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Rio Grande Preparatory Institute

Public Grades 9-12

Summary

Rio Grande Preparatory Institute is a public high school located in Mesilla, New Mexico, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 144 students. The school is part of the Las Cruces School District, which is ranked 63 out of 119 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rio Grande Preparatory Institute has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of New Mexico high schools over the past decade, with rankings ranging from 129 to 181 out of 177-198 schools. It has maintained a 1-star or 0-star rating from SchoolDigger during this time. The school's performance is particularly concerning for certain student subgroups, such as female students, male students, Hispanic students, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, all of whom rank significantly lower than the state and district averages. Proficiency rates on state assessments are also significantly lower than the state and district averages, with only 14% of students proficient or better in science and 18% proficient in 11th-grade English language arts.

When compared to other high schools in the Las Cruces district, Rio Grande Preparatory Institute significantly underperforms. For example, Centennial High School, located just 5 miles away, ranked 39 out of 190 New Mexico high schools in 2023-2024 and had much higher proficiency rates in science (51%) and English language arts (51%) for 11th-grade students. Despite the school's low performance, its small size and low student-teacher ratio (12:1 in 2022-2023) could present opportunities for targeted interventions and support if the school can effectively address its challenges.

Students ?

1.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,855

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2355 Avenida De Mesilla
Mesilla, NM 88046

(575) 527-6058

District: Las Cruces

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.1%

White:

21.7%

African American:

2.2%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 6th percentile in 2010 → 27th in 2022

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 21 percentile points since 2010

✓Small classes — about 1 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (22% vs 34% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the New Mexico average (46% vs 81%)

!Language Arts scores 19 pts below the New Mexico average

Students meeting standards (2021-2022) ?

This school22%

District avg34%

New Mexico avg34%

Not ranked this year

Rio Grande Preparatory Institute did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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
2022	20.3	129 of 177	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.0	169 of 181	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.7	181 of 182	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	20.6	157 of 185	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.9	162 of 193	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	17.8	166 of 198	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.2	166 of 177	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	8.9	153 of 163	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	13.3	136 of 157	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	7.8	144 of 154	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.1	143 of 151	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.4	141 of 146	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	23.7	119 of 150	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	16.2	118 of 134	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	33.6	98 of 157	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	7.1	141 of 144	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	145 of 145	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	25.6	118 of 150	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	136 of 139	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	19.9	114 of 154	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	151 of 161	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.9	162 of 164	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2019	12.6	149 of 151	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2022)38th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2022)26th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2022)21st percentile-6 vs school

Male (2019)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2021-2022) ?

Science29%-4 vs state

Language Arts14%-19 vs state

4.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, July 9, 2020

I think it should rank higher than 164 of 175. This is a good alternative school with many teachers who really do care and an environment that some children thrive in. Too bad alternative schools get a bad rap in general. RGPI is a good school!! Close Quote

Schools Near Rio Grande Preparatory Institute

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SAT School Day English Language Arts (2025)	SAT School Day Mathematics (2025)	NM-ASR Science (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	SAT School Day English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT School Day Mathematics 11th Grade	NM-ASR Science 11th Grade	Total
Rio Grande Preparatory Institute	Public	9-12	2355 Avenida De Mesilla	Mesilla	88046	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-6058	46	31	1.4	100.0%	10 (21.7%)	1 (2.2%)	35 (76.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$8,855
Las Cruces High	Public	9-12	1750 El Paseo Rd	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9400	1,703	97	18.5	100.0%	259 (15.2%)	38 (2.2%)	1,366 (80.2%)	8 (0.5%)	15 (0.9%)	2 (0.1%)	15 (0.9%)	28.2	86^th of 131 public high schools	34.4%		38.9	82^nd of 172 public high schools	52.3%	4	33.4	8.9	35.9	$8,673
Las Montanas Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	1405 S. Solano Ave	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Montanas Charter	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 636-2100	201	16	12.5	100.0%	13 (6.5%)	10 (5.0%)	172 (85.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	1 (0.5%)	2 (1.0%)								(n/a)			41.2	$15,490
New America School - Las Cruces	Public, Charter	9-12	207 S Main St	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	New America School - Las Cruces	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9085	225	11	20.2	95.1%	12 (5.3%)	7 (3.1%)	199 (88.4%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.3%)	9.4	126^th of 131 public high schools	3.8%		18.8	140^th of 172 public high schools	18.6%	14	20.0		18.9	$12,195
Alma D'Arte Charter	Public, Charter	9-12	402 W Court Ave	Las Cruces	88005	Do�a Ana County	Alma D'Arte Charter	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 541-0145	63	7	9.4	100.0%	8 (12.7%)	1 (1.6%)	54 (85.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$11,252
Arrowhead Park Early College High School	Public	9-12	3400 South Espina St	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 527-9540	549	63	8.7	99.6%	145 (26.4%)	15 (2.7%)	345 (62.8%)	18 (3.3%)	5 (0.9%)	6 (1.1%)	15 (2.7%)	92.6	12^th of 131 public high schools	90.8%		94.3	7^th of 172 public high schools	95.9%	5	73.0	41.3	71.0	$9,868
Mayfield High	Public	9-12	1955 North Valley Dr	Las Cruces	88007	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9415	1,327	85	16.5	100.0%	187 (14.1%)	20 (1.5%)	1,095 (82.5%)	2 (0.2%)	9 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	11 (0.8%)	24.5	97^th of 131 public high schools	26.0%		29.7	105^th of 172 public high schools	39.0%	8	30.2	6.8	35.1	$8,583
Centennial High School	Public	9-12	1950 S Sonoma Ranch Blvd	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 527-9330	1,713	130	13.2	99.9%	317 (18.5%)	46 (2.7%)	1,273 (74.3%)	24 (1.4%)	18 (1.1%)	8 (0.5%)	27 (1.6%)	62.7	39^th of 131 public high schools	70.2%		66.4	45^th of 172 public high schools	73.8%	6	49.6	20.1	57.1	$8,017
Aztec Youth Academy	Public	9-12	10015 Robert Larnson	Las Cruces	88001	Do�a Ana County	Juvenile Justice	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 526-5900	33	8	3.9	90.9%	3 (9.1%)	2 (6.1%)	26 (78.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.1%)								(n/a)
Organ Mountain High School	Public	9-12	5700 Mesa Grande Dr	Las Cruces	88011	Do�a Ana County	Las Cruces	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 527-9430	2,128	110	18.6	100.0%	371 (17.4%)	57 (2.7%)	1,631 (76.6%)	18 (0.8%)	11 (0.5%)	11 (0.5%)	29 (1.4%)	31.2	78^th of 131 public high schools	40.5%		37	86^th of 172 public high schools	50.0%	8	32.8	6.1	43.7	$8,399

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Grande Preparatory Institute

What is the racial makeup of Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?

Students at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute are 76% Hispanic, 22% White, 2% African American.

How many students attend Rio Grande Preparatory Institute?

In the 2024-25 school year, 46 students attended Rio Grande Preparatory Institute.

What district is Rio Grande Preparatory Institute in?

Las Cruces

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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.