Loving Middle

Loving Middle is a small public middle school in Loving, New Mexico, a rural Eddy County community, serving grades 6–8 with 154 students—about 50 per grade—and it is the only middle school in Loving Municipal Schools. In 2025–26, the school ranked 56th of 191 New Mexico middle schools, placing it in the 71st percentile with 4 stars, even though its district is rated 46th of 87, or 2 stars. That contrast suggests the middle school is a bright spot in its local system.

Academically, Loving Middle outperforms both the state and its two nearest comparisons, Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus and Carlsbad Sixth Grade Academy - Alta Vista Campus, both in Carlsbad Municipal Schools about 13 miles away. In 2025–26, 58.5% of Loving students were proficient in Language Arts versus 43.34% statewide, and 35.37% were proficient in math versus 25.54% statewide. The former posted 44.4% in Language Arts and 28.68% in math; the latter posted 25.38% and 11.7%. Loving Middle achieves this while serving the highest-poverty population of the three—83.12% free/reduced lunch, compared with 21.7% at the former and 34.32% at the latter—and with much smaller classes, a student–teacher ratio of 11.7 versus 18.8 and 15. Low-income students were a particular strength, ranking in the 87th percentile with 4 stars.

The school has also improved dramatically over the long term, climbing from the bottom 3% of New Mexico middle schools a decade ago to the top 29% now. Math proficiency has risen every year for the last four reported years, from 23% in 2022–23 to 35.37% in 2025–26, while Language Arts rose from 48% to 58.5%. One watch point is grade-level variation: 6th and 7th graders score far above state averages, but 8th grade is weaker—Language Arts was 41.86% versus 43.61% statewide, and math was 20.93% versus 20.29%. Because enrollment is small, single-year results can swing, but the multi-year trend is clearly positive, and Loving Middle is the only one of these three schools showing sustained upward movement—Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus has slipped from the 76th to the 55th percentile, while Carlsbad Sixth Grade Academy - Alta Vista Campus remains near the bottom.