CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH

Set in CLAYTON, New Mexico, CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH is a minimally staffed junior high, run under CLAYTON. It works with 61 students across grades 7 through 8. Enrollment runs roughly 82% leaner than the state mean of about 335.

CLAYTON comprises 4 schools with combined enrollment of 397 students; CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH is among them.

Looking at the student body, CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH records that 64% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. The remainder breaks down as 31% White. By comparison, Union County as a whole is about 40% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 7 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 8.8:1. The state averages around 12.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 98% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is north of Union County's rate of about 85%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 33.8%, the actual is 44.7%, a residual of +10.9 points.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Union County indicate median household earnings sit near $46,694, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Union County's 7 public schools (combined enrollment of about 534 students), CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is KISER ELEMENTARY, roughly 0.0 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 4 other public schools cluster around CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH at 2nd of 4; the average score across the group is 50.6%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 23%: 79 students in 2018 compared to 61 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 49% to 31% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 14.3:1 in 2018 to 8.8:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.