Schools in Zip Code 87901

Zip code 87901 is served by four public schools in the T Or C Municipal Schools district, forming a single PK–12 feeder pattern — T Or C Elementary (PK–3), Sierra Elementary (4–5), T Or C Middle (6–8), and Hot Springs High (9–12) — totaling 1,153 students in a small, high-poverty community. The district itself ranks 84th of 87 in New Mexico, at the 3rd percentile with 0 stars, and economic disadvantage is nearly universal: three schools report 100% free/reduced lunch and T Or C Elementary reports 99.73%. Student-to-teacher ratios are similar across all four schools, ranging from 13.9 at the high school to 15.3 at the middle school.

Among the four, T Or C Middle is the strongest current performer, with all-grade ELA at 32.37% and math at 19.67% — both above district averages and its 7th-grade ELA of 45.95% essentially matches the state result. Hot Springs High stands out for a graduation rate of 85.6% (above the state's 80.6%) and a 2024–25 11th-grade science result of 48.15% (above the state's 41.69%), though its current ELA (29.63%) and math (9.88%) are below district and state, and SAT math is only 8.75%. T Or C Elementary has a bright spot in 3rd-grade ELA (39.51% / 39.74%), but its all-grade math is under 10% and its rank has fallen from the 69th percentile in 2009–10 to the low teens or lower recently. Sierra Elementary is the most acute concern, ranking 337th of 346 (3rd percentile, 0 stars), with 5th-grade ELA at 17.78% / 18.39%, math at 16.85% / 16.28%, and science at 16.67% / 16.09% — all far below state.

Across the zip code, math is the clearest district-wide weakness: every school with reported data falls below the state's 25.54% all-grade math figure, and several results are bounded at under 10% (including T Or C Elementary all-grade and 3rd-grade math, T Or C Middle 8th-grade math, and Hot Springs High 11th-grade math). ELA is relatively stronger but still generally below the state's 43.34%. Rank trends are mostly downward or volatile, and some data — such as Hot Springs High's 10th-grade ELA and math — is suppressed and should be treated as unknown rather than zero. The main positives for families to weigh are the high school's graduation rate and prior-year science result, the middle school's relative ELA and math strength, and the elementary school's 3rd-grade ELA; the main concerns are math at every level and Sierra Elementary's very low 5th-grade outcomes.