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

No. Use the Taos 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 Taos 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 Taos County?

Start with the 21 listed public schools and 8 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Taos County Schools & Education

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

Taos County, New Mexico

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

School Score

30/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Lower Signal

Graduation Rate

75.1%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

75.1%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 79.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$7,571

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,957

School Score

30/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 33/100

State Score Position

#16

of 33 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Taos County

Measured School Summary

Taos County faces educational challenges with a school score of 30/100 and a graduation rate of 75.1%, falling below typical benchmarks.

Funding Context

At $7,571 per pupil, Taos County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 10% below the New Mexico average, and its graduation rate trails the state average by 3.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 5% lower than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Taos 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

21 public schools and 8 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

30/100

Lower measured signal. Ranks #16 of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data.

Completion

75.1%

3.9 pts below the state average

Funding context

$7,571

$386 below the state average

School coverage

8 districts represented in the county school list.

Start with measured county context

The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.

Check the local school mix

Taos County has 21 public schools across 8 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 Taos 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.

Choice-program county

Taos County has a visible charter, magnet, or virtual-school layer in NCES records. The practical question is eligibility, lottery timing, and transportation, not just whether a school appears nearby.

State position

#16

of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data. The county score is 3 points below 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.

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

2,267 students

Elementary 5Middle 1High 3Other 0

9 listed schools in this county slice.

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

326 students

Elementary 1Middle 2High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

284 students

Elementary 1Middle 1High 1Other 0

3 listed schools in this county slice.

TAOS ACADEMY

High school only in this slice

274 students

Elementary 0Middle 0High 1Other 0

1 listed school in this county slice.

District reality check

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS is the largest listed district slice, with 9 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 Taos County?

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

What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?

Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?

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

Data Story

Charter schools represent one-third of Taos County facilities

Education data brief for Taos County, New Mexico.

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorPublished Jul 7, 2026Reviewed by Evan Brooks, Data Editor

Lead metric:District structure

Taos County is notable for its high concentration of charter institutions, which make up 33.3% of the 21 public schools in the county. This ratio is significantly higher than state and national norms. The largest district is Taos Municipal Schools, enrolling 2,267 students, though the county as a whole supports eight different school districts. The county’s graduation rate is 75.1%, which is lower than the New Mexico state average of 79.0% and the national average of 87.0%. Per-pupil expenditure is recorded at $7,571, compared to the state average of $7,957 and the national average of $13,000. The county’s composite school score is 29.7, trailing the state average of 33.4. Most schools in the county are classified as rural or town locales, with an average school size of 184 students. This profile provides data for further local research. See the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.

Sources

NCES Common Core of Data
U.S. Census Bureau ACS

School Overview

Total Schools

in Taos County

Reported Enrollment

3,674

21 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

33% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary11

Middle4

High6

Other0

8 School Districts in Taos County

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

9 schools

2,267 students

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

4 schools

326 students

PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

3 schools

284 students

TAOS ACADEMY

1 school

274 students

TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

1 school

206 students

TAOS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

1 school

177 students

RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL

1 school

81 students

ROOTS AND WINGS COMMUNITY

1 school

59 students

21 Public Schools in Taos 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

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Showing 20 of 21 matching schools

