TAFT MIDDLE

TAFT MIDDLE operates as a close-knit junior high in ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, run under ALBUQUERQUE. Current enrollment sits at 243 students spanning grades 6 through 8. That puts it 27% smaller than the typical public school in New Mexico, which averages around 335 students.

Across the 171 schools in ALBUQUERQUE (74,041 students total), TAFT MIDDLE accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, TAFT MIDDLE records that the student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic (88%). The remainder looks like 5% White, 2% Native American. By comparison, Bernalillo County as a whole is about 49% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, TAFT MIDDLE has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.7:1. The state averages around 12.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 100% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably above Bernalillo County's rate of about 90%.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), TAFT MIDDLE performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 33.5%, the actual is 23.2%, a residual of -10.3 points.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Bernalillo County put median household income runs about $69,473, 38% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Bernalillo County runs 211 public schools (combined enrollment of about 85,724 students), of which TAFT MIDDLE is one.

The closest other public school is ALVARADO ELEMENTARY, roughly 0.7 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around TAFT MIDDLE. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), TAFT MIDDLE ranks 8th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 39.3%.

The campus sits in a commuter-belt setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at TAFT MIDDLE has fell 36%, going from 378 students in 2018 to 243 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 12% to 5%.

On allk12, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.