Best Middle Schools in New Mexico (2025-26)

Ranked middle schools

143

Listed, not ranked

Every ranked middle school in New Mexico, 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.

New Mexico rankings: High Schools · Middle Schools · Elementary Schools

New Mexico middle schools ranked

Rank	Grade	School	City	District	Actual	Projected	Impact	Students
#1	A+	Holloman Middle	Holloman Afb	Alamogordo	71%	27%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	172
#2	A+	Los Alamos Middle	Los Alamos	Los Alamos	69%	47%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	613
#3	A+	Eisenhower Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	66%	44%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	818
#4	A+	Cimarron Middle	Cimarron	Cimarron	65%	34%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	49
#5	A+	Desert Ridge Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	65%	44%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	816
#6	A+	Texico Middle	Texico	Texico	64%	27%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	122
#7	A+	Cloudcroft Middle	Cloudcroft	Cloudcroft	62%	35%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	101
#8	A+	Lake Arthur Middle	Lake Arthur	Lake Arthur	59%	30%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	35
#9	A+	Mountain View Middle	Rio Rancho	Rio Rancho	57%	33%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	937
#10	A+	Roosevelt Middle	Tijeras	Albuquerque	57%	37%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	381
#11	A	Grady Middle School	Grady	Grady	56%	38%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	45
#12	A	Melrose Junior	Melrose	Melrose	56%	30%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	48
#13	A	Rio Rancho Middle School	Rio Rancho	Rio Rancho	53%	36%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,143
#14	A	San Jon Middle School	San Jon	San Jon	52%	34%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	31
#15	A	Edgewood Middle	Moriarty	Moriarty-Edgewood	51%	35%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	296
#16	A	Camino Real Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	49%	37%	Exceeds Expectations	965
#17	A	Eagle Ridge Middle	Rio Rancho	Rio Rancho	49%	37%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	823
#18	A	Hoover Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	48%	34%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	394
#19	A	Lincoln Middle	Rio Rancho	Rio Rancho	48%	33%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	823
#20	A	Tony Hillerman Middle School	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	47%	35%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	1,035
#21	A	Anton Chico Middle	Anton Chico	Santa Rosa	46%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	34
#22	A	Marshall Middle	Clovis	Clovis	46%	35%	Exceeds Expectations	519
#23	A-	Logan Middle	Logan	Logan	46%	32%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	60
#24	A-	Santa Rosa Middle	Santa Rosa	Santa Rosa	45%	22%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	110
#25	A-	Carlsbad Intermediate School Pr Leyva Campus	Carlsbad	Carlsbad	44%	41%	Meets Expectations	817
#26	A-	Jefferson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	44%	39%	Meets Expectations	644
#27	A-	Tatum JR High	Tatum	Tatum	44%	30%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	51
#28	A-	Lovington 6th Grade Academy	Lovington	Lovington	43%	32%	Exceeds Expectations	228
#29	A-	Ruidoso Middle	Ruidoso	Ruidoso	43%	32%	Exceeds Expectations	394
#30	A-	Capitan Middle	Capitan	Capitan	41%	35%	Meets Expectations	127
#31	A-	Fort Sumner Middle	Fort Sumner	Fort Sumner	41%	35%	Meets Expectations	82
#32	B+	Clayton Junior High	Clayton	Clayton	40%	30%	Exceeds Expectations	56
#33	B+	Heights Middle School	Farmington	Farmington	40%	29%	Exceeds Expectations	718
#34	B+	Cleveland Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	39%	31%	Exceeds Expectations	561
#35	B+	Hermosa Middle School	Farmington	Farmington	39%	34%	Meets Expectations	622
#36	B+	Artesia Zia Intermediate	Artesia	Artesia	38%	32%	Meets Expectations	546
#37	B+	Berrendo Middle	Roswell	Roswell	38%	29%	Exceeds Expectations	663
#38	B+	Estancia Middle	Estancia	Estancia	38%	30%	Exceeds Expectations	88
#39	B+	Madison Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	38%	33%	Meets Expectations	602
#40	B+	Chaparral Middle	Alamogordo	Alamogordo	37%	32%	Meets Expectations	627
#41	B+	Lb Johnson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	37%	28%	Exceeds Expectations	585
#42	B+	Sierra Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	37%	30%	Exceeds Expectations	799
#43	B+	Solare Collegiate Charter School (Charter)	Albuquerque	Solare Collegiate Charter School	37%	18%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	259
