Enrollment
332
Elementary
DISTRICT 298 · STATE 287
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BELEN·NCES 350018000146
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY
15 EASTSIDE SCHOOL RD, BELEN, NM 87002 · (505) 966-2200 · Valencia County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL332 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 12.9:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
332 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
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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
RIO GRANDE 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
54.9%
NM avg 44.2%
Math
32.4%
NM avg 27.2%
What this means: On the NM-MSSA + NM-ASR, New Mexico's statewide test, about 55 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 32 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
43.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
33.4%
based on NM schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% 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
332
+19 (+6%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
11.7:1
was 14.6:1
% White
11%
was 23%
% Hispanic
85%
was 75%
% Black
1%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY operates as a reasonably sized elementary school in BELEN, New Mexico, operated by BELEN. Current enrollment sits at 332 students spanning grades pre-K through 6.
Within BELEN, which oversees 10 schools and 3,500 students, RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.
On the student-mix side, RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY reports that nearly all students (85%) are Hispanic; the rest reads as 11% White, 2% Native American. The wider county runs roughly 61% Hispanic, putting the school's mix visibly more Hispanic than the area baseline.
On the resource side, The school lists 29 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.7:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. About 100% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.
After controlling for student poverty, RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.4% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 43.6%.
Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Valencia County) logs that median household earnings sit near $58,933, roughly 21% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Valencia County's 27 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,956 students), RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.
Nearest neighbor: BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY at 2nd of 6; the average score across the group is 34.3%.
The school occupies a suburban site.
Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY has increased 6%, going from 313 students in 2018 to 332 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 23% to 11%. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.6:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 today.
Within the allk12 community for this school, the feed for RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY typically covers open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 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
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARYElementary · 463 students
- GIL SANCHEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 316 students
- DENNIS CHAVEZ ELEMENTARYElementary · 294 students
- LA PROMESA ELEMENTARYElementary · 230 students
Nearby schools
- BELEN FAMILY SCHOOL0.1 mi · 154
- BELEN INFINITY HIGH0.9 mi · 112
- BELEN MIDDLE0.9 mi · 475
- CENTRAL ELEMENTARY1.2 mi · 166
- LA MERCED ELEMENTARY1.9 mi · 463
- BELEN HIGH2.0 mi · 958
Frequently asked questions
About RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARYHow many students attend RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY?
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 332 students in grades PK-06.
What grades does RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY serve?
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY serves grades PK-06.
How many teachers does RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY have?
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY employs 29 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.7:1.
How diverse is RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY?
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 11% White, 85% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY?
RIO GRANDE ELEMENTARY is overseen by BELEN in Valencia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.