Is Mountain Elementary a good school?

Yes! Mountain Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 2 nd of 435 New Mexico elementary schools.

How many students attend Mountain Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 421 students attended Mountain Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Mountain Elementary?

Students at Mountain Elementary are 57% White, 27% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Mountain Elementary attend?

Students who attend Mountain Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Los Alamos Middle High : Los Alamos High

Mountain Elementary

Summary:

Mountain Elementary is a highly-regarded public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in the Los Alamos Public Schools district, with a total enrollment of 421 students for the 2022-2023 school year.

Mountain Elementary consistently ranks among the top elementary schools in New Mexico, with an exceptional academic performance that far exceeds state averages. In the 2022-2023 school year, 83% of students were proficient or better in Language Arts, 79% in Mathematics, and 83% in Science, compared to state averages of 38%, 24%, and 34% respectively. The school's student subgroups, including male, female, Hispanic, White, English Language Learners, Special Education, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, all perform exceptionally well, with many ranking among the top schools in the state for their respective categories. Additionally, Mountain Elementary maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.9 students per teacher, which likely contributes to its academic success.

While the nearby Los Alamos Public Schools district schools, such as Chamisa Elementary and Pinon Elementary, also perform well, Mountain Elementary stands out as the top-performing school in the district. However, the school's relatively low percentage of free/reduced lunch recipients, at 9.03%, suggests that it serves a more affluent student population, which may contribute to its high academic performance. This raises questions about equity and access to high-quality education for students from diverse backgrounds in the area.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

2280 North Rd
Los Alamos, NM 87544

(505) 663-2325

District: Los Alamos

SchoolDigger Rank:
2^nd of 435 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,220

Students who attend Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Los Alamos Middle
High:	Los Alamos High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.9

Number of students: 421

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.2%

Hispanic:

27.1%

Asian:

8.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 9%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Mountain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Mountain Elementary ranks better than 99.5% of elementary schools in New Mexico. It also ranks first among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Los Alamos School District! (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 99.85. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (57.2%), Hispanic (27.1%), Asian (8.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Mountain Elementary is 12.9. 3 elementary schools in the Los Alamos School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Mountain Elementary employs 32.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Mountain Elementary is $11,220. 2 elementary schools in the Los Alamos School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Mountain Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Mountain Elementary 2^nd of 435 New Mexico public elementary schools. (See Mountain Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Los Alamos:

SchoolDigger ranks Los Alamos 3^rd of 119 New Mexico school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Mountain Elementary.

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Your rating for Mountain Elementary?

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Rank History for Mountain Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2005	97.37	4^th	389	99.0%
2006	96.04	7^th	390	98.2%
2007	95.15	7^th	398	98.2%
2008	93.42	15^th	405	96.3%
2009	91.31	19^th	411	95.4%
2010	91.21	17^th	419	95.9%
2011	98.28	2^nd	402	99.5%
2012	97.66	5^th	398	98.7%
2013	95.50	13^th	412	96.8%
2014	96.08	9^th	442	98.0%
2015	97.18	12^th	421	97.1%
2016	97.39	8^th	410	98.0%
2017	97.59	6^th	374	98.4%
2018	97.47	5^th	383	98.7%
2019	99.07	1^st	396	99.7%
2022	99.48	3^rd	420	99.3%
2023	99.85	2^nd	435	99.5%

See the entire list of New Mexico Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	99.97	2^nd	191	99.0%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2019	95.18	2^nd	47	95.7%
2022	82.84	9^th	132	93.2%
2023	99.88	2^nd	165	98.8%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	100.00	1^st	410	99.8%
2023	99.84	2^nd	426	99.5%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	96.24	6^th	339	98.2%
2019	98.72	1^st	343	99.7%
2022	99.63	4^th	395	99.0%
2023	99.76	2^nd	390	99.5%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	95.27	7^th	333	97.9%
2019	98.79	1^st	337	99.7%
2022	98.67	4^th	392	99.0%
2023	99.87	1^st	414	99.8%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	95.25	4^th	329	98.8%
2019	94.04	5^th	320	98.4%
2022	97.19	8^th	389	97.9%
2023	99.56	4^th	395	99.0%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Mountain Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	87.29	8^th	187	95.7%
2019	95.88	2^nd	199	99.0%
2022	96.22	1^st	325	99.7%
2023	99.67	3^rd	413	99.3%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Mexico Public Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: New Mexico Public Education Department

