Enrollment
170
Middle
DISTRICT 249 · STATE 335
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·EUNICE·NCES 350096000623
CATON MIDDLE
1109 16TH STREET, EUNICE, NM 88231 · (575) 394-3338 · Lea County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL170 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
11 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.3:1 · STATE 12.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
55%
93 students
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 90%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. 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
CATON MIDDLE→EUNICE HIGH
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within EUNICE. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
44.4%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
16.3%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 16 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
31.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
44.3%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.0pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 31% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 44% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
170
-17 (-9%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 26.9:1
% White
31%
was 43%
% Hispanic
66%
was 56%
% Black
1%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About CATON MIDDLE
CATON MIDDLE is one of the intimate middle schools in EUNICE, New Mexico, overseen by EUNICE, with 170 students on its rolls from grades 6 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 49% smaller than the state mean of about 335.
Within EUNICE, which oversees 3 schools and 748 students, CATON MIDDLE is one campus in the system.
For racial and ethnic makeup, CATON MIDDLE records that 66% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 31% White, 3% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.
On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 11 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.8:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 12.5:1 average. Roughly 55% of students at CATON MIDDLE qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Lea County runs at roughly 73%, so the school's eligibility rate is lower than the surrounding baseline.
After controlling for student poverty, CATON MIDDLE tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 44.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 31.3%.
In the broader community, ACS estimates for Lea County put median household earnings sit near $68,015, roughly 16% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Lea County's 38 public schools (combined enrollment of about 15,126 students), CATON MIDDLE is one campus in the mix.
The closest other public school is METTIE JORDAN ELEMENTARY, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts CATON MIDDLE at 3rd of 8; the average score across the group is 29.5%.
The school occupies a rural site.
Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at CATON MIDDLE has contracted 9%, going from 187 students in 2018 to 170 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 43% to 31% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 26.9:1 in 2018 to 14.8:1 today.
Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the CATON MIDDLE community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Lea County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
73,733
Census ACS
Median income
$68,015
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
16%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
15%
Below federal line
Schools in county
38
15,126 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in EUNICE
- METTIE JORDAN ELEMENTARYElementary · 357 students
- EUNICE HIGHHigh · 221 students
Other schools in EUNICE
- METTIE JORDAN ELEMENTARYElementary · 357 students
- EUNICE HIGHHigh · 221 students
Nearby schools
- METTIE JORDAN ELEMENTARY0.1 mi · 357
- EUNICE HIGH0.2 mi · 221
- HEIZER MIDDLE SCHOOL16.8 mi · 606
- SOUTHERN HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY17.4 mi · 472
- BOOKER T. WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY17.8 mi · 155
- EDISON ELEMENTARY17.8 mi · 225
Frequently asked questions
About CATON MIDDLEHow many students attend CATON MIDDLE?
CATON MIDDLE enrolls approximately 170 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does CATON MIDDLE serve?
CATON MIDDLE serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many teachers does CATON MIDDLE have?
CATON MIDDLE employs 11 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.8:1.
What is the student diversity at CATON MIDDLE?
Student demographics at CATON MIDDLE are roughly 31% White, 66% Hispanic, 1% Black, 3% Two or more.
Is CATON MIDDLE public or private?
CATON MIDDLE is a public K-12 school, overseen by EUNICE.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.