DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY

DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY is a well-populated K-5 school in ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico, part of ALAMOGORDO. The school hosts 466 students in grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 287 students per school, that is 62% larger than typical.

ALAMOGORDO runs 14 schools in total, collectively educating 5,227 students. DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY is one of those campuses.

Demographically, DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY lists that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 56% of enrollment; the rest looks like 30% White, 8% multiracial, 4% Black. That is meaningfully more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 40%.

In terms of school funding signals, DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY lists 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 15.5:1. The state averages around 12.9:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 33.4%; this one delivers 29.5%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Otero County) records that the typical household earns roughly $55,876 per year, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. Across Otero County's 26 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,639 students), DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is MOUNTAIN VIEW MIDDLE, roughly 0.1 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY. On composite proficiency, DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY comes 6th of 7 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 38.1%.

DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY operates from a town-based location.

Looking at the recent track record. DESERT STAR ELEMENTARY's enrollment has edged down 16% since 2018, when it stood at 554 (now 466). Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 48% to 56%. Class-load math has pulled in: from 21.3:1 in 2018 to 15.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.