Best Public Schools in Zip Code 88012

ZIP code 88012 is home to two public elementary schools — Monte Vista Elementary and Highland Elementary — both serving grades PK–5 within Las Cruces Public Schools, with no middle or high schools located in this ZIP. The two schools are nearly identical in size (706 and 704 students) and both report 100% free/reduced lunch, making them high-poverty but academically solid options. Their class sizes differ modestly: Monte Vista has 12.6 students per teacher, Highland 14.3.

Highland Elementary is the stronger overall performer. It ranks 114th of 346 statewide (67th percentile) with 3 stars, and its 5th-grade results are the highlight of the ZIP: ELA 64.95%, math 46.39%, and science 44.33%, all well above district and state averages. That 5th-grade ELA score is the highest single test result across the two schools, and it is 20.40 percentage points above Monte Vista's. Science is the sharpest contrast — Monte Vista's 5th-grade science score of 30.39% falls below both district and state. Highland also leads in both all-grade ELA (54.90% vs 53.87%) and all-grade math (33.33% vs 32.58%). One caveat for parents: Highland's statewide percentile has drifted from 72 to 69 to 67 over three years.

Monte Vista Elementary is the improvement story, moving from the 56th percentile to the 61st (135th of 346, 3 stars), and it posts standout results in 4th-grade ELA (60.91%), 3rd-grade ELA (55.56%), and 5th-grade math (42.57%). The shared weakness at both schools is mathematics, where all-grade proficiency runs roughly 20 points below ELA. Takeaway: both schools beat district and state averages in ELA and math, Highland is stronger overall and in the upper grades, and Monte Vista shows recent gains with smaller classes.