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Columbia Elementary

Q: Is Columbia Elementary a good school?

Columbia Elementary ranks 250 th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

250^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 345 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

Columbia Elementary is a public elementary school in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 198. 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.

Columbia Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom half of New Mexico elementary schools, with significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics compared to the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 34.41% of Columbia Elementary students were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 46.12% in the Las Cruces district and 44.19% statewide. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate at Columbia Elementary was just 15.05%, compared to 25.43% in the district and 26.81% statewide.

While Columbia Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the school has an extremely high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 99.49% to 100% over the past three years. Interestingly, nearby schools in the Las Cruces district, such as Alameda Elementary and Booker T. Washington, also perform below the district and state averages, but not to the same extent as Columbia Elementary. In contrast, schools like Highland Elementary and Sonoma Elementary significantly outperform Columbia Elementary, with proficiency rates that are 20-30 percentage points higher in both ELA and Mathematics.

182

Students ?

7.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,474

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4555 Elks Dr
Las Cruces, NM 88005

(575) 527-1561

District: Las Cruces

Students who attend Columbia Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Vista Middle
High:	Arrowhead Park Early College High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

89.6%

White:

6.6%

African American:

3.3%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Columbia Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 37th percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 7 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (24% vs 35% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2014

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg36%

New Mexico avg35%

250^th of 345

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From top 46% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 24Elementary 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	26.1	250 of 345	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	271 of 413	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	330 of 435	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	302 of 420	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	302 of 396	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.9	197 of 383	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2017	24.6	293 of 374	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.8	261 of 410	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	45.9	192 of 421	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	38.5	279 of 442	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	23.7	339 of 412	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.5	315 of 398	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.2	259 of 402	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	24.9	337 of 419	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.4	314 of 411	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.1	273 of 405	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.6	225 of 398	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.3	204 of 390	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2005	40.9	239 of 389	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	15.7	206 of 223	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	57.3	64 of 203	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	34.5	229 of 398	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	17.3	359 of 390	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	293 of 395	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.9	254 of 343	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.7	235 of 339	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	184 of 255	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.2	252 of 384	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.3	339 of 395	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.3	266 of 389	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.4	258 of 320	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.2	190 of 329	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	228 of 325	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.4	230 of 356	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.4	313 of 426	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	258 of 410	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	260 of 361	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	53.2	143 of 356	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	23.9	296 of 397	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.7	293 of 414	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.6	232 of 392	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.1	280 of 337	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	49.4	139 of 333	58.3%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	25.1	224 of 304	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	252 of 339	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	333 of 413	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.3	217 of 325	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2024)42nd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)30th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)28th percentile~ school

White (2025)26th percentile~ school

Male (2024)25th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)8th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts34%-10 vs state

Science23%-7 vs state

Mathematics15%-12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Columbia Elementary

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 5th Grade	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 All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Columbia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4555 Elks Dr	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-1561	182	26	7.0	100.0%	12 (6.6%)	6 (3.3%)	163 (89.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	26.1	250^th of 345 public elementary schools	27.5%		30.7	271^st of 413 public elementary schools	34.4%	21	22.6	37.9	36.4	29.0	34.4			25.8	15.1	$10,474
Dona Ana Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5551 Camino De Flores	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9506	372	31	12.1	100.0%	28 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	342 (91.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46.1	162^nd of 345 public elementary schools	53.0%		46.2	192^nd of 413 public elementary schools	53.5%	30	32.8	34.6	55.8	49.1	45.8	21.8	30.2	35.1	29.0	$11,823
East Picacho Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4450 North Valley Dr	Las Cruces	88007	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9516	460	38	12.2	100.0%	103 (22.4%)	1 (0.2%)	352 (76.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	66.6	84^th of 345 public elementary schools	75.7%		50	172^nd of 413 public elementary schools	58.4%	88	40.6	55.8	48.0	56.5	53.4	36.4	28.8	53.6	39.3	$9,519
Jornada Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3400 Elks Dr	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	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%)	48.9	142^nd of 345 public elementary schools	58.8%		51.2	168^th of 413 public elementary schools	59.3%	26	42.6	34.7	57.7	46.3	46.4	16.0	29.5	44.4	28.5	$8,912
Highland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4201 Emerald St	Las Cruces	88012	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9636	704	49	14.3	100.0%	127 (18.0%)	11 (1.6%)	522 (74.1%)	14 (2.0%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (3.6%)	58.4	108^th of 345 public elementary schools	68.7%		65.2	115^th of 413 public elementary schools	72.2%	7	33.7	44.6	66.1	53.9	55.3	17.9	32.3	48.1	32.4	$8,078
Raices Del Saber Xinachtli Community	Public, Charter	K-5	2211 North Valley Drive	Las Cruces	88007	Do�a Ana County	Raices Del Saber Xinachtli Community	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 571-2177	122	12	9.9	100.0%	5 (4.1%)	3 (2.5%)	112 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		42.1	52.4		40.0
Loma Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1600 East Madrid	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	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%)	19.3	301^st of 345 public elementary schools	12.8%		25	307^th of 413 public elementary schools	25.7%	6	19.0	23.3	38.8	36.2	33.3	11.7	16.3	22.4	16.7	$10,870
Sonoma Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4201 Northrise Dr	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 541-7320	660	55	12.0	99.8%	115 (17.4%)	10 (1.5%)	503 (76.2%)	8 (1.2%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.0%)	75.8	54^th of 345 public elementary schools	84.3%		68.8	101^st of 413 public elementary schools	75.5%	47	44.9	55.9	67.8	53.1	59.3	35.1	44.9	45.9	41.9	$8,200
Alameda Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1325 N. Alameda Blvd	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9486	331	27	12.4	100.0%	19 (5.7%)	4 (1.2%)	302 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)	22.6	276^th of 345 public elementary schools	20.0%		12.9	372^nd of 413 public elementary schools	9.9%	96	30.6	20.9	34.0	25.0	27.3			30.6	13.6	$9,652
Booker T. Washington	Public	PK, KG-5	755 East Chestnut Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	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%)	22.3	277^th of 345 public elementary schools	19.7%		13.2	371^st of 413 public elementary schools	10.2%	94	17.8	40.0		28.9	31.8			17.8	13.6	$13,990

Frequently Asked Questions about Columbia Elementary

What schools do graduates of Columbia Elementary attend?

Students who attend Columbia Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Vista Middle
High : Arrowhead Park Early College High School

What is the racial makeup of Columbia Elementary?

Students at Columbia Elementary are 90% Hispanic, 7% White, 3% African American.

How many students attend Columbia Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 182 students attended Columbia Elementary.

What district is Columbia Elementary in?

Las Cruces

Is Columbia Elementary a good school?

Columbia Elementary ranks 250^th of 345 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Columbia Elementary!

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Schools in Las Cruces, NM

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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.