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What do you wish you knew before starting at PICACHO MIDDLE?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
698
Middle
DISTRICT 606 · STATE 335
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LAS CRUCES·NCES 350150000669
PICACHO MIDDLE
1040 NORTH MOTEL BLVD, LAS CRUCES, NM 88001 · (575) 527-9455 · Doña Ana County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL698 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of New Mexico public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
61 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 11.9:1 · STATE 12.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
698 students
DISTRICT 100% · STATE 90%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 227 | 33% |
| Grade 7 | 225 | 32% |
| Grade 8 | 246 | 35% |
Student demographics
29%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
Test scores
NM-MSSA + NM-ASR 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
40.5%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
14.7%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 41 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 15 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
27.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 27% 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 PICACHO MIDDLE
PICACHO MIDDLE's state test result (27.2% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| PICACHO MIDDLE this school | 698 | 100.0% | 27.2% |
| VISTA MIDDLE LAS CRUCES | 574 | 100.0% | 33.6% |
| LOS LUNAS MIDDLE LOS LUNAS | 719 | 99.9% | 34.4% |
| SIERRA MIDDLE LAS CRUCES | 698 | 99.7% | 36.3% |
| BELEN MIDDLE BELEN | 475 | 99.8% | 26.4% |
| TAYLOR MIDDLE LOVINGTON | 442 | 100.0% | 32.0% |
Matched among New Mexico middle 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 PICACHO MIDDLE ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In New Mexico | In Doña Ana County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 27.2% | #66 of 113 | #10 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 14.7% | #77 of 120 | #9 of 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 40.5% | #59 of 122 | #8 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 698 | #17 of 160 | #4 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.4:1 | #35 of 101 | #6 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 29.5% | #76 of 103 | #6 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #27 of 116 | #5 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.8% | #75 of 89 | #9 of 9 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
698
-104 (-13%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 959
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
was 18.6:1
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 | 698 | 61 | 11.4:1 | 100% (698) |
| 2023-24 | 684 | 44 | 15.6:1 | 100% (681) |
| 2022-23 | 727 | 45 | 16.2:1 | 100% (727) |
| 2020-21 | 802 | 43 | 18.6:1 | 100% (802) |
| 2017-18 | 765 | 44.4 | 17.2:1 | 100% (765) |
| 2015-16 | 740 | 49 | 15.1:1 | 57% (424) |
| 2010-11 | 836 | 52 | 16.1:1 | 69% (581) |
| 2000-01 | 1,020 | 64 | 15.9:1 | 58% (595) |
| 1990-91 | 959 | 54 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for PICACHO MIDDLE.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (765 to 698); teachers up 37% (44.4 to 61).
About PICACHO MIDDLE
PICACHO MIDDLE is a large middle-grades school located in LAS CRUCES, New Mexico. The school enrolls 698 students, from grades 6 through 8. An average school in this group (middle schools in New Mexico) has about 335 students.
PICACHO MIDDLE belongs to LAS CRUCES, a district of 39 schools and 22,670 students.
The student body at PICACHO MIDDLE is 83% Hispanic. The rest of enrollment is 15% White. Among all residents of Doña Ana County, the Hispanic share is about 68%. PICACHO MIDDLE's diversity index is 29%, against a US figure of 70%.
PICACHO MIDDLE counts 61 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 11.4 students for each one. On average, middle schools in New Mexico have 12.5:1, compared with 11.4:1 here. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. For comparison, public schools in Doña Ana County average 98%.
PICACHO MIDDLE is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 36% of New Mexico public middle schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
The school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 27.2%. For its free or reduced-price lunch share, the predicted value is 33.4%.
Federal survey data for Doña Ana County show that the median household income is $56,848, about 32% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 19% of residents are in poverty. Doña Ana County is home to 81 public schools and about 36,561 public school students.
MAYFIELD HIGH is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles away. The five-mile area around PICACHO MIDDLE holds at least 8 other public schools. PICACHO MIDDLE's average proficiency of 27.2% compares with 32.3% for its nearest scored neighbors.
Federal records code the school's setting as City: Mid-size.
The school enrolled 698 students in 2024-25, 104 fewer than the 802 it had in 2020-21. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (11.4:1) than in 2020-21 (18.6:1).
The PICACHO MIDDLE community page is open for posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Doña Ana County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
224,266
Census ACS
Median income
$56,848
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
32%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
19%
Below federal line
Schools in county
81
36,561 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in LAS CRUCES
- ORGAN MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,128 students
- CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,713 students
- LAS CRUCES HIGHHigh · 1,703 students
- MAYFIELD HIGHHigh · 1,327 students
- CAMINO REAL MIDDLEMiddle · 933 students
- MESA MIDDLEMiddle · 728 students
Other schools in LAS CRUCES
- ORGAN MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 2,128 students
- CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 1,713 students
- LAS CRUCES HIGHHigh · 1,703 students
- MAYFIELD HIGHHigh · 1,327 students
- CAMINO REAL MIDDLEMiddle · 933 students
- MESA MIDDLEMiddle · 728 students
Nearby schools
- MAYFIELD HIGH0.9 mi · 1,327
- RAICES DEL SABER XINACHTLI COMMUNITY1.1 mi · 122
- MAC ARTHUR ELEMENTARY1.2 mi · 335
- ALAMEDA ELEMENTARY1.7 mi · 331
- J PAUL TAYLOR ACADEMY1.7 mi · 200
- ALMA D'ARTE CHARTER1.8 mi · 63
Frequently asked questions
About PICACHO MIDDLEWhat is the total enrollment at PICACHO MIDDLE?
PICACHO MIDDLE enrolls approximately 698 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does PICACHO MIDDLE serve?
PICACHO MIDDLE serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at PICACHO MIDDLE?
The student-to-teacher ratio at PICACHO MIDDLE is approximately 11.4:1 (61 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at PICACHO MIDDLE?
At PICACHO MIDDLE, the student body is approximately 15% White, 83% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is PICACHO MIDDLE in?
PICACHO MIDDLE is part of LAS CRUCES.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.