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Zia Middle

Q: Is Zia Middle a good school?

Zia Middle ranks 120 th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

120^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 192 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 38% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Zia Middle is a public middle school in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving 626 students in grades 6-8. 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. Zia Middle has had a fluctuating performance over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 69 to 191 out of around 200-230 middle schools in New Mexico.

Zia Middle consistently underperforms the Las Cruces and New Mexico state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Zia Middle's ELA proficiency rate for all grades was 40.07%, compared to 46.12% for Las Cruces and 44.19% for the state. In Mathematics, Zia Middle's proficiency rate was 18.83%, while Las Cruces and the state scored 25.43% and 26.81%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low in Mathematics, with proficiency rates ranging from 10.99% to 25.75% across grade levels in recent years. Zia Middle's 8th-grade Science proficiency rate is also below the Las Cruces and state averages, at 32.13% in 2024-2025 compared to 37.54% and 34.46%, respectively.

Zia Middle's academic performance is generally lower than the nearby middle schools in the Las Cruces district, such as Camino Real Middle, Sierra Middle, and Vista Middle, which all have higher proficiency rates in ELA and Mathematics. Camino Real Middle, in particular, stands out with significantly higher proficiency rates, ranking 47th out of 192 middle schools in New Mexico in 2024-2025 and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. The nearby charter school, La Academia Dolores Huerta, also outperforms Zia Middle in ELA proficiency, despite having a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

616

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,805

Per pupil spending ?

100.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 West University Ave
Las Cruces, NM 88005

(575) 527-9475

District: Las Cruces

Students who attend Zia Middle usually attend:

High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School
	Las Cruces High

Feeder schools for Zia Middle:

Elementary:	Central Elementary
	Mesilla Elementary
	Mesilla Park Elementary
	Tombaugh Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

80.2%

White:

15.9%

African American:

1.9%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Zia Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 18th percentile in 2022 → 38th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 38th (2025) from a 18th-percentile low (2022)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (30% vs 35% meeting standards)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

120^th of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8Middle 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	120 of 192	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.2	125 of 165	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.0	160 of 239	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.0	191 of 232	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	142 of 200	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.8	100 of 186	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.3	97 of 176	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	41.3	106 of 208	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	44.2	96 of 207	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2014	60.5	69 of 222	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.6	75 of 193	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.8	78 of 178	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	48.1	80 of 173	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	51.9	72 of 179	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	42.2	99 of 178	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2008	50.6	75 of 172	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.3	60 of 171	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.8	43 of 156	72.4%	★★★★☆
2005	69.9	38 of 157	75.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	40.4	21 of 38	44.7%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	58.3	12 of 52	76.9%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	10.0	102 of 108	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.8	96 of 97	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	21.9	127 of 162	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	181 of 213	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.5	172 of 220	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	108 of 160	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.3	97 of 156	37.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	25.8	113 of 148	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.6	127 of 154	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	167 of 204	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.0	178 of 214	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	117 of 150	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.4	95 of 149	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	100 of 173	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	23.6	109 of 144	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	143 of 227	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.8	167 of 223	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.6	150 of 175	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	114 of 168	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	19.2	126 of 161	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.6	135 of 221	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.3	170 of 213	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.5	122 of 152	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.9	82 of 151	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	36.4	5 of 6	16.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	28.5	56 of 100	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.2	53 of 58	8.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	22 of 44	50.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	29.4	117 of 178	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	18.1	114 of 142	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	169 of 229	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.4	146 of 187	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.4	85 of 121	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.3	49 of 120	59.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Disabled (2018)77th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2023)45th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2023)44th percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile+5 vs school

White (2025)34th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)24th percentile-14 vs school

Male (2024)22nd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2024)22nd percentile-3 vs school

Pacific Islander (2022)17th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2024)6th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%-4 vs state