Public schools in Taos County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
TAOS HIGH	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	9–12	High	758
ENOS GARCIA ELEMENTARY	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	PK–5	Primary	375
TAOS MIDDLE	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	6–8	Middle	326
TAOS ACADEMY	Record	TAOS ACADEMY	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	5–12	Charter	274
RANCHOS DE TAOS ELEMENTARY	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	RANCHOS DE TAOS, 87557Town: Remote	PK–5	Primary	272
TAOS MUNICIPAL CHARTER	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	KG–8	Charter	218
TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF ARTS	Record	TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF THE ARTS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	KG–8	Charter	206
ANANSI CHARTER SCHOOL	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	EL PRADO, 87529Rural: Fringe	KG–8	Charter	195
TAOS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL	Record	TAOS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	KG–8	Charter	177
PENASCO ELEMENTARY	Record	PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	PENASCO, 87553Rural: Remote	PK–5	Primary	136
ALTA VISTA ELEMENTARY	Record	QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUESTA, 87556Rural: Remote	PK–3	Primary	111
ARROYO DEL NORTE ELEMENTARY	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	ARROYO SECO, 87514Rural: Distant	KG–5	Primary	102
QUESTA HIGH	Record	QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUESTA, 87556Rural: Remote	9–12	High	100
RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL	Record	RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL	RED RIVER, 87558Rural: Remote	PK–8	Charter	81
PENASCO HIGH	Record	PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	PENASCO, 87553Rural: Remote	9–12	High	76
PENASCO MIDDLE	Record	PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	PENASCO, 87553Rural: Remote	6–8	Middle	72
ALTA VISTA INTERMEDIATE	Record	QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUESTA, 87556Rural: Remote	4–6	Middle	59
ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY	Record	ROOTS AND WINGS COMMUNITY	QUESTA, 87556Rural: Remote	KG–8	Charter	59
QUESTA JR HIGH	Record	QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS	QUESTA, 87556Rural: Remote	7–8	Middle	56
TAOS CYBER MAGNET	Record	TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	TAOS, 87571Town: Remote	9–12	Alternative	21

TAOS HIGH

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

Record9–12High758 students

ENOS GARCIA ELEMENTARY

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary375 students

TAOS MIDDLE

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

Record6–8Middle326 students

TAOS ACADEMY

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

Record5–12Charter274 students

RANCHOS DE TAOS ELEMENTARY

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

RANCHOS DE TAOS, 87557 / Town: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary272 students

TAOS MUNICIPAL CHARTER

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

RecordKG–8Charter218 students

TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF ARTS

TAOS INTEGRATED SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

RecordKG–8Charter206 students

ANANSI CHARTER SCHOOL

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

EL PRADO, 87529 / Rural: Fringe

RecordKG–8Charter195 students

TAOS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

RecordKG–8Charter177 students

PENASCO ELEMENTARY

PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

PENASCO, 87553 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–5Primary136 students

ALTA VISTA ELEMENTARY

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUESTA, 87556 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–3Primary111 students

ARROYO DEL NORTE ELEMENTARY

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

ARROYO SECO, 87514 / Rural: Distant

RecordKG–5Primary102 students

QUESTA HIGH

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUESTA, 87556 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High100 students

RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL

RED RIVER, 87558 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–8Charter81 students

PENASCO HIGH

PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

PENASCO, 87553 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High76 students

PENASCO MIDDLE

PENASCO INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

PENASCO, 87553 / Rural: Remote

Record6–8Middle72 students

ALTA VISTA INTERMEDIATE

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUESTA, 87556 / Rural: Remote

Record4–6Middle59 students

ROOTS & WINGS COMMUNITY

ROOTS AND WINGS COMMUNITY

QUESTA, 87556 / Rural: Remote

RecordKG–8Charter59 students

QUESTA JR HIGH

QUESTA INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

QUESTA, 87556 / Rural: Remote

Record7–8Middle56 students

TAOS CYBER MAGNET

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

TAOS, 87571 / Town: Remote

Record9–12Alternative21 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$7,571

State avg $7,957

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Taos 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 Taos County?

Taos County has a school score of 30/100, which is a lower 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 Taos County?

The high school graduation rate in Taos County is 75.1%, 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 Taos County spend per student?

Taos County spends $7,571 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.

Counties with Similar School Profile

Cibola County

New Mexico

-1 pts

29/100

School score

Lea County

New Mexico

-1 pts

28/100

School score

Sandoval County

New Mexico

-2 pts

28/100

School score

By Evan Brooks, Data EditorUpdated Jul 7, 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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