#44	B	La Plata Middle	Silver City	Silver City	36%	24%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	344
#45	B	Loving Middle	Loving	Loving	36%	31%	Meets Expectations	150
#46	B	Mountain View Middle	Alamogordo	Alamogordo	36%	28%	Exceeds Expectations	502
#47	B	Houston Middle School	Hobbs	Hobbs	35%	32%	Meets Expectations	843
#48	B	James Monroe Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	35%	31%	Meets Expectations	689
#49	B	Magdalena Middle	Magdalena	Magdalena	35%	25%	Exceeds Expectations	74
#50	B	Mesa Alta JR High	Bloomfield	Bloomfield	35%	25%	Exceeds Expectations	382
#51	B	Portales JR High	Portales	Portales	35%	31%	Meets Expectations	408
#52	B	W D Gattis Middle School	Clovis	Clovis	35%	37%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	539
#53	B	Yucca Middle	Clovis	Clovis	35%	33%	Meets Expectations	572
#54	B-	Los Lunas Middle	Los Lunas	Los Lunas	34%	28%	Meets Expectations	799
#55	B-	Mountainair JR High	Mountainair	Mountainair	34%	24%	Exceeds Expectations	43
#56	B-	Penasco Middle	Penasco	Penasco	34%	19%	Greatly Exceeds Expectations	72
#57	B-	Vista Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	34%	32%	Meets Expectations	602
#58	B-	Deming Intermediate	Deming	Deming	33%	23%	Exceeds Expectations	370
#59	B-	Grant Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	33%	27%	Meets Expectations	344
#60	B-	Jal JR High	Jal	JAL	33%	23%	Exceeds Expectations	125
#61	B-	Tucumcari Middle	Tucumcari	Tucumcari	33%	23%	Exceeds Expectations	214
#62	B-	Jackson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	32%	33%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	404
#63	B-	Taylor Middle	Lovington	Lovington	32%	29%	Meets Expectations	527
#64	B-	Floyd Middle	Floyd	Floyd	31%	35%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	78
#65	C+	Hatch Valley Middle	Hatch	Hatch Valley	31%	19%	Exceeds Expectations	262
#66	C+	Mesa Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	31%	28%	Meets Expectations	803
#67	C+	Sixth Grade Academy	Pojoaque	Pojoaque	31%	24%	Exceeds Expectations	117
#68	C+	Carrizozo Middle	Carrizozo	Carrizozo	30%	32%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	32
#69	C+	Gadsden Middle	Anthony	Gadsden	30%	21%	Exceeds Expectations	661
#70	C+	Hagerman Middle	Hagerman	Hagerman	30%	28%	Meets Expectations	74
#71	C+	Highland Middle School	Hobbs	Hobbs	30%	28%	Meets Expectations	840
#72	C+	Santa Teresa Middle	Santa Teresa	Gadsden	30%	28%	Meets Expectations	625
#73	C+	T Or C Middle	T Or C	T Or C	30%	24%	Meets Expectations	283
#74	C+	Zia Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	30%	30%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	688
#75	C+	Mountain View Middle	Roswell	Roswell	29%	21%	Exceeds Expectations	520
#76	C	Cv Koogler Middle	Aztec	Aztec	29%	32%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	533
#77	C	Gallup Middle	Gallup	Gallup	29%	36%	Underperforms Expectations	400
#78	C	Chaparral Middle	Chaparral	Gadsden	28%	19%	Exceeds Expectations	608
#79	C	Eagle Nest Middle	Eagle Nest	Cimarron	28%	35%	Underperforms Expectations	73
#80	C	Tularosa Middle	Tularosa	Tularosa	28%	20%	Exceeds Expectations	144
#81	C	Valencia Middle School	Los Lunas	Los Lunas	28%	24%	Meets Expectations	492
#82	C	Picacho Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	27%	29%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	727
#83	C	Taos Middle	Taos	Taos	27%	23%	Meets Expectations	326
#84	C	Caton Middle	Eunice	Eunice	26%	29%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	161
#85	C	Kirtland Middle	Kirtland	Central	26%	23%	Meets Expectations	430
#86	C-	Chief Manuelito Middle	Gallup	Gallup	26%	24%	Meets Expectations	609
#87	C-	La Academia Dolores Huerta (Charter)	Las Cruces	La Academia Dolores Huerta	26%	52%	Underperforms Expectations	66
#88	C-	Mesa Middle	Roswell	Roswell	26%	20%	Meets Expectations	422
#89	C-	Snell Middle	Bayard	Cobre	26%	19%	Meets Expectations	239
#90	C-	Belen Middle	Belen	Belen	25%	28%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	528
#91	C-	Bernalillo Middle	Bernalillo	Bernalillo	25%	22%	Meets Expectations	412
#92	C-	Cochiti Middle	Pena Blanca	Bernalillo	25%	23%	Meets Expectations	78
#93	C-	Dugan Tarango Middle	Lordsburg	Lordsburg	25%	21%	Meets Expectations	60
#94	C-	Sierra Middle	Roswell	Roswell	25%	24%	Meets Expectations	627
#95	C-	Taylor Middle	Los Ranchos De Albuquerque	Albuquerque	25%	24%	Meets Expectations	315
#96	C-	Thoreau Middle	Thoreau	Gallup	25%	20%	Meets Expectations	284
#97	C-	Tibbetts Middle School	Farmington	Farmington	24%	28%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	683
#98	D+	Los Alamitos Middle	Grants	Grants	24%	24%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	418
#99	D+	Milagro Middle	Santa Fe	Santa Fe	24%	26%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	383
