EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY

EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY, a moderately sized K-5 school in ROSWELL, New Mexico, part of ROSWELL, caters to 380 students, covering grades pre-K through 5. That puts it 32% larger than the typical public school in New Mexico, which averages around 287 students.

ROSWELL runs 22 schools in total, collectively educating 9,184 students. EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY is one of those campuses.

Demographically, EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 76%. Beyond that, the school records 19% White, 3% Black. By comparison, Chaves County as a whole is about 58% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. Roughly 100% of students at EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 37.1%.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Chaves County put the typical household earns roughly $52,938 per year, 18% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 20%. EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY is one of 33 public schools in Chaves County (combined enrollment of about 10,504 students).

SIERRA MIDDLE is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.4 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY ranks 1st on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 30.4%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at EL CAPITAN ELEMENTARY has contracted 15%, going from 448 students in 2018 to 380 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 27% to 19%. Class-load math has narrowed: from 19.1:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.