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Excellent learning environment that spills out into the hallways, with robotic cars, and into grounds, with flowerbeds designed by each grade level. We do not have a cafeteria to serve food, but we are the first school in Los Alamos to make getting a hot lunch program set up to feed our qualifying students a hot meal every school day. The students are the focus at Mountain. Happy students, make well adjusted learners. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Mountain Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	328	0	4	49	0	n/a	n/a	381
1991	284	4	4	66	2	n/a	n/a	360
1992	285	3	5	63	2	n/a	n/a	358
1993	284	5	7	60	0	n/a	n/a	356
1994	271	4	4	63	0	n/a	n/a	342
1995	299	1	14	51	0	n/a	n/a	365
1996	299	1	14	51	0	n/a	n/a	365
1997	323	0	12	47	0	n/a	n/a	382
1998	303	2	12	42	1	n/a	n/a	360
1999	296	1	15	51	3	n/a	n/a	366
2000	316	3	8	63	1	n/a	n/a	391
2001	300	2	7	60	2	n/a	n/a	371
2002	271	4	14	71	1	n/a	n/a	361
2003	271	4	14	71	1	n/a	n/a	361
2004	283	3	14	72	1	n/a	n/a	373
2005	314	3	20	66	1	n/a	n/a	404
2006	346	5	24	63	1	n/a	n/a	439
2007	342	7	29	71	2	n/a	n/a	451
2008	268	9	21	57	4	n/a	n/a	359
2009	274	3	22	67	5	n/a	n/a	371
2010	281	3	26	72	6	0	0	388
2011	305	1	26	96	7	0	0	435
2012	294	7	34	94	3	0	9	441
2013	277	7	35	100	5	0	8	432
2014	289	8	34	100	12	0	8	451
2015	294	10	24	96	12	0	7	443
2016	273	6	22	113	11	0	18	443
2017	258	3	25	109	11	0	25	431
2018	260	3	30	101	7	0	23	424
2019	255	5	25	109	7	0	26	427
2020	267	3	29	114	5	0	32	450
2021	265	2	33	101	2	0	31	434
2022	247	4	36	126	1	0	24	438
2023	241	6	34	114	5	0	21	421

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mountain Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	381	24.1	15.8	n/a
1991	360	24.0	15.0	n/a
1992	358	23.9	14.9	n/a
1993	356	23.4	15.2	n/a
1994	342	23.4	14.6	n/a
1995	365	25.8	14.1	n/a
1996	365	25.8	14.1	n/a
1997	382	24.2	15.8	n/a
1998	360	24.3	14.8	n/a
1999	366	21.9	16.7	0
2000	391	26.7	14.6	0
2001	371	24.6	15.1	0
2002	361	24.6	14.7	0
2003	361	24.6	14.7	0
2004	373	22.6	16.5	0
2005	404	26.2	15.4	0
2006	439	31.4	14.0	0
2007	451	33.1	13.6	0
2008	359	29.7	12.1	n/a
2009	371	28.8	12.9	n/a
2010	388	31.4	12.3	n/a
2011	435	30.8	14.0	0
2012	441	31.3	14.0	0
2013	432	31.8	13.5	0.7
2014	451	31.9	14.1	1.3
2015	443	31.0	14.2	10.6
2016	443	32.0	13.8	13.8
2017	431	32.6	13.2	14.6
2018	424	30.0	14.1	14.4
2019	427	30.9	13.7	7.7
2020	450	30.7	14.6	8.2
2021	434	30.9	14.0	6.9
2022	438	33.8	12.9	8.2
2023	421	32.5	12.9	9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Mountain Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	381	24.1	15.8	n/a
1991	360	24.0	15.0	n/a
1992	358	23.9	14.9	n/a
1993	356	23.4	15.2	n/a
1994	342	23.4	14.6	n/a
1995	365	25.8	14.1	n/a
1996	365	25.8	14.1	n/a
1997	382	24.2	15.8	n/a
1998	360	24.3	14.8	n/a
1999	366	21.9	16.7	0
2000	391	26.7	14.6	0
2001	371	24.6	15.1	0
2002	361	24.6	14.7	0
2003	361	24.6	14.7	0
2004	373	22.6	16.5	0
2005	404	26.2	15.4	0
2006	439	31.4	14.0	0
2007	451	33.1	13.6	0
2008	359	29.7	12.1	n/a
2009	371	28.8	12.9	n/a
2010	388	31.4	12.3	n/a
2011	435	30.8	14.0	0
2012	441	31.3	14.0	0
2013	432	31.8	13.5	0.7
2014	451	31.9	14.1	1.3
2015	443	31.0	14.2	10.6
2016	443	32.0	13.8	13.8
2017	431	32.6	13.2	14.6
2018	424	30.0	14.1	14.4
2019	427	30.9	13.7	7.7
2020	450	30.7	14.6	8.2
2021	434	30.9	14.0	6.9
2022	438	33.8	12.9	8.2
2023	421	32.5	12.9	9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mountain Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$11,220