#100	D+	John F Kennedy Middle	Gallup	Gallup	23%	25%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	630
#101	D+	Lazaro Larry Garcia Middle	Mora	Mora	23%	27%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	93
#102	D+	Lynn Middle	Las Cruces	Las Cruces	23%	27%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	534
#103	D+	R Sarracino Middle	Socorro	Socorro	23%	23%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	254
#104	D+	Santo Domingo Middle	Santo Domingo Pueblo	Bernalillo	23%	14%	Exceeds Expectations	94
#105	D+	South Valley Prep (Charter)	Albuquerque	South Valley Prep	23%	23%	Meets Expectations	188
#106	D+	West Las Vegas Middle School	Las Vegas	West Las Vegas	23%	24%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	296
#107	D+	Dexter Middle	Dexter	Dexter	22%	25%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	196
#108	D+	Garfield Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	22%	23%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	315
#109	D	Moriarty Middle	Moriarty	Moriarty-Edgewood	22%	27%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	244
#110	D	Red Mountain Middle	Deming	Deming	22%	22%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	795
#111	D	Voz Collegiate Preparatory Charter School (Charter)	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	22%	20%	Meets Expectations	64
#112	D	Memorial Middle	Las Vegas	Las Vegas City	21%	23%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	168
#113	D	Mesa View Middle School	Farmington	Farmington	21%	26%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	488
#114	D	Polk Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	21%	17%	Meets Expectations	269
#115	D	Taft Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	21%	21%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	292
#116	D	Zuni Middle	Zuni	Zuni	21%	13%	Exceeds Expectations	244
#117	D	Carlsbad Sixth Grade Academy Alta Vista Campus	Carlsbad	Carlsbad	20%	32%	Underperforms Expectations	705
#118	D	Mesa Vista Middle	Ojo Caliente	Mesa Vista	20%	29%	Underperforms Expectations	34
#119	D	Pojoaque Middle	Santa Fe	Pojoaque	20%	25%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	262
#120	D-	John Adams Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	20%	20%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	462
#121	D-	Carlos F Vigil Middle	Espanola	Espanola	19%	20%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	444
#122	D-	Heizer Middle School	Hobbs	Hobbs	19%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	606
#123	D-	Jimmy Carter Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	19%	22%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	542
#124	D-	Navajo Middle School	Navajo	Gallup	19%	23%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	188
#125	D-	Questa JR High	Questa	Questa	19%	29%	Underperforms Expectations	56
#126	D-	Harrison Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	18%	21%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	343
#127	D-	Pecos Middle	Pecos	Pecos	18%	22%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	108
#128	D-	Edward Ortiz Middle	Santa Fe	Santa Fe	17%	28%	Underperforms Expectations	441
#129	D-	Ernie Pyle Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	17%	18%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	453
#130	D-	Jemez Valley Middle	Jemez Pueblo	Jemez Valley	17%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	62
#131	D-	Laguna Acoma Middle	Casa Blance	Grants	17%	24%	Underperforms Expectations	30
#132	F	Artesia Park Junior High	Artesia	Artesia	33%	29%	Meets Expectations	605
#133	F	Cuba Middle	Cuba	Cuba	16%	14%	Meets Expectations	135
#134	F	Mckinley Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	16%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	486
#135	F	Truman Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	16%	23%	Underperforms Expectations	671
#136	F	Tse Bit Ai Middle	Shiprock	Central	16%	17%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	427
#137	F	Washington Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	15%	19%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	275
#138	F	Hayes Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	14%	17%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	371
#139	F	Kennedy Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	14%	21%	Underperforms Expectations	331
#140	F	Van Buren Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	13%	19%	Underperforms Expectations	398
#141	F	Wilson Middle	Albuquerque	Albuquerque	13%	17%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	401
#142	F	Newcomb Middle	Newcomb	Central	11%	14%	Doesn't Meet Expectations	181
#143	F	Dulce Middle	Dulce	Dulce	10%	17%	Underperforms Expectations	119

