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Picacho Middle

Q: Is Picacho Middle a good school?

Picacho Middle ranks 135 th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

135^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 192 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 30% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Picacho Middle is a public middle school located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 684 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. Picacho Middle has consistently ranked in the bottom half of New Mexico middle schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 118-182 out of 165-239 schools.

Picacho Middle consistently underperforms compared to the Las Cruces and New Mexico state averages in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics proficiency. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 40.54% of Picacho students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 46.12% in Las Cruces and 44.19% statewide. In Mathematics, Picacho's proficiency rate was just 14.69%, well below the Las Cruces (25.43%) and New Mexico (26.81%) averages. The school also struggles to serve its diverse student population effectively, ranking in the bottom quarter of New Mexico middle schools for several subgroups.

Despite the challenges, Picacho Middle's performance in Special Education suggests that the school may have the capacity to improve outcomes for other student subgroups with the right interventions and support. The school's proximity to higher-performing schools in the district, such as Camino Real Middle and Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy, also presents opportunities for collaboration and shared best practices to address the school's systemic challenges.

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

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: Holding steady — 30th percentile in 2014 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (27% vs 35% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 12 pts below the New Mexico average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

135^th of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^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	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
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
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
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
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
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

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)34th percentile+4 vs school

Disabled (2018)33rd percentile~ school

Male (2024)31st percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)25th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2024)22nd percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)22nd percentile-8 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 (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-4 vs state

Science26%-8 vs state

Mathematics15%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Picacho 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 Picacho Middle

Is Picacho Middle a good school?

Picacho Middle ranks 135^th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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

What is the racial makeup of Picacho Middle?

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

What district is Picacho Middle in?

Las Cruces

How many students attend Picacho Middle?

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