Can I use Catron County's school score to choose a house?

No. Use the Catron County school score as a first-pass county screen, then verify the exact district, attendance boundary, transfer rules, and grade pathway for any address you are considering.

Does SchoolsByCounty confirm school attendance boundaries in Catron County?

No. SchoolsByCounty publishes NCES and Census-backed public-school records. Attendance zones, magnet eligibility, charter lotteries, transportation, and transfer rules must be confirmed with local districts.

How should parents compare public schools in Catron County?

Start with the 5 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Catron County Schools & Education

Name: Catron County, New Mexico Education Data
Creator: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Catron County, New Mexico

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

School Score

51/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

75.0%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

75.0%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 79.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$13,747

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,957

School Score

51/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 33/100

State Score Position

of 33 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Catron County

Measured School Summary

Catron County has midrange measured school signals (score: 51/100) with a graduation rate of 75.0%, which warrants review in official state and district records.

Funding Context

With $13,747 per pupil, Catron County has adequate funding that generally covers core educational needs and some supplemental services.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 55% above the New Mexico average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 4.0 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 73% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Catron County before comparing districts

County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.

Local context that changes the interpretation

5 public schools and 2 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.

Overall screen

51/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #5 of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data.

Completion

75.0%

4.0 pts below the state average

Funding context

$13,747

$5,790 above the state average

School coverage

2 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

This county needs a closer look at district mix, school level, and local context. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Catron County has 5 public schools across 2 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.

Verify local rules

Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.

View Public Schools Compare Counties

Parent decision brief

What Catron County school data means before you move

County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.

Small-system county

Catron County has a compact public-school footprint. A single school change, boundary rule, or district update can move the lived experience more than the county score suggests.

State position

of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data. The county score is 18 points above the state average.

Data confidence

Usable

3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.

K-12 continuity check

These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

168 students

Elementary 2Middle 0High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

105 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS is the largest listed district slice, with 3 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.

What the data cannot tell you

NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.

Questions to ask before choosing an address

Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Catron County?

Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Catron County district systems?

Where do students transition after the visible grade band, and is that next school inside the same district path?

If we need a program not visible in the NCES flags, which district office can confirm current offerings?

Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?

Education Overview

About Schools in Catron County, New Mexico

This context is screened for neutral school-data wording and should be read alongside the current metrics on this page. It is not school advice.

Small-Scale Education in a Rural Setting

Catron County operates a lean educational network of just 5 schools, consisting of three elementary and two high schools. This specialized system serves a total of 273 students across two local districts.

Two Districts Serve the Local Community

Quemado Independent Schools is the largest district, managing three schools and 168 students. The county focuses entirely on traditional public education with no charter schools currently in operation.

An Intimate Rural Learning Environment

All five schools are classified as rural, creating an average school size of just 55 students. Quemado Elementary is the largest campus with 86 students, while Datil Elementary serves just 11.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Catron County

Reported Enrollment

273

5 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary3

Middle0

High2

Other0

2 School Districts in Catron County

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

3 schools

168 students

RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2 schools

105 students

5 Public Schools in Catron County

Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Search schools

Level

Sort

Showing 5 of 5 matching schools

Public schools in Catron County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
QUEMADO ELEMENTARY	Record	QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUEMADO, 87829Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	86
QUEMADO HIGH	Record	QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUEMADO, 87829Rural: Remote	7–12	High	71
RESERVE ELEMENTARY	Record	RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	RESERVE, 87830Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	60
RESERVE HIGH	Record	RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	RESERVE, 87830Rural: Remote	7–12	High	45
DATIL ELEMENTARY	Record	QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	DATIL, 87821Rural: Remote	KG–6	Primary	11

QUEMADO ELEMENTARY

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUEMADO, 87829 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary86 students

QUEMADO HIGH

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUEMADO, 87829 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High71 students

RESERVE ELEMENTARY

RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

RESERVE, 87830 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary60 students

RESERVE HIGH

RESERVE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

RESERVE, 87830 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High45 students

DATIL ELEMENTARY

QUEMADO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

DATIL, 87821 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–6Primary11 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$13,747

State avg $7,957

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Catron County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.

Open Compare

Browse Public Schools

See school-level enrollment, grade ranges, school type, and district affiliation.

View Schools

Frequently Asked Questions

Which New Mexico counties have the highest graduation rates?

Los Alamos County (93.0%), De Baca County (90.0%), and Mora County (90.0%) currently lead New Mexico among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in New Mexico?

Across New Mexico counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,957. The highest current county values are Catron County ($13,747), Harding County ($13,463), and Guadalupe County ($10,823). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

How should I read the school score in Catron County?

Catron County has a school score of 51/100, which is a midrange measured signal in this county-level index. This score is calculated from available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data, with school-level records shown separately below.

What is the graduation rate in Catron County?

The high school graduation rate in Catron County is 75.0%, which is below the national average of 87.5%. This figure is based on NCES district-level data for public high schools in the county.

How much does Catron County spend per student?

Catron County spends $13,747 per pupil annually on public education, based on NCES district finance data. Current operating spending per fall enrollment, including instruction, support services, administration, transportation, and operations. It excludes capital outlays and debt service in the SchoolsByCounty methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Catron County, New Mexico — FAQ

What does the school system look like in Catron County, New Mexico?

What are the major school districts in Catron County, New Mexico?

What is the school experience like in Catron County?

All five schools are classified as rural, creating an average school size of just 55 students. Quemado Elementary is the largest campus with 86 students, while Datil Elementary serves just 11.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Harding County

New Mexico

-0 pts

51/100

School score

Guadalupe County

New Mexico

+2 pts

54/100

School score

Sierra County

New Mexico

-4 pts

48/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated May 13, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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