JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY

JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY is an elementary-level community of roomy scale in KIRTLAND, New Mexico, overseen by CENTRAL, works with 486 students in grades pre-K through 6. That puts it 69% larger than the typical public school in New Mexico, which averages around 287 students.

Within CENTRAL, which oversees 16 schools and 4,539 students, JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY lists that Native American students make up the majority at 65%. Other groups include 14% Hispanic, 14% White, 5% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.5:1. The state averages about 12.9:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

After controlling for student poverty, JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 34.2%.

Zooming out to the county, San Juan County reports that the typical household earns roughly $55,872 per year, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 18%. In all, San Juan County runs 62 public schools (combined enrollment of about 21,309 students), of which JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY is one.

The closest other public school is KIRTLAND CENTRAL HIGH, roughly 0.8 miles away. 5 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARY ranks 1st on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 25.5%.

The school occupies a town-based site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 23%: 630 students in 2018 compared to 486 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share decreased from 21% to 14%. Class-load math has tightened: from 16.6:1 in 2018 to 13.5:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Members of the school community can share what they know.