Grants

The Grants school district in New Mexico consists of 12 schools, including 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 3 high schools. The district as a whole is ranked 82 out of 119 in the state and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger. However, the data reveals stark disparities in performance between the top-performing schools and the lower-performing ones.

Two elementary schools stand out as exceptional: Bluewater Elementary and Cubero Elementary. These small schools consistently rank among the top in the state, with Bluewater earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and both schools having significantly higher test scores than the district and state averages. In contrast, the two high schools, Grants High and Laguna-Acoma High, both had a 76.7% four-year graduation rate in 2022-2023, which is lower than the state average.

The data also reveals that all of the schools in the Grants district have very high rates of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 99.76% to 100%, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage in the student population. This likely contributes to the overall low test scores across the district, with proficiency rates generally in the 20-30% range. However, the fact that some schools are able to achieve much higher performance levels suggests that there may be opportunities for the district to learn from its top-performing schools and implement strategies to raise achievement across the board.