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Which teacher or staff member at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
667
Elementary
DISTRICT 471 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARLSBAD·NCES 350030001118
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY
2100 PRIMROSE ST, CARLSBAD, NM 88220 · (575) 234-3310 · Eddy County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL667 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 50% 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.
- C-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
15.0:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
22%
147 students
DISTRICT 25% · 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 | 96 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 108 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 131 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 92 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 128 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 112 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (96) is 14% smaller than its 5th grade class (112).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · 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
58.8%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
33.6%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 59 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 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
43.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.1%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-8.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 52% 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 WILLOW ELEMENTARY
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY's state test result (43.2% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY this school | 667 | 22.0% | 43.2% |
| COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 684 | 28.1% | 38.9% |
| OCOTILLO ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 621 | 20.1% | 35.3% |
| SUNSET ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 438 | 28.3% | 34.3% |
| MONTERREY ELEMENTARY CARLSBAD | 366 | 28.1% | 41.4% |
| ALICE KING COMMUNITY SCHOOL ALBUQUERQUE | 384 | 31.0% | 42.7% |
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 WILLOW ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Eddy County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.2% | #80 of 329 | #4 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 33.6% | #108 of 354 | #8 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 58.8% | #53 of 366 | #3 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 667 | #12 of 490 | #2 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.0:1 | #242 of 318 | #3 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.9% | #173 of 334 | #9 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 22.0% | #383 of 393 | #9 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.6% | #56 of 57 | #6 of 6 |
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
667
+64 (+11%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 16.8:1
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 | 667 | 44.5 | 15.0:1 | 22% (147) |
| 2023-24 | 820 | 54.6 | 15.0:1 | 40% (329) |
| 2022-23 | 787 | 46.9 | 16.8:1 | 31% (243) |
| 2020-21 | 603 | 36 | 16.8:1 | 47% (282) |
| 2017-18 | 663 | 41 | 16.2:1 | 76% (504) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (663 to 667); teachers up 9% (41 to 44.5).
About DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY, located in CARLSBAD, New Mexico, is a large elementary school. The latest federal count shows 667 students in kindergarten through 5. The average for elementary schools in New Mexico is about 287 students, so this school is 132% above average.
CARLSBAD includes 13 schools. Together they enroll 7,217 students.
Hispanic students make up a majority at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY, at 74%. The next largest groups are 22% White. In Eddy County overall, about 52% of residents are Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 40%, meaning two students picked at random have a 40% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Federal staffing data show 44.5 full-time-equivalent teachers at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY and a ratio of 15.0:1. This ratio sits 2.1 above the 12.9:1 average for elementary schools in New Mexico. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 22% of students. That rate is below the 46% average among public schools in Eddy County.
Measured against New Mexico public elementary schools, DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY receives a B-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY scores 43.2% on state tests, averaged across results. The predicted figure, based on its student poverty level, is 52.1%.
In Eddy County (population about 61,105), the median household income is $78,426, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 19%, and roughly 11% of residents are in poverty. DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY is one of 26 public schools in the county.
CARLSBAD ENRICHMENT CENTER is the public school closest to DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY, about 2.1 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8. Compared with its nearest neighbors, DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY ranks 2nd of 6 on average proficiency.
Federal data place DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY in the Town: Remote locale, which means it is in a town far from an urbanized area.
The school enrolled 667 students in 2024-25, 64 more than the 603 it had in 2020-21. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.8:1 in 2020-21 to 15.0:1 in 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Eddy County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
61,105
Census ACS
Median income
$78,426
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
19%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
26
11,661 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in CARLSBAD
- CARLSBAD HIGHHigh · 1,685 students
- CARLSBAD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - PR LEYVA CAMPUSMiddle · 908 students
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUSMiddle · 740 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYElementary · 684 students
- OCOTILLO ELEMENTARYElementary · 621 students
- SUNSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 438 students
Other schools in CARLSBAD
- CARLSBAD HIGHHigh · 1,685 students
- CARLSBAD INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL - PR LEYVA CAMPUSMiddle · 908 students
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUSMiddle · 740 students
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARYElementary · 684 students
- OCOTILLO ELEMENTARYElementary · 621 students
- SUNSET ELEMENTARYElementary · 438 students
Other Desert Willow Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 3 states are named Desert Willow Elementary. DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY is the 2nd largest of the 6.
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolTUCSON, AZ · 811 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolCASA GRANDE, AZ · 505 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolKINGMAN, AZ · 388 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolCave Creek, AZ · 338 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolLas Vegas, NV · 4 students
Nearby schools
- CARLSBAD ENRICHMENT CENTER2.1 mi · 170
- COTTONWOOD ELEMENTARY2.2 mi · 684
- EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CENTER2.3 mi · 207
- HILLCREST PRESCHOOL2.3 mi · 316
- JEFFERSON MONTESSORI2.4 mi · 215
- CARLSBAD SIXTH GRADE ACADEMY - ALTA VISTA CAMPUS2.4 mi · 740
Frequently asked questions
About DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY?
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 667 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY serve?
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY serves grades KG-05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY?
The student-to-teacher ratio at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY is approximately 15.0:1 (45 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY are roughly 22% White, 74% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY?
DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARY is overseen by CARLSBAD in Eddy County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.