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

No. Use the Union 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 Union 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 Union County?

Start with the 7 listed public schools and 2 district entries, then compare similar grade bands and confirm the address-level rules locally.

Union County Schools & Education

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

Union County, New Mexico

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

School Score

43/100

Percentile-style score

Score Band

Midrange Signal

Graduation Rate

81.9%

National avg 87.5%

Education Statistics

Graduation Rate

81.9%

National avg 87.5%

State avg 79.0%

Per-Pupil Spending

$8,571

National avg $13,239

State avg $7,957

School Score

43/100

Percentile-style score

State avg 33/100

State Score Position

#10

of 33 counties by score

Education Data Brief: Union County

Measured School Summary

Union County has midrange measured school signals (score: 43/100) with a graduation rate of 81.9%, which warrants review in official state and district records.

Funding Context

Union County spends $8,571 per student, which is on the lower end of adequate and may require careful resource allocation to maintain quality.

Neighbor Context

Its school score is 31% above the New Mexico average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 2.9 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 8% higher than the state norm.

School Data Brief

How to read Union 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

7 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

43/100

Mixed county signal. Ranks #10 of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data.

Completion

81.9%

2.9 pts above the state average

Funding context

$8,571

$614 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

Union County has 7 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 Union 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

Union 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

#10

of 33 New Mexico counties with school score data. The county score is 10 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.

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

Elementary to high school visible

395 students

Elementary 1Middle 2High 1Other 0

4 listed schools in this county slice.

DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

Elementary and high visible

120 students

Elementary 1Middle 0High 1Other 0

2 listed schools in this county slice.

District reality check

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS is the largest listed district slice, with 4 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 Union County?

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

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

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 Union 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 Northeast New Mexico

Union County operates seven public schools across two districts, serving a compact student population of just 516. The infrastructure includes two elementary, two middle, and three high schools focused on rural accessibility.

Clayton Municipal Schools Leads the County

Clayton Municipal Schools is the primary district, managing four schools and 395 students. Des Moines Municipal Schools serves the remaining 120 students in the county through two highly specialized rural campuses.

The Ultimate Small-School Experience

All seven schools in the county are rural, featuring an incredibly small average enrollment of only 74 students. Alvis Elementary is the largest with 157 students, while several schools have enrollments of 70 students or fewer, ensuring maximum teacher attention.

School Overview

Total Schools

in Union County

Reported Enrollment

516

7 schools reporting

School Districts

districts

Charter Schools

0% of total

School Level Breakdown

Elementary2

Middle2

High3

Other0

2 School Districts in Union County

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

4 schools

395 students

DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

2 schools

120 students

7 Public Schools in Union 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 7 of 7 matching schools

Public schools in Union County, including district, location, profile availability, grades, type, and enrollment.
School Name	Profile	District	Location	Grades	Type / Flags	Reported Enrollment
ALVIS ELEMENTARY	Record	CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	CLAYTON, 88415Rural: Remote	PK–4	Primary	157
CLAYTON HIGH	Record	CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	CLAYTON, 88415Rural: Remote	9–12	High	131
DES MOINES ELEMENTARY	Record	DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	DES MOINES, 88418Rural: Remote	PK–6	Primary	69
CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH	Record	CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	CLAYTON, 88415Rural: Remote	7–8	Middle	56
DES MOINES HIGH	Record	DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	DES MOINES, 88418Rural: Remote	7–12	High	51
KISER ELEMENTARY	Record	CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	CLAYTON, 88415Rural: Remote	5–6	Middle	51
NORTHEASTERN NM CORRECTIONAL FACILITY	Record	NM CORRECTIONS	CLAYTON, 87020Rural: Remote	8–12	Alternative	1

ALVIS ELEMENTARY

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

CLAYTON, 88415 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–4Primary157 students

CLAYTON HIGH

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

CLAYTON, 88415 / Rural: Remote

Record9–12High131 students

DES MOINES ELEMENTARY

DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

DES MOINES, 88418 / Rural: Remote

RecordPK–6Primary69 students

CLAYTON JUNIOR HIGH

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

CLAYTON, 88415 / Rural: Remote

Record7–8Middle56 students

DES MOINES HIGH

DES MOINES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

DES MOINES, 88418 / Rural: Remote

Record7–12High51 students

KISER ELEMENTARY

CLAYTON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

CLAYTON, 88415 / Rural: Remote

Record5–6Middle51 students

NORTHEASTERN NM CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

NM CORRECTIONS

CLAYTON, 87020 / Rural: Remote

Record8–12Alternative1 students

Education Funding Detail

Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure

$8,571

State avg $7,957

Compare Nearby Counties

Review Union 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 Union County?

Union County has a school score of 43/100, 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 Union County?

The high school graduation rate in Union County is 81.9%, 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 Union County spend per student?

Union County spends $8,571 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools in Union County, New Mexico — FAQ

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

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

What is the school experience like in Union County?

Counties with Similar School Profile

Colfax County

New Mexico

+1 pts

45/100

School score

Hidalgo County

New Mexico

+4 pts

47/100

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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