Science32%~ state avg

Mathematics19%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Zia Middle

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 8th 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 6th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 7th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Zia Middle	Public	6-8	1300 West University Ave	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9475	616	60	10.2	100.2%	98 (15.9%)	12 (1.9%)	494 (80.2%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (0.8%)	32.3	120^th of 192 public middle schools	37.5%		22.2	125^th of 165 public middle schools	24.2%	5	32.1	40.7	31.9	46.4	40.1	25.8	14.9	17.0	18.8	$8,805
La Academia Dolores Huerta	Public, Charter	6-8	400 West Bell Ave	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	La Academia Dolores Huerta	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-5800	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	39.6	102^nd of 192 public middle schools	46.9%		29.9	100^th of 165 public middle schools	39.4%	2		38.2	41.7	48.2	42.4				9.4	$10,699
Lynn Middle	Public	6-8	950 South Walnut St	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9445	507	52	9.8	99.8%	75 (14.8%)	12 (2.4%)	399 (78.7%)	5 (1.0%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.4%)	16.6	167^th of 192 public middle schools	13.0%		21.2	127^th of 165 public middle schools	23.0%	40	24.8	30.6	28.0	33.8	30.6	20.4	8.8	7.4	12.2	$8,523
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy	Public	6-8	950 South Walnut St	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-6059	94	6	15.6	97.9%	42 (44.7%)	1 (1.1%)	48 (51.1%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.1%)	83.7	27^th of 192 public middle schools	85.9%		78.8	11^th of 165 public middle schools	93.3%	16	55.2	81.3	82.1	72.4	78.7	46.9	42.9	31.0	40.5	$10,283
Picacho Middle	Public	6-8	1040 North Motel Blvd	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9455	698	61	11.4	100.0%	102 (14.6%)	9 (1.3%)	577 (82.7%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	28.1	135^th of 192 public middle schools	29.7%		24.6	118^th of 165 public middle schools	28.5%	17	26.2	35.0	34.6	50.9	40.5	16.3	14.6	13.3	14.7	$9,072
Sierra Middle	Public	6-8	1700 E Spruce Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9640	698	66	10.6	99.7%	96 (13.8%)	15 (2.1%)	574 (82.2%)	4 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	5 (0.7%)	44.6	88^th of 192 public middle schools	54.2%		45.6	62^nd of 165 public middle schools	62.4%	26	41.8	41.0	44.6	50.0	45.3	26.2	29.1	18.6	24.5	$8,018
Camino Real Middle	Public	6-8	2961 Roadrunner Pkwy	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-6030	933	84	11.1	100.0%	225 (24.1%)	17 (1.8%)	652 (69.9%)	16 (1.7%)	6 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	15 (1.6%)	69.5	47^th of 192 public middle schools	75.5%		69.3	23^rd of 165 public middle schools	86.1%	24	52.5	57.5	61.3	60.3	59.8	39.3	39.0	23.1	33.7	$7,720
Vista Middle	Public	6-8	4465 Elks Dr	Las Cruces	88007	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9465	574	56	10.2	100.0%	54 (9.4%)	7 (1.2%)	495 (86.2%)	1 (0.2%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.9%)	39.7	101^st of 192 public middle schools	47.4%		29.7	102^nd of 165 public middle schools	38.2%	1	32.5	46.6	39.4	52.5	46.0	29.3	18.9	16.7	22.0	$8,507
Mesa Middle	Public	6-8	7225 Jornada Rd North	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9510	728	47	15.6	100.0%	90 (12.4%)	13 (1.8%)	595 (81.7%)	7 (1.0%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	15 (2.1%)	31.2	124^th of 192 public middle schools	35.4%		34.5	87^th of 165 public middle schools	47.3%	37	37.0	39.3	42.5	44.1	41.8	14.8	19.9	9.0	14.3	$8,992

Frequently Asked Questions about Zia Middle

What district is Zia Middle in?

Las Cruces

What high school do graduates of Zia Middle attend?

Students who attend Zia Middle usually go on to attend Arrowhead Park Early College High School

Is Zia Middle a good school?

Zia Middle ranks 120^th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Zia Middle?

Students at Zia Middle are 80% Hispanic, 16% White, 2% African American.

How many students attend Zia Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 616 students attended Zia Middle.

Rate Zia Middle!

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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.