1
Which teacher or staff member at BELEN MIDDLE deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
475
Middle
DISTRICT 321 · STATE 335
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELEN·NCES 350018000141
BELEN MIDDLE
314 SOUTH 4TH ST, BELEN, NM 87002 · (505) 966-1600 · Valencia County
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL475 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 32% of New Mexico public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.6:1 · STATE 12.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
474 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 90%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 215 | 45% |
| Grade 8 | 260 | 55% |
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 34% · 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
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within BELEN. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
41.2%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
18.0%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 18 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
26.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.5%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 26% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 BELEN MIDDLE
BELEN MIDDLE's state test result (26.4% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| BELEN MIDDLE this school | 475 | 99.8% | 26.4% |
| TAYLOR MIDDLE LOVINGTON | 442 | 100.0% | 32.0% |
| SIERRA MIDDLE ROSWELL | 557 | 100.0% | 25.3% |
| MESA MIDDLE ROSWELL | 350 | 100.0% | 25.4% |
| SIERRA MIDDLE LAS CRUCES | 698 | 99.7% | 36.3% |
| VISTA MIDDLE LAS CRUCES | 574 | 100.0% | 33.6% |
Matched among New Mexico middle 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 BELEN MIDDLE ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 26.4% | #70 of 113 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 18.0% | #65 of 120 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 41.2% | #56 of 122 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 475 | #47 of 160 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #84 of 101 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.2% | #67 of 103 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.8% | #51 of 116 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.9% | #77 of 89 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
475
-77 (-14%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 654
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 17.3:1
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 | 475 | 30 | 15.8:1 | 100% (474) |
| 2023-24 | 493 | 33 | 14.9:1 | 90% (443) |
| 2022-23 | 528 | 32 | 16.5:1 | 100% (528) |
| 2020-21 | 552 | 32 | 17.3:1 | 100% (552) |
| 2017-18 | 516 | 32.9 | 15.7:1 | 100% (516) |
| 2015-16 | 564 | 35 | 16.1:1 | 88% (497) |
| 2010-11 | 660 | 37 | 17.8:1 | 81% (532) |
| 2000-01 | 782 | 54 | 14.5:1 | 72% (560) |
| 1990-91 | 654 | 36 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for BELEN MIDDLE.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (516 to 475); teachers down 9% (32.9 to 30).
About BELEN MIDDLE
BELEN MIDDLE is a middle-grades school in BELEN, New Mexico, and it is part of BELEN. Its grade span covers grades 7 through 8, with 475 students on the rolls. On average, middle schools in New Mexico enroll around 335, and this school is 42% bigger than that mark.
In BELEN, 10 schools enroll a combined 3,500 students.
BELEN MIDDLE is 80% Hispanic by enrollment. The remaining shares are 14% White and 2% Native American. Census estimates put the Hispanic share of Valencia County's population at about 61%. The diversity index for BELEN MIDDLE is 33%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
The student-to-teacher ratio at BELEN MIDDLE is 15.8:1, based on 30 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for middle schools in New Mexico is 12.5:1, so this school has more students per teacher. BELEN MIDDLE counts 100% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That is in line with the 100% average for public schools in Valencia County.
BELEN MIDDLE earns a C on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 32% of New Mexico public middle schools.
After adjusting for student poverty, BELEN MIDDLE lands between the top and bottom 10% of New Mexico schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 26.4%; the prediction is 33.5%.
Census data for Valencia County show the median household earns about $58,933 a year, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Valencia County number 27, with about 11,956 students.
BELEN INFINITY HIGH is the nearest public school to BELEN MIDDLE, about 0.1 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. The nearest schools with test data average 37.8%, higher than BELEN MIDDLE's 26.4%.
For locale, NCES codes BELEN MIDDLE as Suburb: Small.
Enrollment fell by 14% across 4 years, from 552 in 2020-21 to 475 in 2024-25. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 17.3:1 to 15.8:1.
The allk12 page for BELEN MIDDLE lets the school community talk about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Valencia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
78,458
Census ACS
Median income
$58,933
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
27
11,956 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BELEN
- BELEN HIGHHigh · 958 students
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 294 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Other schools in BELEN
- BELEN HIGHHigh · 958 students
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 294 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Nearby schools
- BELEN INFINITY HIGH0.1 mi · 112
- CENTRAL ELEMENTARY0.6 mi · 166
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY0.9 mi · 332
- BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL1.0 mi · 154
- BELEN HIGH1.0 mi · 958
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARY2.7 mi · 463
Frequently asked questions
About BELEN MIDDLEHow many students attend BELEN MIDDLE?
BELEN MIDDLE enrolls approximately 475 students in grades 07-08.
Is BELEN MIDDLE an elementary, middle, or high school?
BELEN MIDDLE is a middle school covering grades 07-08.
How many students per teacher at BELEN MIDDLE?
Approximately 15.8:1 students per teacher at BELEN MIDDLE.
What is the student diversity at BELEN MIDDLE?
Student demographics at BELEN MIDDLE are roughly 14% White, 80% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Is BELEN MIDDLE public or private?
BELEN MIDDLE is a public K-12 school, overseen by BELEN.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.