COCHITI MIDDLE

COCHITI MIDDLE, a minimally staffed middle-grades school in PENA BLANCA, New Mexico, one of the schools within BERNALILLO, educates 52 students, covering grades 6 through 8. That puts it 84% smaller than the typical public school in New Mexico, which averages around 335 students.

BERNALILLO runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 2,761 students. COCHITI MIDDLE is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, COCHITI MIDDLE logs that Native American students make up the majority at 79%. Other groups include 17% Hispanic, 4% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, COCHITI MIDDLE shows 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 5.2:1. The state averages around 12.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 100% of students at COCHITI MIDDLE qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Around the school, census data for Sandoval County shows median household income runs about $86,636, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. COCHITI MIDDLE is one of 49 public schools in Sandoval County (combined enrollment of about 22,445 students).

COCHITI ELEMENTARY is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a ten-mile radius, suggesting a relatively low-density school footprint.

The school occupies an outlying site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at COCHITI MIDDLE has contracted 35%, going from 80 students in 2018 to 52 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 34% to 17% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.1:1 in 2018 to 5.2:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, posts here usually surface around classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.