Summary:
ZIP code 87553 is home to three public schools — Penasco Elementary, Penasco Middle, and Penasco High — all part of Penasco Independent Schools and all sharing the same address at 13 School Rd in Penasco, NM. Together they serve the full PK–12 span with 276 students: 127 at the elementary (PK–5), 74 at the middle (6–8), and 75 at the high school (9–12). There are no alternative schools in the ZIP. All three report 100% free/reduced lunch in 2024–25, and student/teacher ratios decline as grade level rises — 17.8 at the elementary, 15.5 at the middle, and 12.7 at the high school.
The clearest standout is Penasco High, which climbed from 1 star and the 26th percentile in 2021–22 to 4 stars and the 83rd percentile in 2023–24. Its latest school-level graduation rate is 84.0%, and 11th-grade science proficiency is 40.91%, above the state's 34.02% and 34.27%. Penasco Elementary stands out in English language arts at 47.92% on NM-MSSA versus the state's 44.66%, with 3rd-grade ELA at 63.64%. Penasco Middle's bright spot is 7th-grade ELA at 53.57%, above the state's 46.99%, though its overall ELA is slightly below state.
Math is the most consistent relative gap where data are available. Elementary math is 24% against the state's 27.85%, while middle math is 14.29% and was 10% in 2024–25 against the state's 26.81%. District math figures, 15.28% to 18.33%, sit well below state figures around 25.54% to 27.85%. High-school ELA and math for 2025–26 are suppressed, as are elementary and middle science, so those values should be treated as unknown rather than as evidence of weakness. Rank years also differ — elementary has 2025–26, middle through 2024–25, and high through 2023–24 — so cross-school comparisons should account for those different time windows.
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