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Penasco Middle

Q: Is Penasco Middle a good school?

Penasco Middle ranks 64 th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

64^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 192 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 67% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

Penasco Middle is a public middle school located in Penasco, New Mexico, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 69 students. The school is part of the Penasco District, which is ranked 34 out of 82 districts in New Mexico and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger. Penasco Middle's statewide ranking has fluctuated over the years, ranging from 50th to 170th out of New Mexico's middle schools, with a current ranking of 64th for the 2024-2025 school year.

Penasco Middle has a high percentage of Hispanic (72%) and Native American (14%) students, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also has a very high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 97.1% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in the 2023-2024 school year. In English Language Arts (ELA), the school's proficiency rates have been mixed, ranging from 30.9% to 57.89% proficient or better. In Mathematics, the proficiency rates have been consistently low, ranging from 10% to 21.7% proficient or better, significantly below the state average. However, in Science, Penasco Middle has performed relatively well, with 8th-grade proficiency rates ranging from 21.1% to 52.63%, which are above the state average.

Compared to the nearby Taos Middle, which serves a larger student population of 344 students, Penasco Middle has generally performed worse in both ELA and Mathematics, with lower proficiency rates across most grade levels. However, Taos Middle has a lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students (100.29% free/reduced lunch) compared to Penasco Middle (97.1% in 2023-2024). Penasco Middle has shown particular strengths in the performance of Hispanic students and English Language Learners, who have ranked among the top middle schools in the state in recent years, indicating the school may have effective strategies or programs in place to support these student populations.

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,109

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13 School Rd
Penasco, NM 87553

(575) 587-2230

District: Penasco

Students who attend Penasco Middle usually attend:

High:

Penasco High

Feeder schools for Penasco Middle:

Elementary:

Penasco Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

86.5%

American Indian:

5.4%

White:

4.1%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare Penasco Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 23rd percentile in 2014 → 67th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 44 percentile points since 2014

✓Above the New Mexico median (67th percentile)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the New Mexico average (28% vs 35% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 17 pts below the New Mexico average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg30%

New Mexico avg35%

64^th of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Top 33%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From top 49% (2015) to top 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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
2025	57.2	64 of 192	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.7	75 of 165	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.1	93 of 239	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	30.3	143 of 232	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.9	58 of 200	71.0%	★★★★☆
2018	62.1	50 of 186	73.1%	★★★★☆
2017	47.8	83 of 176	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.1	77 of 208	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.6	101 of 207	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	26.7	170 of 222	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.8	115 of 193	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.0	93 of 178	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	40.9	91 of 173	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	30.5	130 of 179	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	29.7	126 of 178	29.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	19.7	149 of 172	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	34.4	111 of 171	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2006	35.6	98 of 156	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	32.2	104 of 157	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	78.1	7 of 69	89.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	33.0	95 of 162	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.4	107 of 213	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	24.2	140 of 220	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.9	36 of 156	76.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	60.6	40 of 148	73.0%	★★★★☆
2024	45.3	58 of 154	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.3	72 of 204	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	87 of 214	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.3	23 of 150	84.7%	★★★★☆
2018	71.0	28 of 149	81.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	61.0	48 of 173	72.3%	★★★★☆
2024	56.8	38 of 144	73.6%	★★★★☆
2023	61.1	67 of 227	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	36.7	115 of 223	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	72.1	32 of 175	81.7%	★★★★☆
2018	86.6	10 of 168	94.0%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	37.7	78 of 161	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.9	90 of 221	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.4	30 of 152	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	23 of 151	84.8%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	78.2	6 of 67	91.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	71 of 178	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	37 of 142	73.9%	★★★★☆
2023	55.6	80 of 229	65.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Native American (2022)91st percentile+53 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)90th percentile+51 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile+6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)72nd percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2024)52nd percentile-3 vs school

Female (2024)41st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

Science53%+18 vs state

English Language Arts40%-4 vs state

Mathematics10%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Penasco Middle

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	NM-ASR Science 8th Grade	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 Middle	Public	6-8	13 School Rd	Penasco	87553	Taos County	Penasco	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 587-2230	74	5	15.5	100.0%	3 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (86.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.1%)	57.2	64^th of 192 public middle schools	66.7%		39.7	75^th of 165 public middle schools	54.5%	11	52.6	37.9		57.9	40.0				10.0	$13,109
Taos Middle	Public	6-8	235 Paseo Del Canon	Taos	87571	Taos County	Taos	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 758-5202	337	33	10.2	100.0%	38 (11.3%)	1 (0.3%)	273 (81.0%)	3 (0.9%)	13 (3.9%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.4%)	26.5	141^st of 192 public middle schools	26.6%		27.3	107^th of 165 public middle schools	35.2%	34	26.1	42.6	35.4	34.8	37.4	26.7	18.6	11.3	18.5	$9,596

Frequently Asked Questions about Penasco Middle

What is the racial makeup of Penasco Middle?

Students at Penasco Middle are 86% Hispanic, 5% American Indian, 4% White, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Penasco Middle attend?

Students who attend Penasco Middle usually go on to attend Penasco High

What district is Penasco Middle in?

Penasco

Is Penasco Middle a good school?

Penasco Middle ranks 64^th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Penasco Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 74 students attended Penasco Middle.

Rate Penasco Middle!

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NMNew Mexico Middle School Rankings

NMNew Mexico District Rankings

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.