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What's one thing BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
429
Elementary
DISTRICT 389 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LOS ALAMOS·NCES 350165000428
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY
57 LOMA DEL ESCOLAR, LOS ALAMOS, NM 87544 · (505) 663-2730 · Los Alamos County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL429 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 82% of New Mexico public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Mexico public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
38 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.2:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
13%
56 students
DISTRICT 12% · STATE 90%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 41 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 47 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 48 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 61 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 59 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 66 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 52 | 12% |
| Grade 6 | 55 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (47) is 15% smaller than its 6th grade class (55).
Student demographics
56%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 55% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY→LOS ALAMOS MIDDLE
Based on grade levels within LOS ALAMOS. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
64.4%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
59.1%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 59 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all New Mexico schools, those numbers are about 44 and 27.
Source: NM-MSSA + NM-ASR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
60.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
54.3%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 61% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 54% typical for New Mexico schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among New Mexico's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY's state test result (60.6% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY this school | 429 | 13.1% | 60.6% |
| PINON ELEMENTARY WHITE ROCK | 350 | 6.0% | 68.3% |
| ASPEN ELEMENTARY LOS ALAMOS | 428 | 17.1% | 60.6% |
| MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY LOS ALAMOS | 435 | 9.7% | 78.1% |
| MONTESSORI OF THE RIO GRANDE ALBUQUERQUE | 219 | 21.0% | 56.4% |
| CHAMISA ELEMENTARY WHITE ROCK | 301 | 13.3% | 67.2% |
Matched among New Mexico elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 60.6% | #18 of 329 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.1% | #19 of 354 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 64.4% | #39 of 366 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 429 | #96 of 490 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.4:1 | #80 of 318 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 56.1% | #92 of 334 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 13.1% | #389 of 393 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.9% | #235 of 287 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
429
+16 (+4%) vs 2020
+15% since 1990-91, when it was 374
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
was 12.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 429 | 37.5 | 11.4:1 | 13% (56) |
| 2023-24 | 422 | 34 | 12.4:1 | 14% (60) |
| 2022-23 | 419 | 34 | 12.3:1 | 17% (70) |
| 2020-21 | 413 | 32 | 12.9:1 | 15% (61) |
| 2017-18 | 466 | 32 | 14.6:1 | 18% (83) |
| 2015-16 | 438 | 31 | 14.1:1 | 16% (71) |
| 2010-11 | 409 | 28 | 14.6:1 | 0% (0) |
| 2000-01 | 452 | 31 | 14.6:1 | 0% (0) |
| 1990-91 | 374 | 24 | 15.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (466 to 429); teachers up 17% (32 to 37.5).
About BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY is a medium-sized elementary school serving families in LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico. Its 429 students are spread across pre-K through 6. The school's enrollment is 49% bigger than the 287 average for elementary schools in New Mexico.
LOS ALAMOS runs BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY along with 7 other schools, enrolling 3,971 students in total.
White students make up a majority at BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY, at 57%. Smaller groups are 33% Hispanic and 8% Asian. For comparison, the population of Los Alamos County is roughly 75% White. The school's diversity index is 56%, meaning two students picked at random have a 56% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school has about 11.4 students per teacher and 37.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. This ratio sits 1.5 below the 12.9:1 average for elementary schools in New Mexico. Federal records put free or reduced-price lunch eligibility at 13%. For comparison, public schools in Los Alamos County average 12%.
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY is graded A- by allk12, scoring above 82% of New Mexico public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
A school with BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY's lunch-eligibility share in New Mexico is predicted to score 54.3%. BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY scores 60.6%, 6.3 points above that line.
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY is located in Los Alamos County, where the median household income is $147,139, roughly 70% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 3%. BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY is one of 8 public schools in the county.
LOS ALAMOS MIDDLE is the public school closest to BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY, about 1.0 miles away. There are 5 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY at 6th of 6.
The school's setting, by NCES definition, is Rural: Fringe: in rural territory close to an urban area.
The school enrolled 429 students in 2024-25, 16 more than the 413 it had in 2020-21. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 12.9:1 in 2020-21 to 11.4:1 in 2024-25.
Threads on this page can be about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Los Alamos County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,435
Census ACS
Median income
$147,139
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
70%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
3%
Below federal line
Schools in county
8
3,971 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LOS ALAMOS
- LOS ALAMOS HIGHHigh · 1,181 students
- LOS ALAMOS MIDDLEMiddle · 543 students
- MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARYElementary · 435 students
- ASPEN ELEMENTARYElementary · 428 students
- PINON ELEMENTARYElementary · 350 students
- TOPPER FRESHMAN ACADEMYCombined · 304 students
Other schools in LOS ALAMOS
- LOS ALAMOS HIGHHigh · 1,181 students
- LOS ALAMOS MIDDLEMiddle · 543 students
- MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARYElementary · 435 students
- ASPEN ELEMENTARYElementary · 428 students
- TOPPER FRESHMAN ACADEMYCombined · 304 students
Nearby schools
- LOS ALAMOS MIDDLE1.0 mi · 543
- ASPEN ELEMENTARY1.7 mi · 428
- TOPPER FRESHMAN ACADEMY2.2 mi · 304
- LOS ALAMOS HIGH2.3 mi · 1,181
- MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY2.4 mi · 435
- PINON ELEMENTARY6.8 mi · 350
Frequently asked questions
About BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARYHow large is BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY?
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 429 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY serve?
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 11.4:1 students per teacher at BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY.
What is the student diversity at BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY are roughly 57% White, 33% Hispanic, 1% Black, 8% Asian, 0% Two or more.
What district is BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY in?
BARRANCA MESA ELEMENTARY is part of LOS ALAMOS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.