schoolsbycounty

State district guide

New Mexico public school districts

Compare district systems across New Mexico by enrollment scale, school count, county context, generated guide coverage, and the parent checks that matter before choosing where to live.

View county rankingsFind a school

Direct answer for parents

What this district ranking can and cannot tell you

If you are searching for the best school districts in New Mexico, start with the largest and most data-rich district systems below, then verify the specific school assigned to each address. SchoolsByCounty orders districts by reported enrollment and school count because those fields are consistent in NCES. It does not convert district size into a quality rating.

Start with scale

ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

79,805 reported students

Check county context

De Baca County

69/100 county score

Verify locally

Address fit

Attendance boundaries and transfers are not in NCES

District table

Largest public school districts in New Mexico

The first 60 rows show the largest district systems by reported enrollment. Open district guides where available, or use the county profile when a detailed district page is not generated yet.

150 districts in state file

New Mexico public school districts ranked by reported enrollment.
RankDistrictStudents
1
ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500060

Bernalillo County176 schools
79,805
2
LAS CRUCES PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501500

Doña Ana County40 schools
23,075
3
RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500010

Sandoval County21 schools
17,272
4
GADSDEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501080

Doña Ana County28 schools
12,551
5
SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502370

Santa Fe County30 schools
11,769
6
GALLUP-MCKINLEY CTY SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501110

McKinley County33 schools
11,709
7
FARMINGTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500990

San Juan County20 schools
11,201
8
HOBBS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501260

Lea County18 schools
9,990
9
ROSWELL INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502250

Chaves County22 schools
9,701
10
LOS LUNAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501680

Valencia County16 schools
8,234
11
CLOVIS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500570

Curry County18 schools
7,664
12
CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500300

Eddy County14 schools
7,102
13
ALAMOGORDO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500030

Otero County15 schools
5,575
14
DEMING PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500690

Luna County13 schools
5,366
15
CENTRAL CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500390

San Juan County17 schools
5,037
16
LOS ALAMOS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501650

Los Alamos County8 schools
3,724
17
ARTESIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500120

Eddy County10 schools
3,722
18
BELEN CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500180

Valencia County10 schools
3,602
19
LOVINGTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501740

Lea County10 schools
3,382
20
GRANTS-CIBOLA COUNTY SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501170

Cibola County12 schools
3,211
21
ESPANOLA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500900

Rio Arriba County13 schools
2,954
22
BERNALILLO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500210

Sandoval County11 schools
2,786
23
PORTALES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502100

Roosevelt County6 schools
2,610
24
BLOOMFIELD SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500240

San Juan County7 schools
2,584
25
AZTEC MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500150

San Juan County7 schools
2,562
26
MORIARTY-EDGEWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT

LEA ID 3501890

Torrance County7 schools
2,331
27
SILVER CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502430

Grant County9 schools
2,273
28
TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502520

Taos County9 schools
2,267
29
MISSION ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS

LEA ID 3500148

Bernalillo County2 schools
2,105
30
RUIDOSO MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502310

Lincoln County4 schools
1,820
31
POJOAQUE VALLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502070

Santa Fe County5 schools
1,630
32
WEST LAS VEGAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501560

San Miguel County10 schools
1,555
33
SOCORRO CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502460

Socorro County6 schools
1,438
34
NEW MEXICO CONNECTIONS ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500160

Santa Fe County1 school
1,401
35
T OR C MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502610

Sierra County5 schools
1,287
36
EXPLORE ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500167

Bernalillo County1 school
1,204
37
LAS VEGAS CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501530

San Miguel County6 schools
1,202
38
HATCH VALLEY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501230

Doña Ana County5 schools
1,166
39
ZUNI PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502800

McKinley County4 schools
1,095
40
COBRE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500600

Grant County6 schools
1,023
41
ABQ SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

LEA ID 3500122

Bernalillo County1 school
910
42
TUCUMCARI PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502640

Quay County3 schools
907
43
TULAROSA MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502670

Otero County4 schools
890
44
RATON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502190

Colfax County3 schools
844
45
DEXTER CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500750

Chaves County3 schools
812
46
CUBA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500660

Sandoval County3 schools
746
47
EUNICE MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500960

Lea County3 schools
726
48
TURQUOISE TRAIL CHARTER SCHOOL

LEA ID 3500171

Santa Fe County1 school
677
49
LOVING MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501710

