Best Middle Schools in Albuquerque, NM (2025-26)

Ranked middle schools

Listed, not ranked

Every ranked middle school in Albuquerque, 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.

Albuquerque, NM rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools

Albuquerque, NM middle schools ranked

Rank	Grade	School	City	District	Actual	Projected	Impact	Students
#1	A+	Eisenhower Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	66%	44%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	818
#2	A+	Desert Ridge Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	65%	44%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	816
#3	A	Hoover Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	48%	34%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	394
#4	A	Tony Hillerman Middle School	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	47%	35%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,035
#5	A-	Jefferson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	44%	39%	Meets Expectations	644
#6	B+	Cleveland Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	39%	31%	Exceeds Expectations	561
#7	B+	Madison Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	38%	33%	Meets Expectations	602
#8	B+	Lb Johnson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	37%	28%	Exceeds Expectations	585
#9	B+	Solare Collegiate Charter School (Charter)	Albuquerque	Solare Collegiate Charter School	37%	18%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	259
#10	B	James Monroe Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	35%	31%	Meets Expectations	689
#11	B-	Grant Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	33%	27%	Meets Expectations	344
#12	B-	Jackson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	32%	33%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	404
#13	D+	South Valley Prep (Charter)	Albuquerque	South Valley Prep	23%	23%	Meets Expectations	188
#14	D+	Garfield Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	22%	23%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	315
#15	D	Voz Collegiate Preparatory Charter School (Charter)	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	22%	20%	Meets Expectations	64
#16	D	Polk Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	21%	17%	Meets Expectations	269
#17	D	Taft Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	21%	21%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	292
#18	D-	John Adams Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	20%	20%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	462
#19	D-	Jimmy Carter Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	19%	22%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	542
#20	D-	Harrison Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	18%	21%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	343
#21	D-	Ernie Pyle Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	17%	18%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	453
#22	F	Mckinley Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	16%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	486
#23	F	Truman Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	16%	23%	Underperforms Expectations	671
#24	F	Washington Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	15%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	275
#25	F	Hayes Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	14%	17%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	371
#26	F	Kennedy Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	14%	21%	Underperforms Expectations	331
#27	F	Van Buren Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	13%	19%	Underperforms Expectations	398
#28	F	Wilson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	13%	17%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	401

How Albuquerque, NM's middle schools compare

A: 5B: 7D: 9F: 7

43% of the 28 ranked middle schools in Albuquerque, NM earn an A or B (5 A grades, 7 B, 0 C, 9 D, 7 F), against 46% of middle schools nationwide. 14 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (50% here, 70% nationally), and 7 exceed it. On average 29% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 26% (national averages: 45% actual, 38% projected).

The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Eisenhower Middle (66% against 44%, A+), Desert Ridge Middle (65% against 44%, A+), Solare Collegiate Charter School (37% against 18%, B+), Hoover Middle (48% against 34%, A), Tony Hillerman Middle School (47% against 35%, A).

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

The largest ranked middle schools: Tony Hillerman Middle School (1,035 students, A, #4), Eisenhower Middle (818 students, A+, #1), Desert Ridge Middle (816 students, A+, #2).

Of the top 25, 0 are magnet schools and 3 are charters. Selective and specialised schools tend to post high actual scores; the projection column is the fairer comparison for a neighborhood school.

Middle schools in Albuquerque, NM that are not ranked

1 graded middle 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.

Vision Quest Alternative Middle, Albuquerque

About this ranking

Scope: public middle schools in Albuquerque, 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 middle schools.
Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model. How SchoolGrade works

Questions about middle schools in Albuquerque, NM

What is the best middle school in Albuquerque, NM?

Eisenhower Middle in Albuquerque ranks first among the 28 ranked middle schools in Albuquerque, NM with a SchoolGrade of A+, 66% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 44%.

How are middle schools in Albuquerque, 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 middle schools does Albuquerque, NM have?

SchoolGrade grades 29 public middle schools in Albuquerque, NM; 28 are ranked here and 1 are listed as not ranked.