Summary:
ZIP code 88021 contains 13 schools — seven elementary, two middle, and four high schools — all part of Gadsden Independent Schools, a district ranked 54th of 87 in New Mexico (about the 38th percentile) with a 2-star rating. Enrollment totals 6,406 students: roughly 2,523 in elementary, 1,196 in middle, and 2,687 in high school, ranging from 163 students at Anthony Elementary to 1,219 at Gadsden High. Nearly every school reports 100% free/reduced lunch (Gadsden Middle is 99.85%), and student-teacher ratios run from 10.0 at Alta Vista Early College High to 15.3 at Chaparral High.
Alta Vista Early College High School is the standout, ranking 9th of 132 high schools (93rd percentile, 5 stars), with 11th-grade ELA at 71.79, math at 56.41, and science at 64.1 — far above district and state averages. Among elementaries, La Union Elementary leads at the 84th percentile, with all-grades ELA of 56.31 and math of 48.54. Loma Linda Elementary and Desert Trail Elementary are also strong; Desert Trail's 6th-grade math of 79.71 is the highest single-grade math result here. At the other end, Desert Pride Academy ranked 131st of 131, while Chaparral High and Gadsden High sit at the 13th and 23rd percentiles.
Math is the weakest subject in middle and high school. Both middle schools fall below state math proficiency, and Gadsden Middle dropped from the 48th to the 23rd percentile, posting 15.8 in math versus district 28.89 and state 25.54. Comprehensive high schools show a graduation-proficiency paradox: Gadsden High (89.8%) and Chaparral High (89.5%) graduate students above the state rate of 80.6%, yet their test proficiency is bottom-quartile. Science is uneven — strong at Alta Vista and La Union, but Desert Trail's 5th-grade science is 16.98, and Berino's science is under 20%, an upper bound rather than an exact rate.
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