Eddy County3 schools
647
50
ESTANCIA VALLEY CLASSICAL ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500152

Santa Fe County1 school
626
51
THE ASK ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500126

Sandoval County1 school
625
52
HOZHO ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500179

McKinley County1 school
616
53
SCHOOL OF DREAMS ACADEMY

LEA ID 3500112

Valencia County1 school
606
54
SANTA ROSA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502400

Guadalupe County5 schools
603
55
TEXICO MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502580

Curry County3 schools
551
56
MCCURDY CHARTER SCHOOL

LEA ID 3500153

Santa Fe County1 school
540
57
ESTANCIA MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500930

Torrance County4 schools
539
58
JAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3501350

Lea County3 schools
527
59
DULCE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3500810

Rio Arriba County3 schools
521
60
PECOS INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

LEA ID 3502010

San Miguel County3 schools
511

— = enrollment not reported in the district record. District rows are informational and must be paired with local assignment tools before a housing decision.

Methodology

How to use district rankings without overreading them

District-level data is useful because it shows the operating system around a public school search: how many schools exist, which county record anchors the district, how much enrollment is reported, and whether a detailed district guide is available. It is not enough to decide where a student should enroll.

Ranking basis

Rows are ordered by reported enrollment, then school count. The method favors broad, data-rich systems because those are the districts parents most often need to research before relocation.

County context

Each district is attached to a primary county record when available. County school scores are context signals, not district ratings, and nearby counties can still matter for commute and housing decisions.

Grade pathway

Elementary, middle, and high school counts help parents spot whether a district looks like a full K-12 pathway or a narrower operating unit. Feeder patterns still require local verification.

Address verification

The final decision happens at the address level. Confirm attendance zones, open-enrollment rules, magnet admissions, charter lotteries, and transfer windows with official district sources.

County context

Districts anchored in higher-scoring county contexts

These rows pair district records with the county-level SchoolsByCounty score. Treat this as a shortlist for deeper research, not a district quality ranking.

FORT SUMNER MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

De Baca County

69

Students
273
Schools
3

LOS ALAMOS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Los Alamos County

67

Students
3,724
Schools
8
Open district guide

MORA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Mora County

65

Students
433
Schools
4

WAGON MOUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Mora County

65

Students
83
Schools
2

SANTA ROSA CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS

Guadalupe County

54

Students
603
Schools
5

VAUGHN MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

Guadalupe County

54

Students
46
Schools
2

Parent checklist before relying on a district ranking

Use this page to narrow the field, then answer these local questions before treating any district as a fit for a specific home.

Which school does this address actually feed into?

Use the district address lookup and confirm edge cases near attendance-zone borders.

What happens at transition grades?

A strong elementary fit can split into several middle or high school paths.

Are choice programs realistic for this student?

Magnet, charter, virtual, and transfer options can involve lotteries, applications, or deadlines.

Is the county context aligned with housing tradeoffs?

Pair school research with taxes, commute, home prices, and safety before choosing where to live.

Frequently Asked Questions About New Mexico School Districts

What are the best school districts in New Mexico?
ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LAS CRUCES PUBLIC SCHOOLS, RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS are the largest New Mexico district systems by reported enrollment in the NCES file. SchoolsByCounty does not call them the best districts; use this page to find data-rich district systems, then verify assigned schools, program rules, and local fit.
How are New Mexico districts ranked here?
Districts are ordered by reported student enrollment, then school count, using NCES public school district records. This is a research-priority ranking, not a quality rating.
Why do only 19 New Mexico districts have district guide links?
SchoolsByCounty statically generates detailed district guides for the largest district systems nationally so the pages stay fast and substantive. Districts without guide links remain represented through county and state context pages.
Do these district pages show attendance boundaries?
No. Attendance zones, transfer rules, magnet eligibility, charter admission, transportation, and program availability must be verified with official district or local assignment tools before choosing a home.
Does a large district mean better schools?
No. Larger districts usually have more school options and more public data, but enrollment size is not a school-quality measure. Compare school-level records and official local sources before treating a district as a fit.
How many districts are included for New Mexico?
This page includes 150 New Mexico public school districts from the current NCES district file, alongside county context and generated district-guide availability where available.
By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished

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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