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Picacho Middle

Q: Is Picacho Middle a good school?

Picacho Middle ranks in the bottom 17.8% of New Mexico middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Picacho Middle?

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

Q: What is the racial makeup of Picacho Middle?

Students at Picacho Middle are 83% Hispanic, 15% White, 1% African American.

Q: What high school do graduates of Picacho Middle attend?

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

Public Grades 6-8

157^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 191 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 18% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Picacho Middle is a grades 6–8 school at 1040 North Motel Blvd in Las Cruces, NM, serving 698 students as part of Las Cruces Public Schools. For families weighing options, the key context is that the school sits near the bottom of New Mexico middle schools: in 2025–2026 it ranked 157th of 191 statewide (18th percentile, 1 star), down from 135th of 192 (30th percentile, 2 stars) the year before, and it has generally stayed in the lower third over the past decade.

Test results show sizable gaps with the district and state. In 2025–2026, English language arts proficiency was 32.72% at Picacho versus 46.49% district and 44.66% state; math was 13.42% versus 26.85% district and 27.85% state; and 8th-grade science was 25.26% versus 37.04% district and 34.33% state. Nearby schools in the same district show what different outcomes look like: Camino Real Middle ranked 32nd of 191 (83rd percentile) and Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy ranked 16th (92nd percentile), while Vista Middle (55th percentile) and Sierra Middle (47th percentile) also outpaced Picacho. Its closest peers by results are Mesa Middle, Zia Middle, and Lynn Middle, with Picacho last among the group in 8th-grade science.

Grade-level data adds nuance. Eighth-grade ELA is a relative bright spot at 42.78%, close to district (45.25%) and state (43.85%), but 6th-grade ELA is 21.60% against about 39% district and state, and 7th-grade ELA is 31.91% against roughly 47%. Math is weak everywhere and declines by grade—18.01% in 6th, 13.23% in 7th, and 9.79% in 8th. Demographics do not fully explain the pattern: free/reduced lunch is essentially 100%, but so it is at several nearby schools, and Sierra Middle serves the same 698 students with a 99.71% rate yet higher ELA and math. Most student subgroups ranked around the 14th–15th percentile in 2025–2026, with special education students an unsustained outlier at the 71st percentile in 2023–2024.

698

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,072

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1040 North Motel Blvd
Las Cruces, NM 88001

(575) 527-9455

District: Las Cruces Public Schools

Students who attend Picacho Middle usually attend:

High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School
	Mayfield High

Feeder schools for Picacho Middle:

Elementary:	Alameda Elementary
	East Picacho Elementary
	Fairacres Elementary
	Mac Arthur Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

82.7%

White:

14.6%

African American:

1.3%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Picacho Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (23% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school23%

District avg37%

New Mexico avg36%

157^th of 191

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 8Middle 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	20.3	157 of 191	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.1	135 of 192	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.6	118 of 165	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	157 of 239	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.8	182 of 232	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.4	134 of 200	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.5	129 of 186	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	26.1	133 of 176	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	20.8	174 of 208	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	27.0	151 of 207	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.5	155 of 222	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.5	104 of 193	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	41.1	101 of 178	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	36.3	104 of 173	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	34.7	118 of 179	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.7	108 of 178	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2008	30.7	122 of 172	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.4	116 of 171	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	41.1	91 of 156	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.2	101 of 157	35.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	9.8	25 of 29	13.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	49 of 55	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	34.9	35 of 52	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	13.8	96 of 108	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	69 of 97	28.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.9	66 of 69	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	27.0	15 of 21	28.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	18.8	116 of 136	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	126 of 162	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	146 of 213	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.8	167 of 220	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.5	105 of 160	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.0	116 of 156	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	16.9	121 of 143	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.7	116 of 148	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.4	124 of 154	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	143 of 204	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.9	159 of 214	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.2	107 of 150	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	114 of 149	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	113 of 133	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.2	115 of 173	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.2	107 of 144	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	138 of 227	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.4	151 of 223	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.6	92 of 175	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.7	103 of 168	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	17.6	124 of 145	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.5	111 of 161	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.2	156 of 221	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.9	149 of 213	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.9	108 of 152	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.2	106 of 151	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	23.9	56 of 65	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	37.5	23 of 78	70.5%	★★★★☆
2023	16.4	88 of 100	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.2	58 of 58	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	32.8	28 of 44	36.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	17.9	145 of 170	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	134 of 178	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	110 of 142	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.6	167 of 229	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.5	143 of 187	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.5	77 of 121	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.6	76 of 120	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)71st percentile+42 vs school

Disabled (2018)33rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)15th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)14th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2024)14th percentile-15 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)11th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-12 vs state

Science25%-9 vs state

Mathematics13%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Picacho Middle

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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 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science All Grades	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
Picacho Middle	Public	6-8	1040 North Motel Blvd	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	20.3	157^th of 191 public middle schools	17.8%		28.1	135^th of 192 public middle schools	29.7%	22	25.3		21.6	31.9	42.8	32.7	18.0	13.2	9.8	13.4	$9,072
Sierra Middle	Public	6-8	1700 E Spruce Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	40.2	101^st of 191 public middle schools	47.1%		44.6	88^th of 192 public middle schools	54.2%	13	36.0		38.7	42.0	42.7	41.0	30.6	25.8	23.4	26.9	$8,018
Zia Middle	Public	6-8	1300 West University Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	23.9	146^th of 191 public middle schools	23.6%		32.3	120^th of 192 public middle schools	37.5%	26	26.2		26.3	35.6	33.0	31.4	24.2	22.2	16.1	20.7	$8,805
Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy	Public	6-8	950 South Walnut St	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	91.8	16^th of 191 public middle schools	91.6%		83.7	27^th of 192 public middle schools	85.9%	11	84.4		80.7	80.6	84.4	81.8	50.0	50.0	43.8	48.0	$10,283
Lynn Middle	Public	6-8	950 South Walnut St	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	19.4	161^st of 191 public middle schools	15.7%		16.6	167^th of 192 public middle schools	13.0%	6	28.1		30.6	32.8	30.2	31.2	12.5	19.2	7.2	12.7	$8,523
La Academia Dolores Huerta	Public, Charter	6-8	400 West Bell Ave	Las Cruces	88005	Doña Ana County	La Academia Dolores Huerta	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-5800	0	6	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)				41.2		29.5		< 20%		< 10%	$10,699
Vista Middle	Public	6-8	4465 Elks Dr	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	47.9	86^th of 191 public middle schools	55.0%		39.7	101^st of 192 public middle schools	47.4%	15	31.1		47.5	56.9	51.6	52.0	33.7	28.2	12.5	24.7	$8,507
Camino Real Middle	Public	6-8	2961 Roadrunner Pkwy	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	77.4	32^nd of 191 public middle schools	83.2%		69.5	47^th of 192 public middle schools	75.5%	15	58.1		61.2	68.3	58.1	62.4	48.3	35.3	34.7	38.7	$7,720
Mesa Middle	Public	6-8	7225 Jornada Rd North	Las Cruces	88001	Doña Ana County	Las Cruces Public Schools	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%)	25.1	144^th of 191 public middle schools	24.6%		31.2	124^th of 192 public middle schools	35.4%	20	29.0		32.7	40.9	36.8	37.0	24.1	14.7	8.8	16.2	$8,992

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