Data source: New Mexico Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Mountain Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 1^st of 396 Elementary schools	Ranks 2^nd of 435 Elementary schools	0.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Language Arts (Mountain Elementary)	65	81.8	16.8%
3rd Grade Language Arts (Los Alamos)	50	69.6	19.6%
3rd Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	31.8	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Mountain Elementary)	80	76.4	3.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Los Alamos)	55	65.8	10.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	32	22.5	9.5%
4th Grade Language Arts (Mountain Elementary)	73	75	2%
4th Grade Language Arts (Los Alamos)	58	66	8%
4th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	35.2	5.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Mountain Elementary)	76	76.9	0.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Los Alamos)	60	59.1	0.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	27	24.5	2.5%
5th Grade Language Arts (Mountain Elementary)	82	82
5th Grade Language Arts (Los Alamos)	54	66.5	12.5%
5th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	33	35.7	2.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Mountain Elementary)	61	86.9	25.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Los Alamos)	44	63.9	19.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	24	30.7	6.7%
6th Grade Language Arts (Mountain Elementary)	65	72.1	7.1%
6th Grade Language Arts (Los Alamos)	60	70.2	10.2%
6th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	31	32.9	1.9%
6th Grade Mathematics (Mountain Elementary)	52	78.7	26.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Los Alamos)	53	70.1	17.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	19	32.5	13.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	427	421	1.4%
African American	5	6	20%
American Indian	7	5	28.6%
Asian	25	34	36%
Hispanic	109	114	4.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	255	241	5.5%
Two or More Races	26	21	19.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	7.7%	9%	1.3%

Schools Near Mountain Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				NM Combined Language Arts (2023)	NM Combined Mathematics (2023)	NM Combined Science (2023)	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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM Combined Language Arts All Grades	NM Combined Mathematics All Grades	NM Combined Science All Grades	Total
Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2280 North Rd	Los Alamos	87544	Los Alamos County	Los Alamos	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 663-2325	421	33	12.9	9.0%	241 (57.2%)	6 (1.4%)	114 (27.1%)	34 (8.1%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.0%)	99.9	2^nd of 435 public elementary schools	99.5%		99.5	3^rd of 420 public elementary schools	99.3%	1	83.0	79.0	83.0	$11,220
Aspen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2182 33rd St	Los Alamos	87544	Los Alamos County	Los Alamos	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 663-2275	445	35	12.6	22.2%	210 (47.2%)	9 (2.0%)	168 (37.8%)	26 (5.8%)	12 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	98.3	16^th of 435 public elementary schools	96.3%		92	23^rd of 420 public elementary schools	94.5%	7	71.0	59.0	69.0	$11,702
Barranca Mesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	57 Loma Del Escolar	Los Alamos	87544	Los Alamos County	Los Alamos	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 663-2730	419	34	12.3	16.7%	242 (57.8%)	2 (0.5%)	143 (34.1%)	14 (3.3%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	13 (3.1%)	94.8	32^nd of 435 public elementary schools	92.6%		90.8	25^th of 420 public elementary schools	94.0%	7	62.0	57.0	52.0	$11,021
Pinon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	90 Grand Canyon Dr	White Rock	87547	Los Alamos County	Los Alamos	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 663-2680	340	26	13.0	6.2%	215 (63.2%)	2 (0.6%)	93 (27.4%)	9 (2.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.3%)	99.4	8^th of 435 public elementary schools	98.2%		98.2	11^th of 420 public elementary schools	97.4%	3	76.0	78.0	70.0	$5,631
Chamisa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	301 Meadow Ln	White Rock	87547	Los Alamos County	Los Alamos	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 663-2470	321	26	12.5	13.1%	136 (42.4%)	5 (1.6%)	156 (48.6%)	4 (1.2%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.4%)	97.4	22^nd of 435 public elementary schools	94.9%		94.9	16^th of 420 public elementary schools	96.2%	6	65.0	61.0	68.0	$13,063
San Ildefonso Day School	Public	K-6	36 Tunyo Po	San Ildefonso Pueblo	87506	Santa Fe County	San Ildefonso Day School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 455-2366	31	3	10.3	90.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Kha'p'o Community School	Public	K-6	625 Kee Street	Espanola	87532	Rio Arriba County	Kha'p'o Community School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 753-4406	0	3	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Pojoaque Intermediate	Public	4-5	1574 State Road 502	Santa Fe	87506	Santa Fe County	Pojoaque	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 455-2282	187	11	17.6	69.0%	11 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	144 (77.0%)	1 (0.5%)	30 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	47.7	211^th of 435 public elementary schools	51.5%					(n/a)	42.0	18.0	33.0	$8,390
Pablo Roybal Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1574 State Rd 502	Santa Fe	87506	Santa Fe County	Pojoaque	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 455-2282	428	31	13.9	63.1%	17 (4.0%)	1 (0.2%)	353 (82.5%)	1 (0.2%)	52 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	35.7	282^nd of 435 public elementary schools	35.2%					(n/a)	38.0	11.0		$9,857
Los Ninos Elementary	Public	PK-K	323 North Coronado Ave	Espanola	87532	Rio Arriba County	Espanola	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 753-6819	71	8	9.0	100.0%	3 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (88.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$18,699

Mountain Elementary

Mountain Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Los Alamos:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Mountain Elementary

Rank History for all students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Mountain Elementary

Rank History for White students at Mountain Elementary

Review counts

Enrollment information for Mountain Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Mountain Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Mountain Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Mountain Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Mountain Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Mountain Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Mountain Elementary

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