Enrollment
229
Elementary
DISTRICT 229 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CENTRAL·NCES 350039000181
MESA ELEMENTARY
N HWY 491 MESA SCHOOL RD, SHIPROCK, NM 87420 · (505) 368-4529 · San Juan County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL229 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.5:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
229 students
DISTRICT 98% · STATE 90%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
21.2%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
13.5%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 21 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 14 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
21.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-12.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 21% 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 →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
229
-73 (-24%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
was 14.4:1
% White
1%
was 1%
% Hispanic
3%
was 2%
% Black
0%
was 0%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About MESA ELEMENTARY
MESA ELEMENTARY operates as a low-enrollment elementary-level community in SHIPROCK, New Mexico, overseen by CENTRAL. Current enrollment sits at 229 students spanning grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 20% leaner than the state mean of about 287.
Within CENTRAL, which oversees 16 schools and 4,539 students, MESA ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.
Looking at the student body, MESA ELEMENTARY reports that 94% of students identify as Native American, making the school strongly Native American-majority. Beyond that, the school logs 3% Hispanic.
On the resource side, MESA ELEMENTARY shows 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.9:1, putting MESA ELEMENTARY tighter than the state norm the norm. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.
With demographic context factored in, MESA ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 21.3%.
In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (San Juan County) logs that median household income runs about $55,872, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. MESA ELEMENTARY is one of 62 public schools in San Juan County (combined enrollment of about 21,309 students).
Nearest neighbor: Shiprock Northwest High School, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around MESA ELEMENTARY. On composite proficiency, MESA ELEMENTARY comes 2nd of 4 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 20.7%.
The campus sits in an outlying setting.
Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 24%: 302 students in 2018 compared to 229 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 14.4:1 in 2018 to 11.2:1 today.
On the community side, members of the MESA ELEMENTARY community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.
San Juan County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
120,942
Census ACS
Median income
$55,872
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
18%
Below federal line
Schools in county
62
21,309 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in CENTRAL
- KIRTLAND CENTRAL HIGHHigh · 743 students
- SHIPROCK HIGHHigh · 502 students
- JUDY NELSON ELEMENTARYElementary · 486 students
- TSE BIT AI MIDDLEMiddle · 390 students
- KIRTLAND ELEMENTARYElementary · 388 students
- KIRTLAND MIDDLEMiddle · 372 students
Other schools in SHIPROCK
- SHIPROCK HIGHHigh · 502 students
- TSE BIT AI MIDDLEMiddle · 390 students
- NIZHONI ELEMENTARYElementary · 207 students
- EVA B STOKELY ELEMENTARYElementary · 203 students
- Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community SchoolElementary · 200 students
- Shiprock Northwest High SchoolHigh · 151 students
Nearby schools
- Shiprock Northwest High School0.7 mi · 151
- Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community School0.8 mi · 200
- DREAM DINE CHARTER SCHOOL1.0 mi · 24
- SHIPROCK HIGH2.1 mi · 502
- EVA B STOKELY ELEMENTARY2.3 mi · 203
- CAREER PREP ALTERNATIVE2.4 mi · 118
Frequently asked questions
About MESA ELEMENTARYHow large is MESA ELEMENTARY?
MESA ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 229 students in grades PK-05.
Is MESA ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
MESA ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does MESA ELEMENTARY have?
MESA ELEMENTARY employs 21 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.2:1.
What is the student diversity at MESA ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at MESA ELEMENTARY are roughly 1% White, 3% Hispanic, 2% Two or more.
Is MESA ELEMENTARY public or private?
MESA ELEMENTARY is a public K-12 school, overseen by CENTRAL.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.