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Penasco High

Public Grades 9-12

Summary

Penasco High is a public high school located in Penasco, New Mexico, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 76 students. The school is part of the Penasco District, which is ranked 50 out of 119 districts in New Mexico and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Penasco High has shown a fluctuating performance in its statewide ranking over the years, ranging from 28th out of 190 high schools in 2023-2024 to 142nd out of 158 in 2016-2017. However, the school's performance is particularly strong in certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic students (ranked 12th out of 142 in 2023-2024) and Special Education students (ranked 3rd out of 62 in 2018-2019). Additionally, Penasco High's test scores are generally higher than the state averages, with 61% of students proficient or better in NM-ASR/Science for All Grades in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 36%. The school has also maintained a relatively stable four-year graduation rate, ranging from 74.8% to 76.8% over the past few years, which is close to the state average.

One unique characteristic of Penasco High is that 100% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. The school's student-teacher ratio has fluctuated, ranging from 11.9 to 22.6 students per teacher over the past few years, which is generally lower than the nearby Taos, Vista Grande High School, and Taos Academy schools. While Penasco High's performance is generally stronger than the state averages, it is interesting to note that the nearby schools have similar or even higher test scores and graduation rates, which could provide valuable insights for Penasco High to further improve its performance.

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,459

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13 School Rd
Penasco, NM 87553

(575) 587-2230

District: Penasco

Feeder schools for Penasco High:

Elementary:	Penasco Elementary
Middle:	Penasco Middle

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.3%

American Indian:

14.7%

White:

4.0%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 46th percentile in 2013 → 83rd in 2024

Strengths

✓Test scores above the New Mexico average (59% vs 40% meeting standards)

✓84% graduate in 4 years — above the New Mexico average (78%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 37 percentile points since 2013

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

New Mexico avg40%

Not ranked this year

Penasco High did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

34^th of 82Penasco 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
2024	79.4	29 of 172	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	67.2	44 of 170	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	19.8	131 of 177	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	60.1	56 of 181	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	28.5	117 of 182	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	17.6	142 of 158	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.1	110 of 185	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	36.0	108 of 193	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	46.8	106 of 198	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.7	95 of 177	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	58.6	62 of 163	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	26.4	121 of 157	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	53.8	69 of 154	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	40.3	88 of 151	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	38.4	92 of 146	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.0	86 of 150	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2006	39.8	83 of 134	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	34.6	86 of 129	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	60.5	43 of 143	69.9%	★★★★☆
2022	7.8	156 of 157	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	81.4	17 of 144	88.2%	★★★★☆
2018	52.5	62 of 145	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	83.9	19 of 136	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	70.7	29 of 132	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	75.1	30 of 139	78.4%	★★★★☆
2018	31.2	85 of 133	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	85.0	14 of 127	89.0%	★★★★☆
2023	72.4	24 of 157	84.7%	★★★★☆
2022	23.8	102 of 154	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.5	29 of 161	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	35.7	93 of 164	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	24.9	128 of 159	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	73.7	33 of 151	78.1%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	73.9	10 of 44	77.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2019	95.5	3 of 62	95.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	76.3	26 of 136	80.9%	★★★★☆
2023	64.7	45 of 157	71.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Special Education (2019)95th percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)89th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2024)86th percentile+3 vs school

White (2024)81st percentile~ school

Native American (2022)77th percentile+51 vs school

Female (2023)70th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2022)19th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2023-2024) ?

Science65%+21 vs state

English Language Arts53%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Penasco High

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)			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	SAT School Day English Language Arts 11th Grade	SAT School Day Mathematics 11th Grade	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	NM-ASR Science 11th 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
Penasco High	Public	9-12	13 School Rd	Penasco	87553	Taos County	Penasco	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 587-2230	75	6	12.7	100.0%	3 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$17,459
Vista Grande High School	Public, Charter	9-12	213 Paseo Del Canon East	Taos	87571	Taos County	Vista Grande High School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(575) 758-5100	69	7	9.2	100.0%	9 (13.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (59.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (17.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (10.1%)								(n/a)
Taos Academy	Public, Charter	5-12	110 Paseo Del Canon W	Taos	87571	Taos County	Taos Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 751-3109	251	19	13.4	33.9%	62 (24.7%)	1 (0.4%)	165 (65.7%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	16 (6.4%)	77.8	26^th of 131 public high schools	80.2%		74.3	36^th of 172 public high schools	79.1%	10	62.5	21.9	53.1	71.9	59.2	60.0	54.6	59.4	54.3	55.0	45.5	25.0	37.0	$10,859
Taos High	Public	9-12	134 Cervantes	Taos	87571	Taos County	Taos	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 758-5202	749	48	15.5	99.6%	120 (16.0%)	5 (0.7%)	540 (72.1%)	6 (0.8%)	53 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	24 (3.2%)	45.4	55^th of 131 public high schools	58.0%		34.5	90^th of 172 public high schools	47.7%	35	39.4	12.2		51.1										$9,644
Chrysalis Alternative	Public	7-12	134 Cervantes	Taos	87571	Taos County	Taos	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 758-5202	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)														$62,550
Taos Cyber Magnet	Public	9-12	310 Camino De La Placita	Taos	87571	Taos County	Taos	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 758-5202	12	0	240.0	100.0%	2 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (58.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$2,020

Frequently Asked Questions about Penasco High

What district is Penasco High in?

Penasco

How many students attend Penasco High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 75 students attended Penasco High.

What schools feed into Penasco High?

Penasco High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Penasco Elementary
Middle : Penasco Middle

What is the racial makeup of Penasco High?

Students at Penasco High are 81% Hispanic, 15% American Indian, 4% White.

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Schools in Penasco, 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.