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Alumni: what's one memory from DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
479
Elementary
DISTRICT 343 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GADSDEN·NCES 350108000655
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY
290 EAST LISA, CHAPARRAL, NM 88021 · (575) 882-6203 · Doña Ana County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL479 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 67% of New Mexico public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
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
14.4:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
479 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 90%
Community
1
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 65 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 68 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 70 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 78 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 72 | 15% |
| Grade 6 | 66 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (65) is about the same size as its 6th grade class (66).
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 7% · 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
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
39.0%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
46.9%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 47 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
40.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% 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 DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY's state test result (40.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY this school | 479 | 100.0% | 40.2% |
| RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARY SUNLAND PARK | 550 | 100.0% | 41.2% |
| CESAR CHAVEZ ELEMENTARY LAS CRUCES | 492 | 100.0% | N/A |
| KIT CARSON ELEMENTARY ALBUQUERQUE | 395 | 100.0% | 22.3% |
| COLUMBUS ELEMENTARY COLUMBUS | 483 | 99.4% | 23.0% |
| LOMA LINDA ELEMENTARY ANTHONY | 398 | 100.0% | 40.6% |
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 DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Doña Ana County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 40.2% | #103 of 329 | #17 of 39 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 46.9% | #44 of 354 | #4 of 39 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #206 of 366 | #26 of 40 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 479 | #59 of 490 | #10 of 47 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #221 of 318 | #35 of 37 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 9.7% | #309 of 334 | #28 of 37 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #106 of 393 | #5 of 45 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.8% | #216 of 287 | #24 of 33 |
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
479
+28 (+6%) vs 2020
-36% since 2000-01, when it was 746
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 479 | 33.2 | 14.4:1 | 100% (479) |
| 2023-24 | 467 | 29 | 16.1:1 | 100% (467) |
| 2022-23 | 496 | 30.1 | 16.5:1 | 100% (496) |
| 2020-21 | 451 | 34 | 13.3:1 | 100% (451) |
| 2017-18 | 543 | 47 | 11.6:1 | 100% (543) |
| 2015-16 | 952 | 54 | 17.6:1 | 100% (952) |
| 2010-11 | 727 | 40 | 18.2:1 | 100% (724) |
| 2000-01 | 746 | 48 | 15.5:1 | 70% (521) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (543 to 479); teachers down 29% (47 to 33.2).
About DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY
A large elementary school in CHAPARRAL, New Mexico, DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY is part of GADSDEN. It had 479 students in 2024-25, spanning pre-K through 6. By comparison, elementary schools in New Mexico enroll about 287 students on average.
GADSDEN has 26 schools; together they serve 11,739 students.
Roughly 95% of students at DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY are Hispanic. The remaining students are 3% White. Among people living in Doña Ana County, the Hispanic share is about 68%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY scores 10%.
Its ratio of 14.4:1 is based on 33.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, elementary schools in New Mexico average 12.9:1. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 100%. The average for public schools in Doña Ana County is similar, at 98%.
On the allk12 Grade, DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY lands at B+, ahead of 67% of New Mexico public elementary schools.
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY sits between the top and bottom 10% of New Mexico schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 40.2% and a predicted 33.4%.
American Community Survey estimates for Doña Ana County show that median household income comes to about $56,848, roughly 32% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Doña Ana County counts 81 public schools with about 36,561 students.
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY's nearest public school is CHAPARRAL ELEMENTARY (about 0.1 miles). The count of other public schools within five miles is 6. On average proficiency, DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY is 3rd of 7 nearby schools with test data.
The federal government classifies DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY's location as Rural: Distant.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY had a net gain of 28 students, or 6%. The school's ratio increased from 13.3:1 to 14.4:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Parents, students, and staff can share information on pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Doña Ana County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
224,266
Census ACS
Median income
$56,848
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
19%
Below federal line
Schools in county
81
36,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in GADSDEN
- GADSDEN HIGHHigh · 1,219 students
- SANTA TERESA HIGHHigh · 1,154 students
- CHAPARRAL HIGHHigh · 1,067 students
- GADSDEN MIDDLEMiddle · 650 students
- RIVERSIDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 550 students
- CHAPARRAL MIDDLEMiddle · 546 students
Other schools in CHAPARRAL
- CHAPARRAL MIDDLEMiddle · 546 students
- CHAPARRAL ELEMENTARYElementary · 437 students
- OTERO COUNTY PRISONHigh · 2 students
Nearby schools
- CHAPARRAL ELEMENTARY0.1 mi · 437
- CHAPARRAL MIDDLE0.3 mi · 546
- CHAPARRAL ON-TRACK PREK CENTER1.4 mi · 160
- CHAPARRAL HIGH1.5 mi · 1,067
- SUNRISE ELEMENTARY1.8 mi · 406
- YUCCA HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY4.7 mi · 439
Frequently asked questions
About DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY?
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 479 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY serve?
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 14.4:1 students per teacher at DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY.
How diverse is DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY?
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 3% White, 95% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY?
DESERT TRAIL ELEMENTARY is overseen by GADSDEN in Doña Ana County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.