JAMES ELEMENTARY

JAMES ELEMENTARY is one of the middle-of-the-pack K-5 schools in PORTALES, New Mexico, one of the schools within PORTALES, with 364 students on its rolls from grades 1 through 2. Enrollment runs roughly 27% bigger than the state mean of about 287.

JAMES ELEMENTARY is one of 6 schools operated by PORTALES, a district that serves 2,518 students overall.

Demographically, JAMES ELEMENTARY reports that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 71% of enrollment. Other groups include 24% White. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 45%.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 35 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 10.4:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.9:1, putting JAMES ELEMENTARY tighter than the state norm the norm.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Roosevelt County) logs that the typical household earns roughly $52,685 per year, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Roosevelt County runs 13 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,108 students), of which JAMES ELEMENTARY is one.

BROWN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 5 other public schools.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 10%: 403 students in 2018 compared to 364 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 67% to 71%. Class-load math has fell: from 13.4:1 in 2018 to 10.4:1 in 2025.

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