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

Sierra Middle

Q: Is Sierra Middle a good school?

Sierra Middle ranks 88 th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

88^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 192 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 54% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Sierra Middle is a public middle school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 752 students. While the school maintains an average 3-star rating from SchoolDigger, it faces some unique challenges and strengths compared to other middle schools in the area.

One of Sierra Middle's most notable characteristics is its high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 100% of its population qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This is significantly higher than the surrounding schools, which range from 99.22% to 99.78% free/reduced lunch recipients. Despite this, the school has performed exceptionally well in supporting its special education students, ranking 2nd out of 44 New Mexico middle schools in 2018-2019 and receiving a 4-star rating in 2023-2024. However, the school's performance varies greatly across different student subgroups, with its African American, multi-racial, and English Language Learner students underperforming compared to the state average.

In terms of academic performance, Sierra Middle has maintained relatively high proficiency rates in English Language Arts, ranging from 34.7% to 45.3% proficient or better across all grades, which is on par with or slightly higher than the surrounding Las Cruces schools. Conversely, the school's mathematics proficiency rates have been consistently lower than the state average, ranging from 22% to 25% proficient or better. This disparity in performance between subject areas suggests the school may need to focus on addressing the unique needs of its students in mathematics. Interestingly, while Sierra Middle is performing at an average level compared to the state, it is generally outperformed by the nearby Camino Real Middle School, which has consistently ranked much higher and achieved a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

698

Students ?

10.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,018

Per pupil spending ?

99.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1700 E Spruce Ave
Las Cruces, NM 88001

(575) 527-9640

District: Las Cruces

Students who attend Sierra Middle usually attend:

High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School
	Centennial High School

Feeder schools for Sierra Middle:

Elementary:	Booker T. Washington
	Loma Heights Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.2%

White:

13.8%

African American:

2.1%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Sierra Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2014 → 54th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the New Mexico median (54th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 20 percentile points since 2014

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

88^th of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Top 46%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 35% (2015) to top 46% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd 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	44.6	88 of 192	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.6	62 of 165	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.5	97 of 239	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.7	117 of 232	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.5	90 of 200	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	38.3	109 of 186	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.2	79 of 176	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	40.8	108 of 208	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	54.6	72 of 207	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.8	58 of 222	73.9%	★★★★☆
2013	67.4	54 of 193	72.0%	★★★★☆
2012	71.6	41 of 178	77.0%	★★★★☆
2011	63.5	53 of 173	69.4%	★★★★☆
2010	51.3	75 of 179	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	53.0	70 of 178	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	60.1	57 of 172	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.3	44 of 171	74.3%	★★★★☆
2006	75.1	33 of 156	78.8%	★★★★☆
2005	68.6	39 of 157	75.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	9.8	25 of 29	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.3	16 of 38	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.0	21 of 55	61.8%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	40.3	27 of 52	48.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	26.1	65 of 108	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.4	41 of 97	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	45.4	61 of 162	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.7	81 of 213	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.2	83 of 220	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	75 of 160	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.9	90 of 156	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	65 of 148	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.8	62 of 154	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.6	97 of 204	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.3	113 of 214	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.4	73 of 150	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.3	108 of 149	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	48.9	70 of 173	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.6	60 of 144	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.3	68 of 227	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	49.3	81 of 223	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.8	104 of 175	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.1	134 of 168	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	41.7	68 of 161	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.6	110 of 221	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.5	122 of 213	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.9	80 of 152	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.0	102 of 151	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	33.7	51 of 65	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	99.7	1 of 67	98.5%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	51.0	2 of 6	66.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	41.2	18 of 78	76.9%	★★★★☆
2023	25.4	65 of 100	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	85.9	2 of 44	95.5%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	90 of 178	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.5	64 of 142	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.6	119 of 229	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	62.8	55 of 187	70.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.2	33 of 121	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	58.9	35 of 120	70.8%	★★★★☆

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)

Native American (2022)99th percentile+49 vs school

Special Education (2024)77th percentile+14 vs school

Pacific Islander (2022)67th percentile+17 vs school

Female (2024)62nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2024)58th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)56th percentile~ school

White (2025)49th percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2018)48th percentile+7 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)40th percentile-23 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)22nd percentile-28 vs school

African American (2024)14th percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Science42%+7 vs state

Mathematics24%~ state avg

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Sierra Middle and help other families decide.

Rate Sierra Middle

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 Sierra 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Sierra Middle

What high school do graduates of Sierra Middle attend?

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

How many students attend Sierra Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 698 students attended Sierra Middle.

What district is Sierra Middle in?

Las Cruces

Is Sierra Middle a good school?

Sierra Middle ranks 88^th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Sierra Middle?

Students at Sierra Middle are 82% Hispanic, 14% White, 2% African American.

Rate Sierra Middle!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

NMNew Mexico Middle School Rankings

NMNew Mexico District Rankings

Schools in Las Cruces, NM

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Sierra Middle!

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.