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Desert Hills Elementary

Q: Is Desert Hills Elementary a good school?

Yes. Desert Hills Elementary ranks in the top 5.5% of New Mexico elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Desert Hills Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 502 students attended Desert Hills Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Desert Hills Elementary?

Students at Desert Hills Elementary are 68% Hispanic, 21% White, 5% Asian, 3% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Q: What schools do graduates of Desert Hills Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Hills Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Camino Real Middle High : Arrowhead Park Early College High School High : Centennial High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

19^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 95% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Desert Hills Elementary is a PK–5 school at 280 North Roadrunner Pkwy in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving 502 students as part of Las Cruces Public Schools, and it currently ranks in the top 5% of New Mexico elementary schools (19th of 346, 95th percentile, 5 stars) — its highest standing of the past decade.

That places the school far above its own district, which sits at the 44th percentile statewide. In 2025–2026, proficiency ran at 75.62% in English language arts, 52.89% in math, and 76.54% in 5th-grade science, versus district figures of 46.49%, 26.85%, and 35.14% — roughly 1.7 times the district's ELA results and more than double its math. The margins over nearby schools are just as striking: Central Elementary posts the next-best ELA result at 56.44%, about 19 points behind, and no nearby school reaches even 40% in math, with Conlee Elementary closest at 38.22%. Science shows the widest gap, about 30 points ahead of the nearest competitor. Every tested grade level was above both district and state averages.

The standout result is for the school's highest-need students: it ranks 13th of 256 New Mexico schools for low-income students (95th percentile, 5 stars), in a school where virtually all students are economically disadvantaged. Support for English language learners and students in special education has been less consistent year to year, though the most recent data for both trends positive. This year's gain came almost entirely from ELA, which rose from 63.83% to 75.62%, while math stayed essentially flat near 53% — making early-grades math, the lowest-scoring area at 43.28% in 3rd grade, the clearest opportunity for growth. These results come while running the largest enrollment and one of the higher student-teacher ratios (12:1) among nearby schools.

502

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,467

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

280 North Roadrunner Pkwy
Las Cruces, NM 88001

(575) 527-9619

District: Las Cruces Public Schools

Students who attend Desert Hills Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Camino Real Middle
High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School
	Centennial High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

67.7%

White:

20.5%

Asian:

5.2%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Desert Hills Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 85th percentile in 2015 → 95th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (66% vs 36% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 5% of New Mexico elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school66%

District avg37%

New Mexico avg36%

19^th of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Top 5%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 10% (2016) to top 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 23Elementary Schools in the Las Cruces Public Schools

49^th of 87Las Cruces Public 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	92.3	19 of 346	94.5%	★★★★★
2025	85.6	35 of 345	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.6	44 of 413	89.3%	★★★★☆
2023	93.2	39 of 435	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	77.9	64 of 420	84.8%	★★★★☆
2019	89.1	20 of 396	94.9%	★★★★★
2018	87.7	27 of 383	93.0%	★★★★★
2017	89.0	23 of 374	93.9%	★★★★★
2016	84.4	42 of 410	89.8%	★★★★☆
2015	78.5	63 of 421	85.0%	★★★★☆
2014	81.8	54 of 442	87.8%	★★★★☆
2013	90.1	25 of 412	93.9%	★★★★★
2012	84.9	42 of 398	89.4%	★★★★☆
2011	86.9	41 of 402	89.8%	★★★★★
2010	78.0	70 of 419	83.3%	★★★★☆
2009	83.5	43 of 411	89.5%	★★★★☆
2008	87.0	35 of 405	91.4%	★★★★★
2007	90.1	25 of 398	93.7%	★★★★★
2006	87.6	32 of 390	91.8%	★★★★★
2005	88.1	30 of 389	92.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	88.5	4 of 24	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	33.0	3 of 3	0.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	80.8	37 of 223	83.4%	★★★★☆
2023	51.8	97 of 191	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	71.0	29 of 203	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	12 of 98	87.8%	★★★★☆
2018	68.7	17 of 83	79.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	91.0	12 of 252	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	73.4	71 of 398	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	92.3	35 of 390	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	68.7	73 of 395	81.5%	★★★★☆
2019	83.5	29 of 343	91.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.0	23 of 339	93.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	90.6	18 of 273	93.4%	★★★★★
2025	79.2	36 of 255	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	84.3	47 of 384	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	95.2	25 of 395	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	73.8	46 of 389	88.2%	★★★★☆
2019	77.6	41 of 320	87.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.7	32 of 329	90.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	84.5	13 of 256	94.9%	★★★★★
2025	87.7	26 of 325	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	85.7	43 of 356	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	98.0	15 of 426	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	85.0	27 of 410	93.4%	★★★★★
2019	80.8	37 of 361	89.8%	★★★★★
2018	72.6	52 of 356	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	83.8	26 of 251	89.6%	★★★★★
2024	85.7	39 of 397	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	91.8	40 of 414	90.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.0	51 of 392	87.0%	★★★★☆
2019	85.8	19 of 337	94.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.1	29 of 333	91.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	94.5	1 of 91	98.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	74.8	40 of 165	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	32.3	102 of 132	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	91.1	18 of 304	94.1%	★★★★★
2025	78.9	45 of 304	85.2%	★★★★☆
2024	76.8	59 of 339	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	90.7	44 of 413	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	57.1	120 of 325	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	87.0	13 of 199	93.5%	★★★★★
2018	82.6	16 of 187	91.4%	★★★★★

