Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 87111

Zip code 87111 in Albuquerque has three middle schools — Eisenhower Middle, Madison Middle, and Hoover Middle — all serving grades 6–8, all part of Albuquerque Public Schools, and together enrolling about 1,676 students. The district itself rates below average statewide (37th percentile, 2 stars), yet all three of these campuses outperform both their district and New Mexico as a whole.

Eisenhower Middle is the standout, and one of the top middle schools in the state: it was ranked #1 of 165 New Mexico middle schools in 2023‑24 and still sits at #14 of 191 (93rd percentile, 5 stars). Roughly 72% of its students are proficient in Language Arts versus 43.34% statewide, and 57.25% in Math versus 25.54%, with 8th‑grade Science at 61.34% versus 34.33%. Hoover Middle is the smallest school (404 students) and solidly above average at the 75th percentile (4 stars, #48 of 191), beating state and district in every subject and grade, and it is the only one of the three whose math improved year over year. Madison Middle ranks 59th percentile (3 stars, #78 of 191); its scores sit closest to district and state averages, and it is the only school here with any measure below the state figure — 2024‑25 math and 6th‑grade math.

For parents, the most striking takeaway is the wide performance spread inside a single ZIP code: Eisenhower and Madison are about 24 points apart in Language Arts and 29 points in Math, even though all three schools share the same district, grade span, nearly identical student‑teacher ratios (12.7–13.4), and near‑universal economically disadvantaged enrollment — so none of those factors explains the gap. Two other patterns are worth noting: Language Arts proficiency rises with grade level at all three schools while math generally does not (8th‑grade math is the soft spot at Eisenhower and Madison), and 8th‑grade science declined at every school from 2024‑25 to 2025‑26 by roughly 3 to 5 points, though all three remain at or above the state rate. Finally, Madison Middle's rank slipped even as its test scores rose, a reminder that rankings can shift with the size of the comparison pool — the proficiency numbers tell the steadier story.