WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY

As a mid-tier K-5 school in LAS CRUCES, New Mexico, WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY educates 270 students from grades pre-K through 8, part of LAS CRUCES.

LAS CRUCES runs 39 schools in total, collectively educating 22,670 students. WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY is one of those campuses.

Demographically, WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY reports that 42% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest looks like 41% White, 11% multiracial, 3% Black. By comparison, Doñan Ana County as a whole is about 68% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably less Hispanic than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY shows 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 10.6:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 12.9:1 average. An estimated 100% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY is in the OUTPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations model, which fits a per-state line through proficiency and FRL share. Schools with this campus's poverty mix typically land near 33.4%; this one delivers 62.5%, a residual of +29.1 points.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Doñan Ana County indicate median household income runs about $56,848, roughly 32% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 19%. Across Doñan Ana County's 81 public schools (combined enrollment of about 36,561 students), WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

SUNRISE ELEMENTARY is the nearest neighboring public school, about 11.1 miles from this campus. On composite proficiency, WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY comes 1st of 6 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 38.2%.

WHITE SANDS ELEMENTARY operates from a rural location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 9%: 298 students in 2018 compared to 270 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 52% to 41% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 10.6:1 today.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.