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La Plata Middle

Q: Is La Plata Middle a good school?

La Plata Middle ranks 84 th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

84^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 192 New Mexico Middle Schools

Better than 56% of New Mexico middle schools

Summary

La Plata Middle School is a public middle school in Silver City, New Mexico, serving 288 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Silver City District, which is ranked 33 out of 82 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating.

La Plata Middle's performance on state assessments is generally on par with or slightly below the state and district averages in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. In 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates were 44.72% in ELA, 23.17% in Math, and 39.84% in Science, compared to the state averages of 44.19%, 26.81%, and 34.46%, respectively. The school has a diverse student population, with significant representation of Hispanic (75%), White (18%), and African American (3%) students, and a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (48.61% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch).

Interestingly, La Plata Middle has shown strong performance among its African American and English Language Learner student subgroups, ranking in the top 10% of New Mexico middle schools in recent years. In comparison, the closest comparable school, Snell Middle in the Cobre District, has consistently lower performance on state assessments and a higher percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds (100% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). While La Plata Middle's overall performance is generally on par with or slightly below the state and district averages, the school could benefit from a closer examination of its Mathematics instruction and support for its multi-racial student population to drive further improvements in student outcomes.

259

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,347

Per pupil spending ?

99.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3500 North Silver St
Silver City, NM 88061

(575) 956-2060

District: Silver City

Students who attend La Plata Middle usually attend:

High:

Silver High

Feeder schools for La Plata Middle:

Elementary:	G.W.Stout Elementary
	Harrison Schmitt Elementary
	Jose Barrios Elementary
	Sixth Street Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.1%

White:

19.7%

Two or more races:

2.3%

See top rated New Mexico middle schools

Compare La Plata Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2014 → 56th in 2025

Strengths

✓Above the New Mexico median (56th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2014

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg39%

New Mexico avg35%

84^th of 192

New Mexico public middle schools ?

Top 44%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of New Mexico Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd of 82Silver City 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	45.8	84 of 192	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	49 of 165	70.3%	★★★★☆
2023	55.2	88 of 239	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.2	100 of 232	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.8	81 of 200	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.8	81 of 186	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2017	34.8	112 of 176	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	35.5	130 of 208	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2015	49.4	86 of 207	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.8	59 of 222	73.4%	★★★★☆
2013	50.8	80 of 193	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.6	75 of 178	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	41.2	90 of 173	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.2	76 of 179	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.3	59 of 178	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2008	58.5	59 of 172	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.1	56 of 171	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	58.8	52 of 156	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2005	56.8	60 of 157	61.8%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2022	76.4	9 of 55	83.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2018	36.7	31 of 52	40.4%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	81.9	6 of 97	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	73.8	9 of 69	87.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	51.8	45 of 162	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	49.6	88 of 213	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	85 of 220	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	45.8	77 of 160	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	68 of 156	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	40.3	75 of 148	49.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	43.3	64 of 154	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	73 of 204	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.1	90 of 214	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.1	65 of 150	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.8	72 of 149	51.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	49.1	69 of 173	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	40 of 144	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	60 of 227	73.6%	★★★★☆
2022	55.8	68 of 223	69.5%	★★★★☆
2019	63.9	47 of 175	73.1%	★★★★☆
2018	62.5	47 of 168	72.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2024	47.1	52 of 161	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.6	86 of 221	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	44.1	90 of 213	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	55.0	53 of 152	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.1	64 of 151	57.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	18.5	46 of 53	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2023	45.0	39 of 100	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	48.4	24 of 58	58.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	New Mexico percentile	Rating
2025	43.5	82 of 178	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	47 of 142	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.1	94 of 229	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.3	126 of 187	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	60.4	32 of 121	73.6%	★★★★☆
2018	53.8	47 of 120	60.8%	★★★☆☆

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 (2023)94th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2022)84th percentile+27 vs school

Female (2024)72nd percentile~ school

Male (2024)68th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2023)61st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)54th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)49th percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2018)40th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)13th percentile-50 vs school

By subject vs New Mexico (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts45%~ state avg

Science40%+5 vs state

Mathematics23%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near La Plata 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
La Plata Middle	Public	7-8	3500 North Silver St	Silver City	88061	Grant County	Silver City	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 956-2060	259	23	11.3	99.6%	51 (19.7%)	3 (1.2%)	197 (76.1%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)	45.8	84^th of 192 public middle schools	56.3%		50.4	49^th of 165 public middle schools	70.3%	35	39.8		40.7	48.4	44.7		33.1	14.1	23.2	$11,347
Snell Middle	Public	6-8	501 Tom Foy Blvd	Bayard	88023	Grant County	Cobre	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 537-4011	201	12	17.3	100.0%	12 (6.0%)	3 (1.5%)	185 (92.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	27.1	138^th of 192 public middle schools	28.1%		35.6	86^th of 165 public middle schools	47.9%	52	19.4	35.9	41.8	41.8	39.8	26.6	14.8	13.4	18.4	$13,012

Frequently Asked Questions about La Plata Middle

What is the racial makeup of La Plata Middle?

Students at La Plata Middle are 76% Hispanic, 20% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend La Plata Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 259 students attended La Plata Middle.

What district is La Plata Middle in?

Silver City

What high school do graduates of La Plata Middle attend?

Students who attend La Plata Middle usually go on to attend Silver High

Is La Plata Middle a good school?

La Plata Middle ranks 84^th of 192 New Mexico middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate La Plata Middle!

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Schools in Silver City, 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.