Enrollment
294
Elementary
DISTRICT 298 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELEN·NCES 350018000143
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY
19670 HWY 314, BELEN, NM 87002 · (505) 966-1800 · Valencia County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL294 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 76% of New Mexico public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-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
13.4:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
294 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 90%
Community
0
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 | 2 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 34 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 40 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 36 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 48 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 46 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 47 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 41 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (34) is 17% smaller than its 6th grade class (41).
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
Students here typically continue to
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY→BELEN MIDDLE
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
52.0%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
44.6%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 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
44.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% 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 DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY's state test result (44.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY this school | 294 | 100.0% | 44.1% |
| JAL ELEMENTARY JAL | 290 | 99.7% | 29.7% |
| GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARY BELEN | 316 | 100.0% | 43.5% |
| DEXTER ELEMENTARY DEXTER | 330 | 100.0% | 27.0% |
| PERALTA ELEMENTARY LOS LUNAS | 227 | 100.0% | 40.3% |
| LA PROMESA ELEMENTARY BELEN | 230 | 100.0% | 31.2% |
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 DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Valencia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 44.1% | #72 of 329 | #3 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 44.6% | #55 of 354 | #4 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 52.0% | #98 of 366 | #5 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 294 | #240 of 490 | #13 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #172 of 318 | #2 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.8% | #217 of 334 | #8 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #65 of 393 | #1 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -7.8% | #236 of 287 | #6 of 10 |
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
294
+25 (+9%) vs 2020
-38% since 1990-91, when it was 473
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 14.2:1
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 | 294 | 22 | 13.4:1 | 100% (294) |
| 2023-24 | 281 | 21 | 13.4:1 | 61% (172) |
| 2022-23 | 296 | 22.4 | 13.2:1 | 100% (296) |
| 2020-21 | 269 | 19 | 14.2:1 | 100% (269) |
| 2017-18 | 319 | 24.2 | 13.2:1 | 100% (319) |
| 2015-16 | 352 | 26 | 13.5:1 | 99% (349) |
| 2010-11 | 375 | 27 | 13.9:1 | 99% (372) |
| 2000-01 | 447 | 28 | 16.0:1 | 66% (293) |
| 1990-91 | 473 | 22 | 21.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (319 to 294); teachers down 9% (24.2 to 22).
About DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY is a mid-sized elementary school for students in BELEN, New Mexico. In all, 294 students attend the school in pre-K through 6.
A total of 10 schools make up BELEN, with 3,500 students enrolled.
The share of students at DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY who are Hispanic is 81%. Other students are 15% White, 3% multiracial, and 2% Native American. By comparison, Valencia County residents are about 61% Hispanic. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 33, compared with 70 nationally.
Based on 22 full-time-equivalent teachers, DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY has a ratio of 13.4:1. The average for elementary schools in New Mexico is about 12.9:1. Income data for the school show 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Public schools in Valencia County average a similar 100%.
Among New Mexico public elementary schools, DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY outscored 76%, which works out to an A- on the allk12 Grade.
Predicted from its free or reduced-price lunch share, DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY would score about 33.4%. It scores 44.1%, 10.7 points above that figure.
For Valencia County, Census Bureau data show median household income comes to about $58,933, roughly 21% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the poverty rate is about 13%. Counting DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY, Valencia County has 27 public schools.
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY's nearest public school is TOME ELEMENTARY (about 3.5 miles). There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY places 1st of 7 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Suburb: Small.
From 269 students in 2020-21, enrollment increased to 294 by 2024-25.
The DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY discussion page is a place for open houses, carpools, and field trips. You can also rate the school on this page.
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
- BELEN MIDDLEMiddle · 475 students
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Other schools in BELEN
- BELEN HIGHHigh · 958 students
- BELEN MIDDLEMiddle · 475 students
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Other Dennis Chavez Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Dennis Chavez Elementary. DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYALBUQUERQUE, NM · 550 students
Nearby schools
- TOME ELEMENTARY3.5 mi · 340
- CENTRAL NM CORRECTIONS4.2 mi · 1
- VALENCIA MIDDLE SCHOOL4.3 mi · 445
- CENTRAL ELEMENTARY4.4 mi · 166
- BELEN INFINITY HIGH4.8 mi · 112
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARY4.8 mi · 463
Frequently asked questions
About DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY?
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 294 students in grades PK-06.
Is DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many teachers does DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY have?
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.4:1.
How diverse is DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY?
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 15% White, 81% Hispanic, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY?
DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY is overseen by BELEN in Valencia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.