TATUM ELEMENTARY

Located at 115 WEST 3RD ST, in TATUM, New Mexico, TATUM ELEMENTARY is an intimate elementary school that hosts 128 students (grades pre-K through 6), overseen by TATUM. Enrollment runs roughly 55% leaner than the state mean of about 287.

Within TATUM, which oversees 3 schools and 310 students, TATUM ELEMENTARY is one campus in the system.

On the student-mix side, TATUM ELEMENTARY records that the largest single group is White, at 57% of enrollment. The remainder comes out to 41% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 43% White, putting the school's mix visibly more White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, TATUM ELEMENTARY shows 9 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.2:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. An estimated 51% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Lea County (around 73%), the school's rate is meaningfully below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, TATUM ELEMENTARY performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 45.2%, the actual is 55.0%, a residual of +9.8 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Lea County put the typical household earns roughly $68,015 per year, about 16% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. TATUM ELEMENTARY is one of 38 public schools in Lea County (combined enrollment of about 15,126 students).

Nearest neighbor: TATUM JR HIGH, around 0.1 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around TATUM ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts TATUM ELEMENTARY at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 34.3%.

TATUM ELEMENTARY operates from a rural location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 28%: 179 students in 2018 compared to 128 in 2025. Hispanic enrollment moved from 48% to 41% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.5:1 in 2018 to 14.2:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.