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White Mountain Elementary

Q: Is White Mountain Elementary a good school?

White Mountain Elementary ranks 195 th of 346 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

195^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 346 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of New Mexico elementary schools

Summary

White Mountain Elementary is a grades 3–5 school in Ruidoso, New Mexico, serving 374 students as part of Ruidoso Municipal Schools, whose schools rank 50th of 87 districts statewide. In 2025–2026, White Mountain Elementary placed 195th of 346 New Mexico elementary schools — the 44th percentile, 2 stars — after reaching the 51st percentile in 2023–2024 and 2024–2025. Over the past decade it has generally sat near the middle of the state's elementary schools.

Math is the school's clearest relative strength: 35.24% of students were proficient in math in 2025–2026, above the district's 29.29% and the state's 27.85%. Fourth- and fifth-grade math results are especially strong, and fifth-grade math even tops Capitan's rate. English Language Arts is the opposite story — 38.97% proficient versus 45.45% in the district and 44.66% statewide, with all three grades falling below state averages. Fifth-grade science (28.35%) also trails the state, and third grade is the weakest spot overall, with math at 18.42% against a state average of 26.24%.

Compared with neighbors, Sierra Vista Primary — the PK–2 feeder just 0.13 miles away — posted 49.48% ELA proficiency to White Mountain's 38.64%, raising questions about whether early reading gains carry into grades 3–5. Capitan Elementary, 13.57 miles away in Capitan Municipal Schools, ranks in the 80th percentile with 4 stars and outperforms White Mountain in ELA (60.44% vs. 38.64%), math (43.96% vs. 34.94%) and science (37.14% vs. 28.35%), though it serves a far lower-poverty population (33.33% free/reduced lunch vs. 100%) and has smaller classes (11.6 vs. 13.9 students per teacher). White Mountain also serves some student groups less well than others — students from low-income families and students with disabilities rank in the lowest percentiles statewide, and those gaps have widened recently. Parents should weigh the strong upper-grade math results against the reading, science, and third-grade concerns.

374

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,607

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

All students receive free meals (Community Eligibility, 2024-25)

All students in New Mexico receive free school meals.

203 White Mountain Dr
Ruidoso, NM 88345

(575) 258-6300

District: Ruidoso Municipal Schools

Students who attend White Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Ruidoso Middle
High:	Ruidoso High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

56.1%

White:

24.9%

American Indian:

14.4%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare White Mountain Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2026

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school36%

District avg37%

New Mexico avg36%

195^th of 346

New Mexico public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 13 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

50^th of 87Ruidoso Municipal 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	39.7	195 of 346	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.3	169 of 345	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.0	202 of 413	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.5	227 of 435	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	268 of 420	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.9	227 of 396	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.5	209 of 383	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	35.9	230 of 374	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.6	178 of 410	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.1	203 of 421	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	45.6	239 of 442	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	19.7	353 of 412	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	28.8	304 of 398	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	40.0	249 of 402	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	42.7	247 of 419	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.1	211 of 411	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.9	214 of 405	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2007	34.0	267 of 398	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.4	221 of 390	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2005	43.1	224 of 389	42.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	62.1	76 of 223	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	93 of 191	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.2	70 of 203	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	51 of 98	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	157 of 252	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.2	208 of 398	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	227 of 390	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.3	287 of 395	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	31.6	237 of 343	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	226 of 339	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	199 of 273	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	39.6	151 of 255	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	222 of 384	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.4	239 of 395	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	270 of 389	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.0	236 of 320	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	251 of 329	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	25.3	215 of 256	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.8	149 of 325	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.2	200 of 356	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.3	201 of 426	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.5	220 of 410	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.0	164 of 361	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.2	163 of 356	54.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	209 of 251	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	231 of 397	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.2	239 of 414	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.0	235 of 392	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.5	195 of 337	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.7	180 of 333	45.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	56.7	36 of 83	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.9	24 of 91	73.6%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	48.1	38 of 90	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.9	79 of 92	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.9	42 of 64	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.6	31 of 48	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	15.4	145 of 158	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2026	41.2	163 of 304	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.2	148 of 304	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.8	186 of 339	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	227 of 413	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.0	214 of 325	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.0	143 of 199	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.8	120 of 187	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)66th percentile+15 vs school

Native American (2024)58th percentile+7 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)57th percentile+9 vs school

White (2026)46th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)38th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2026)27th percentile-17 vs school

Male (2026)17th percentile-27 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile-28 vs school

Special Education (2024)8th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts39%-6 vs state

Mathematics35%+7 vs state

Science29%-3 vs state

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, June 23, 2016

My child has attended this school for two years and after careful consideration I will now be homeschooling. Homeschooling is something I never thought I would consider. This is the only public school option in Ruidoso and the only other is a private religious school which I would not allow him to attend. The lack of creativity and almost constant testing have made my child hate learning which has had a huge impact on our lives. Close Quote

Schools Near White Mountain Elementary

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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	Free/reduced lunch (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 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 4th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics 5th Grade	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
White Mountain Elementary	Public	3-5	203 White Mountain Dr	Ruidoso	88345	Lincoln County	Ruidoso Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 258-6300	374	27	13.9	—	93 (24.9%)	1 (0.3%)	210 (56.1%)	5 (1.3%)	54 (14.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	39.7	195^th of 346 public elementary schools	43.6%		44.3	169^th of 345 public elementary schools	51.0%	26	28.8	31.6	47.3	38.4	39.0	18.4	44.6	42.4	35.2	$8,607
Sierra Vista Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	199 White Mountain Dr	Ruidoso	88345	Lincoln County	Ruidoso Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 258-6400	514	41	12.5	96.3%	129 (25.1%)	5 (1.0%)	282 (54.9%)	7 (1.4%)	75 (14.6%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.9%)								(n/a)										$9,641
Capitan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 South Forest Ave	Capitan	88316	Lincoln County	Capitan Municipal Schools	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 354-2239	207	18	11.6	33.3%	123 (59.4%)	2 (1.0%)	75 (36.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.9%)	70.3	69^th of 346 public elementary schools	80.1%		67.8	79^th of 345 public elementary schools	77.1%	10	37.1	62.5	75.0	48.6	60.4	46.9	54.2	34.3	44.0	$11,595

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