	35^th of 345 public elementary schools	89.9%		85.6	44^th of 413 public elementary schools	89.3%	9	67.9			45.1	68.1	79.0				63.8	41.5	47.2	67.9			52.3	$8,467
Hillrise Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 South Curnutt St	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9666	421	33	12.7	100.0%	102 (24.2%)	12 (2.9%)	288 (68.4%)	8 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.6%)	59.6	102^nd of 345 public elementary schools	70.4%		70.3	96^th of 413 public elementary schools	76.8%	6	53.7			42.5	50.9	60.0				50.8	15.1	36.4	44.6			31.1	$9,028
Conlee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1701 Boston Dr	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9656	417	35	12.0	99.8%	45 (10.8%)	18 (4.3%)	350 (83.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	46.7	159^th of 345 public elementary schools	53.9%		54.3	152^nd of 413 public elementary schools	63.2%	7	36.2			32.2	54.7	37.3				40.9	20.3	34.0	46.6			33.5	$11,071
University Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2005 South Locust St	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9649	363	32	11.3	100.0%	54 (14.9%)	21 (5.8%)	270 (74.4%)	13 (3.6%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	44	172^nd of 345 public elementary schools	50.1%		51.5	167^th of 413 public elementary schools	59.6%	5	37.8			36.7	45.7	60.0				47.1		15.2	26.7			17.1	$11,880

Frequently Asked Questions about White Sands Elementary

What schools do graduates of White Sands Elementary attend?

Students who attend White Sands Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Arrowhead Park Early College High School
High : Organ Mountain High School

What is the racial makeup of White Sands Elementary?

Students at White Sands Elementary are 42% Hispanic, 41% White, 11% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% Asian.

What district is White Sands Elementary in?

Las Cruces

How many students attend White Sands Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended White Sands Elementary.

Is White Sands Elementary a good school?

Yes. White Sands Elementary ranks in the top 9.0% of New Mexico elementary schools.

Rate White Sands Elementary!

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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.