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Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy

Q: Is Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy a good school?

Yes. Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy ranks in the top 8.4% of New Mexico middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 94 students attended Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy?

Students at Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy are 51% Hispanic, 45% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

Public Grades 6-8

16^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 191 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 92% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy is a public middle school in Las Cruces, New Mexico, serving grades 6–8 with a very small enrollment of about 94 students, and it is part of Las Cruces Public Schools. Even though the district itself ranks 49th of 87 in New Mexico (44th percentile, 2 stars), the school is a standout: in 2025–2026 it ranked 16th of 191 middle schools statewide, placing in the 92nd percentile with 5 stars. That is the highest ranking among the nearby middle schools, ahead of Camino Real Middle (32nd) and well ahead of Vista Middle (86th), Sierra Middle (101st), Mesa Middle (144th), Zia Middle (146th), Picacho Middle (157th), and Lynn Middle (161st).

Perhaps the most striking comparison is with Lynn Middle, which shares the same Walnut Street address. Mesilla Valley's Language Arts proficiency is 81.82% and math is 48.00%, compared with 30.69% and 12.50% at Lynn — gaps of roughly 51 and 35 percentage points. Mesilla Valley also far exceeds district and state averages: Language Arts 81.82% vs. 44.73% district and 43.34% state; math 48.00% vs. 24.50% and 25.54%; 8th-grade science 84.38% vs. 36.82% and 34.19%. Science and Language Arts are its strongest subjects; math is lower internally but still ahead of every nearby school, including Camino Real Middle, by at least 9.72 points.

The school has climbed a long way, from 190th of 207 (8th percentile, 0 stars) in 2014–2015 to the top decile today. It also earns strong school-effectiveness ratings for the student groups it serves, including 5th of 143 schools statewide for Hispanic students and 19 of 173 for low-income students. About 98% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and its student-teacher ratio of 15.6 is higher than most nearby schools, so the results are not simply a matter of smaller classes. The main caveat: with only 94 students, year-to-year numbers can swing more than at a large school.

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,283

Per pupil spending ?

97.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

All students in New Mexico receive free school meals.

950 South Walnut St
Las Cruces, NM 88001

(575) 527-6059

District: Las Cruces Public Schools

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.1%

White:

44.7%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (68% vs 36% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of New Mexico middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 84 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg37%

New Mexico avg36%

16^th of 191

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 77 pts since 2016

From bottom 15% (2016) to top 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st 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	91.8	16 of 191	91.6%	★★★★★
2025	83.7	27 of 192	85.9%	★★★★☆
2024	78.8	11 of 165	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	86.1	35 of 239	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	48 of 232	79.3%	★★★★☆
2019	38.6	111 of 200	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.9	142 of 186	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	177 of 208	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	18.0	190 of 207	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	87.7	11 of 136	91.9%	★★★★★
2024	85.5	12 of 162	92.6%	★★★★★
2023	90.7	23 of 213	89.2%	★★★★☆
2022	85.8	19 of 220	91.4%	★★★★★
2019	48.7	70 of 160	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	94.6	5 of 143	96.5%	★★★★★
2025	95.9	4 of 148	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	83.5	8 of 154	94.8%	★★★★★
2023	66.6	47 of 204	77.0%	★★★★☆
2022	55.0	62 of 214	71.0%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	87.0	19 of 173	89.0%	★★★★☆
2024	81.2	13 of 144	91.0%	★★★★★
2023	93.9	12 of 227	94.7%	★★★★★
2022	80.9	17 of 223	92.4%	★★★★★
2019	47.5	78 of 175	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.4	124 of 168	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	91.2	9 of 145	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	81.3	11 of 161	93.2%	★★★★★
2023	78.6	46 of 221	79.2%	★★★★☆
2022	62.8	52 of 213	75.6%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	79.6	7 of 58	87.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	15 of 170	91.2%	★★★★★
2025	81.4	25 of 178	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.1	10 of 142	93.0%	★★★★★
2023	87.0	30 of 229	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	24 of 187	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	37.7	74 of 121	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)94th percentile~ school

Female (2026)92nd percentile~ school

White (2026)91st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2022)88th percentile+9 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

Science84%+50 vs state

English Language Arts82%+37 vs state

Mathematics48%+20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy

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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	Directly certified (2024-25)	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
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	17.0%	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	62.9%	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
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	48.0%	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
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
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	48.9%	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
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	30.7%	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
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	46.4%	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
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	44.4%	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
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	40.0%	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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