Best Elementary Schools in Las Cruces, NM (2025-26)

Ranked elementary schools

Listed, not ranked

Every ranked elementary school in Las Cruces, NM, ordered by SchoolGrade. A grade rewards actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact. Click a column heading to sort, or filter by school, city or district.

Las Cruces, NM rankings: Elementary Schools

Las Cruces, NM elementary schools ranked

Rank	Grade	School	City	District	Actual	Projected	Impact	Students
#1	A+	Desert Hills Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	61%	39%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	559
#2	A	White Sands Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	60%	41%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	275
#3	A	J Paul Taylor Academy (Charter)	Las Cruces	J Paul Taylor Academy	54%	52%	Meets Expectations	198
#4	A-	Sonoma Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	49%	37%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	748
#5	A-	Mesilla Park Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	47%	32%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	353
#6	A-	Hillrise Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	45%	38%	Exceeds Expectations	446
#7	B+	Mesilla Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	45%	33%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	275
#8	B+	East Picacho Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	44%	33%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	495
#9	B+	Tombaugh Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	43%	36%	Exceeds Expectations	585
#10	B+	Highland Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	40%	41%	Meets Expectations	744
#11	B	Jornada Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	39%	29%	Exceeds Expectations	490
#12	B	Conlee Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	37%	29%	Exceeds Expectations	422
#13	B-	Dona Ana Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	36%	31%	Exceeds Expectations	399
#14	B-	Monte Vista Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	36%	35%	Meets Expectations	718
#15	B-	University Hills Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	34%	28%	Exceeds Expectations	358
#16	C+	Sunrise Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	33%	29%	Meets Expectations	362
#17	C+	Central Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	32%	36%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	163
#18	C-	Raices Del Saber Xinachtli Community (Charter)	Las Cruces	Raices Del Saber Xinachtli Community	25%	23%	Meets Expectations	114
#19	C-	Columbia Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	24%	27%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	225
#20	C-	Hermosa Heights Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	24%	29%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	401
#21	D+	Alameda Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	24%	27%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	355
#22	D+	Fairacres Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	24%	28%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	405
#23	D+	Loma Heights Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	23%	26%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	505
#24	D+	Booker T Washington	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	21%	28%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	395
#25	D+	Valley View Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	21%	25%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	371
#26	F	Mac Arthur Elementary	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	13%	30%	Underperforms Expectations	353

How Las Cruces, NM's elementary schools compare

A: 6B: 9C: 5D: 5F: 1

58% of the 26 ranked elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM earn an A or B (6 A grades, 9 B, 5 C, 5 D, 1 F), against 46% of elementary schools nationwide. 17 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (65% here, 70% nationally), and 12 exceed it. On average 36% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 32% (national averages: 46% actual, 37% projected).

The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Desert Hills Elementary (61% against 39%, A+), White Sands Elementary (60% against 41%, A), Mesilla Park Elementary (47% against 32%, A-), Sonoma Elementary (49% against 37%, A-), Mesilla Elementary (45% against 33%, B+).

Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 10): Las Cruces (9).

The largest ranked elementary schools: Sonoma Elementary (748 students, A-, #4), Highland Elementary (744 students, B+, #10), Monte Vista Elementary (718 students, B-, #14).

Of the top 25, 0 are magnet schools and 2 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.

Elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM that are not ranked

1 graded elementary schools are listed here rather than ranked, each for the reason given. Every one has its own page with its full SchoolGrade report.

Not yet graded (1)

Our source data has no school-level proficiency results for these schools, so they carry no SchoolGrade yet.

Cesar Chavez Elementary, Las Cruces

About this ranking

Scope: public elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM, as grouped on its schools page; the New Mexico ranking covers the whole state.
Order: SchoolGrade, then actual proficiency, then name; schools with the same grade and score share a rank.
Ranked: regular public schools that NCES lists as open, not fully online, with at least 30 students. Others are listed with the reason.
Tags: Magnet and Charter from the NCES school directory; K-12 marks schools serving every grade that are ranked with the elementary schools.
Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works

Questions about elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM

What is the best elementary school in Las Cruces, NM?

Desert Hills Elementary in Las Cruces ranks first among the 26 ranked elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM with a SchoolGrade of A+, 61% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 39%.

How are elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM ranked?

By SchoolGrade, the 2025-26 model that scores each school's actual test proficiency against the level projected for its student context, then by actual proficiency to break ties. Regular public schools that are open, not fully online and have at least 30 students are ranked; the rest are listed below the table with the reason.

How many elementary schools does Las Cruces, NM have?

SchoolGrade grades 27 public elementary schools in Las Cruces, NM; 26 are ranked here and 1 are listed as not ranked.