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)

Multi-racial (2022)99th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2026)95th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)95th percentile~ school

White (2026)94th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)93rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)90th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)83rd percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2023)83rd percentile-8 vs school

Special Education (2023)76th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

Science77%+44 vs state

English Language Arts76%+31 vs state

Mathematics53%+25 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, January 9, 2012

We have had MANY bullying issues with this school and their best way to handle it is to either tell the children to stay away from the bully and play somewhere else or to punish everyone involved. Not okay. The main office is never friendly to parents coming in. Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Hills Elementary

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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 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 8th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Desert Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	280 North Roadrunner Pkwy	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	92.3	19^th of 346 public elementary schools	94.5%		85.6	35^th of 345 public elementary schools	89.9%	16	76.5			65.2	78.4	81.0				75.6	43.9	52.6	60.8				52.9	$8,467
Explore Academy Las Cruces	Public, Charter	K-8	850 N Telshor Blvd	Las Cruces	88011	Doña Ana County	Explore Academy Las Cruces	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 888-4476	599	52	11.5	46.6%	60 (10.0%)	3 (0.5%)	489 (81.6%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (6.7%)	38.2	206^th of 346 public elementary schools	40.5%		44.8	167^th of 345 public elementary schools	51.6%	39	46.3	39.7	42.1	43.8	43.6	48.8	33.3	37.7	27.4	37.4	< 20%	20.5	26.8	25.5	22.6	17.8	20.4
Hillrise Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1400 South Curnutt St	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	49.9	149^th of 346 public elementary schools	56.9%		59.6	102^nd of 345 public elementary schools	70.4%	47	44.2			51.8	52.1	49.0				51.1	26.8	19.2	43.1				28.3	$9,028
Hermosa Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1655 East Amador Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9530	408	36	11.3	100.2%	34 (8.3%)	5 (1.2%)	363 (89.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	22.5	283^rd of 346 public elementary schools	18.2%		22.2	278^th of 345 public elementary schools	19.4%	5	25.0			27.3	42.9	28.9				33.6	< 20%	23.2	< 20%				15.8	$11,668
Loma Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 East Madrid	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9546	450	38	11.8	100.0%	39 (8.7%)	10 (2.2%)	398 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	17.2	307^th of 346 public elementary schools	11.3%		19.3	301^st of 345 public elementary schools	12.8%	6	19.5			34.4	39.0	31.6				34.7	15.6	11.9	22.4				17.1	$10,870
Conlee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1701 Boston Dr	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	52.4	136^th of 346 public elementary schools	60.7%		46.7	159^th of 345 public elementary schools	53.9%	23	31.4			35.3	67.3	45.1				49.7	23.5	32.7	58.8				38.2	$11,071
Booker T. Washington	Public	PK, KG-5	755 East Chestnut Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9595	361	33	11.1	100.0%	24 (6.6%)	1 (0.3%)	335 (92.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)				31.8	43.2					31.0		< 20%					16.1	$13,990
Valley View Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	915 E California Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9586	343	34	10.0	99.7%	33 (9.6%)	12 (3.5%)	284 (82.8%)	8 (2.3%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	14.5	317^th of 346 public elementary schools	8.4%		24.1	266^th of 345 public elementary schools	22.9%	51	< 20%		< 20%	24.4	35.3	31.6				30.8	< 20%	< 20%	18.4				10.8	$12,275
University Hills Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2005 South Locust St	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	30.9	236^th of 346 public elementary schools	31.8%		44	172^nd of 345 public elementary schools	50.1%	64	23.9			50.0	48.8	34.1				44.2	25.6	19.5	18.2				21.1	$11,880
Jornada Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Elks Dr	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9536	429	38	11.4	100.0%	45 (10.5%)	3 (0.7%)	368 (85.8%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.1%)	43.5	180^th of 346 public elementary schools	48.0%		48.9	142^nd of 345 public elementary schools	58.8%	38	42.9			36.5	56.3	45.7				46.8	21.2	21.9	34.3				26.3	$8,912

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