SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY

Set in MORIARTY, New Mexico, SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY is a mid-sized elementary-level community, part of MORIARTY-EDGEWOOD. It works with 303 students across grades K through 5.

Within MORIARTY-EDGEWOOD, which oversees 7 schools and 2,361 students, SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.

Demographically, SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY shows that the most-represented group is Hispanic (51%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school logs 45% White, 4% multiracial. Compared to Santa Fe County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. Roughly 100% of students at SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Santa Fe County (around 84%), the school's rate is north of typical.

With demographic context factored in, SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY sits in the top 10% of New Mexico schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 33.5%; actual is 59.6%, +26.1 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, Santa Fe County reports that median household income runs about $79,071, roughly 46% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. In all, Santa Fe County runs 53 public schools (combined enrollment of about 20,719 students), of which SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY is one.

The closest other public school is EDGEWOOD MIDDLE, roughly 3.3 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. On composite proficiency, SOUTH MOUNTAIN ELEMENTARY comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 50.8%.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 3%: 312 students in 2018 compared to 303 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 62% to 45% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 18.5:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.