LA MERCED ELEMENTARY

LA MERCED ELEMENTARY, an expansive elementary school in BELEN, New Mexico, operated by BELEN, works with 463 students, covering grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 61% above the state mean of about 287.

BELEN comprises 10 schools with combined enrollment of 3,500 students; LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is among them.

In terms of who attends, LA MERCED ELEMENTARY logs that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 79% of enrollment. The remainder breaks down as 19% White. The wider county runs roughly 61% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, LA MERCED ELEMENTARY has 30 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.7:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, LA MERCED ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 30.2%.

Around the school, Valencia County reports that the typical household earns roughly $58,933 per year, about 21% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is one of 27 public schools in Valencia County (combined enrollment of about 11,956 students).

The closest other public school is BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL, roughly 1.8 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around LA MERCED ELEMENTARY. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), LA MERCED ELEMENTARY ranks 4th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 37.0%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. LA MERCED ELEMENTARY's enrollment has showed little movement since 2018, when it stood at 473 (now 463). Hispanic enrollment moved from 67% to 79% across the same window.

On the community side, members of the LA MERCED ELEMENTARY community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.