Enrollment
127
Elementary
DISTRICT 92 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PENASCO·NCES 350204000480
PENASCO ELEMENTARY
13 SCHOOL RD, PENASCO, NM 87553 · (575) 587-2230 · Taos County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL127 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 62% of New Mexico public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded New Mexico public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
7 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.4:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
127 students
DISTRICT 100% · 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, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 15 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 17 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 13 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 24 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 15 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 28 | 22% |
This year's kindergarten class (17) is 39% smaller than its 5th grade class (28).
Student demographics
23%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 26% · 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
Based on grade levels within PENASCO. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
45.2%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
17.7%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 18 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
38.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+4.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 38% 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 →
Schools most like PENASCO ELEMENTARY
PENASCO ELEMENTARY's state test result (38.2% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| PENASCO ELEMENTARY this school | 127 | 100.0% | 38.2% |
| TONY SERNA JR. ELEMENTARY LAS VEGAS | 115 | 100.0% | 18.1% |
| HURLEY ELEMENTARY HURLEY | 114 | 100.0% | 58.3% |
| MORA ELEMENTARY MORA | 151 | 100.0% | 26.4% |
| CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SANTA CLARA | 133 | 100.0% | N/A |
| BAYARD ELEMENTARY BAYARD | 156 | 100.0% | 46.1% |
Matched among New Mexico elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where PENASCO ELEMENTARY ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Taos County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 38.2% | #116 of 329 | #4 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 17.7% | #255 of 354 | #5 of 7 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.2% | #147 of 366 | #4 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 127 | #392 of 490 | #7 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #164 of 393 | #2 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -36.8% | #56 of 287 | N/A |
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. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
127
-43 (-25%) vs 2020
-70% since 1990-91, when it was 421
Student : Teacher
17.9:1
was 12.1:1
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 | 127 | 7.1 | 17.9:1 | 100% (127) |
| 2023-24 | 133 | 5.1 | 26.0:1 | 89% (119) |
| 2022-23 | 136 | 3.9 | 35.1:1 | 100% (136) |
| 2020-21 | 170 | 14 | 12.1:1 | 100% (170) |
| 2017-18 | 201 | 16.1 | 12.5:1 | 99% (198) |
| 2015-16 | 190 | 13 | 14.6:1 | 98% (187) |
| 2010-11 | 237 | 18 | 13.2:1 | 54% (128) |
| 2000-01 | 381 | 23 | 16.6:1 | 77% (293) |
| 1990-91 | 421 | 23 | 18.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for PENASCO ELEMENTARY.
Since 2017-18: students down 37% (201 to 127); teachers down 56% (16.1 to 7.1).
About PENASCO ELEMENTARY
At 13 SCHOOL RD in PENASCO, New Mexico, PENASCO ELEMENTARY operates as a small elementary school. The school teaches pre-K through 5 and enrolls 127 students. That puts enrollment 56% below the 287-student average for elementary schools in New Mexico.
PENASCO ELEMENTARY reports to PENASCO, which has 3 schools and 276 students.
Hispanic students account for 87% of the school's enrollment. Beyond that, enrollment is 6% Native American and 5% White. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 51%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 23, compared with 70 nationally.
PENASCO ELEMENTARY has 7.1 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.9:1. The school's 17.9:1 compares with an average of 12.9:1 for elementary schools in New Mexico. The school has 100% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The gap from the 89% average for public schools in Taos County is 11 points.
PENASCO ELEMENTARY holds a B allk12 Grade, placing it above 62% of New Mexico public elementary schools.
After adjusting for student poverty, PENASCO ELEMENTARY lands between the top and bottom 10% of New Mexico schools. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 38.2%; the prediction is 33.4%.
American Community Survey estimates for Taos County show that median household income comes to about $58,950, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 39% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 12%. The county's public schools total 23, with about 3,727 students.
A public school about 0.1 miles away, PENASCO HIGH, is the closest to PENASCO ELEMENTARY. In all, 2 other public schools sit within five miles of PENASCO ELEMENTARY. Of 5 schools in the immediate area with test results, PENASCO ELEMENTARY ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
Under the NCES locale system, PENASCO ELEMENTARY is Rural: Remote.
Over 4 years, enrollment decreased by 43 students, from 170 to 127. Federal data show the ratio rising from 12.1:1 to 17.9:1.
The allk12 page for PENASCO ELEMENTARY lets the school community talk about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Taos County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
34,543
Census ACS
Median income
$58,950
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
12%
Below federal line
Schools in county
23
3,727 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PENASCO
- PENASCO HIGHHigh · 75 students
- PENASCO MIDDLEMiddle · 74 students
Other schools in PENASCO
- PENASCO HIGHHigh · 75 students
- PENASCO MIDDLEMiddle · 74 students
Other Penasco Elementary schools
One other US public school is named Penasco Elementary. PENASCO ELEMENTARY is the largest of the 2.
- PENASCO ELEMENTARYHOPE, NM · 19 students
Nearby schools
- PENASCO HIGH0.1 mi · 75
- PENASCO MIDDLE0.1 mi · 74
- DIXON ELEMENTARY11.3 mi · 50
- RANCHOS DE TAOS ELEMENTARY13.4 mi · 225
- TAOS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL14.4 mi · 179
- VISTA GRANDE HIGH SCHOOL15.2 mi · 69
Frequently asked questions
About PENASCO ELEMENTARYHow large is PENASCO ELEMENTARY?
PENASCO ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 127 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does PENASCO ELEMENTARY serve?
PENASCO ELEMENTARY serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does PENASCO ELEMENTARY have?
PENASCO ELEMENTARY employs 7 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.9:1.
What is the student diversity at PENASCO ELEMENTARY?
Student demographics at PENASCO ELEMENTARY are roughly 5% White, 87% Hispanic, 2% Two or more.
What district is PENASCO ELEMENTARY in?
PENASCO ELEMENTARY is part of PENASCO.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.