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If you had an hour of school board time for LA MERCED ELEMENTARY, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
463
Elementary
DISTRICT 298 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELEN·NCES 350018030003
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY
301 ALAME LOOP, BELEN, NM 87002 · (505) 966-2100 · Valencia County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL463 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
30 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
463 students
DISTRICT 100% · 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 | 58 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 50 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 69 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 60 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 74 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 79 | 17% |
Student demographics
34%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 34% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY→BELEN MIDDLE
Based on grade levels within BELEN. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
36.0%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
19.3%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 36 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 19 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
30.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 →
Where LA MERCED ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Valencia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.2% | #195 of 329 | #10 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 19.3% | #235 of 354 | #13 of 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.0% | #230 of 366 | #10 of 14 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 463 | #67 of 490 | #3 of 15 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.7:1 | #262 of 318 | #6 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 34.0% | #205 of 334 | #4 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #70 of 393 | #5 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.1% | #271 of 287 | #9 of 10 |
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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
463
+66 (+17%) vs 2020
-12% since 2000-01, when it was 524
Student : Teacher
15.7:1
was 13.7:1
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 | 463 | 29.5 | 15.7:1 | 100% (463) |
| 2023-24 | 433 | 28 | 15.5:1 | 69% (298) |
| 2022-23 | 437 | 30.5 | 14.3:1 | 100% (437) |
| 2020-21 | 397 | 29 | 13.7:1 | 100% (397) |
| 2017-18 | 473 | 31.1 | 15.2:1 | 100% (473) |
| 2015-16 | 475 | 32 | 14.8:1 | 55% (261) |
| 2010-11 | 611 | 42 | 14.6:1 | 99% (606) |
| 2000-01 | 524 | 35 | 15.0:1 | 64% (335) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for LA MERCED ELEMENTARY.
About LA MERCED ELEMENTARY
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is a high-enrollment elementary school found in BELEN, New Mexico. Classes run from pre-K through 6, and the school has 463 students. Against the 287-student average for elementary schools in New Mexico, enrollment here is 61% higher.
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is one of the 10 schools that make up BELEN (3,500 students in total).
At LA MERCED ELEMENTARY, Hispanic students make up 79% of the student body. The remaining shares are 19% White. Valencia County as a whole is about 61% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. LA MERCED ELEMENTARY's diversity index is 34%, against a US figure of 70%.
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY operates with 29.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 15.7:1. On average, elementary schools in New Mexico have 12.9:1, compared with 15.7:1 here. LA MERCED ELEMENTARY reports 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. That tracks the 100% average for public schools in Valencia County.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 33.4% at LA MERCED ELEMENTARY; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 30.2%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Valencia County, the median household income is $58,933, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 21%, and roughly 13% of residents are in poverty. LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is one of 27 public schools in the county.
The nearest public school is BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL, at about 1.8 miles. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 6 nearby schools with scores, including this one, LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is 4th on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes LA MERCED ELEMENTARY as Rural: Fringe.
Enrollment climbed 17% from its 2020-21 level of 397. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 13.7:1 to 15.7:1.
Threads on this page can be about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Valencia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
78,458
Census ACS
Median income
$58,933
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
27
11,956 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in BELEN
- BELEN HIGHHigh · 958 students
- BELEN MIDDLEMiddle · 475 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 294 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Other schools in BELEN
- BELEN HIGHHigh · 958 students
- BELEN MIDDLEMiddle · 475 students
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYElementary · 332 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 294 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Nearby schools
- BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL1.8 mi · 154
- RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY1.9 mi · 332
- BELEN INFINITY HIGH2.7 mi · 112
- BELEN MIDDLE2.7 mi · 475
- CENTRAL ELEMENTARY2.7 mi · 166
- BELEN HIGH3.7 mi · 958
Frequently asked questions
About LA MERCED ELEMENTARYHow many students attend LA MERCED ELEMENTARY?
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 463 students in grades PK-06.
Is LA MERCED ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
How many students per teacher at LA MERCED ELEMENTARY?
Approximately 15.7:1 students per teacher at LA MERCED ELEMENTARY.
What is the student diversity at LA MERCED ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at LA MERCED ELEMENTARY are roughly 19% White, 79% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Two or more.
Who oversees LA MERCED ELEMENTARY?
LA MERCED ELEMENTARY is overseen by BELEN in Valencia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.