How New Mexico's middle schools compare

A: 31B: 33C: 33D: 34F: 12

45% of the 143 ranked middle schools in New Mexico earn an A or B (31 A grades, 33 B, 33 C, 34 D, 12 F), against 46% of middle schools nationwide. 91 schools meet or beat the proficiency projected from their student context (64% here, 70% nationally), and 52 exceed it. On average 32% of tested students meet the state bar against a projected 27% (national averages: 45% actual, 38% projected).

The biggest overperformers, by actual proficiency above projection: Holloman Middle (71% against 27%, A+), Texico Middle (64% against 27%, A+), Cimarron Middle (65% against 34%, A+), Lake Arthur Middle (59% against 30%, A+), Cloudcroft Middle (62% against 35%, A+).

Districts with the most schools in the top quarter (the top 36): Albuquerque (7), Rio Rancho (4), Santa Rosa (2), Farmington (2).

Cities with the most ranked middle schools: Albuquerque (28, 12 at A or B), Las Cruces (8, 3 at A or B), Rio Rancho (4, 4 at A or B), Farmington (4, 2 at A or B), Roswell (4, 1 at A or B).

The largest ranked middle schools: Rio Rancho Middle School (1,143 students, A, #13), Tony Hillerman Middle School (1,035 students, A, #20), Camino Real Middle (965 students, A, #16).

Middle schools in New Mexico that are not ranked

8 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.

Special-purpose schools (1)

Alternative, special-education and vocational schools serve a different mission and a different student body, so they are graded but not ranked against regular schools.

A+ Mesilla Valley Leadership Academy, Mesilla Park

Very small schools (2)

Schools with fewer than 30 students have grades that swing on a handful of test results.

A+ Maxwell Middle, Maxwell
A- Valley Middle, Ribera

Not yet graded (5)

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

Chama Middle, Chama
Coronado Middle, Gallina
House Junior High, House
Laguna Middle School, Laguna
Vision Quest Alternative Middle, Albuquerque

About this ranking

Scope: every public middle school in New Mexico.
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 New Mexico

What is the best middle school in New Mexico?

Holloman Middle in Holloman Afb ranks first among the 143 ranked middle schools in New Mexico with a SchoolGrade of A+, 71% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 27%.

How are middle schools in New Mexico 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 New Mexico have?

SchoolGrade grades 151 public middle schools in New Mexico; 143 are ranked here and 8 are listed as not ranked.