Is Sunset Elementary a good school?

Sunset Elementary ranks 137 th of 433 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Sunset Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 419 students attended Sunset Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Sunset Elementary?

Students at Sunset Elementary are 59% Hispanic, 36% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% African American, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Sunset Elementary attend?

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus High : Carlsbad High

Sunset Elementary

Summary:

Sunset Elementary is a public elementary school in Carlsbad, New Mexico, serving 356 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Carlsbad school district, which is ranked 80 out of 119 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Sunset Elementary consistently outperforms the Carlsbad district and the state of New Mexico in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. In the 2023-2024 school year, 46% of Sunset Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 37% for Carlsbad and 39% for the state. In Mathematics, 28% of Sunset Elementary students were proficient or better, compared to 25% for both Carlsbad and the state. The school has also ranked in the top half of New Mexico elementary schools, with a ranking of 137 out of 433 schools in the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school has struggled with the performance of special education students, ranking in the bottom 1% of New Mexico elementary schools in 2021-2022.

Sunset Elementary has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 31.74% in 2022-2023 to 37.77% in 2020-2021, suggesting a higher socioeconomic status of the student population compared to other schools in the area. The school also maintains a relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 16.4 in 2022-2023 to 19.4 in 2020-2021, which is comparable to or better than the nearby Carlsbad and Loving school districts.

Detail:

Public K-5

923 North Walter St
Carlsbad, NM 88220

(575) 234-3300

District: Carlsbad

SchoolDigger Rank:
137^th of 433 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $8,498

Students who attend Sunset Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus
High:	Carlsbad High

Student/teacher ratio: 16.1

Number of students: 419

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.9%

White:

36.3%

Two or more races:

1.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 36.5%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Sunset Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Sunset Elementary ranks better than 68.4% of elementary schools in New Mexico. It also ranks 3^rd among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 62.6. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (58.9%), White (36.3%), two or more races (1.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details 36.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sunset Elementary is 16.1. 3 elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Sunset Elementary employs 25.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Sunset Elementary is $8,498. 3 elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Sunset Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunset Elementary 137^th of 433 New Mexico public elementary schools. (See Sunset Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Carlsbad:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlsbad 80^th of 119 New Mexico school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Sunset Elementary?

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Rank History for Sunset Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2005	91.59	19^th	389	95.1%
2006	86.65	36^th	390	90.8%
2007	79.25	57^th	398	85.7%
2008	80.95	55^th	405	86.4%
2009	70.64	102^nd	411	75.2%
2010	79.38	61^st	419	85.4%
2011	74.29	83^rd	402	79.4%
2012	66.36	117^th	398	70.6%
2013	61.84	135^th	412	67.2%
2014	64.59	136^th	442	69.2%
2015	52.27	164^th	421	61.0%
2016	44.83	202^nd	410	50.7%
2017	50.94	156^th	374	58.3%
2018	53.52	148^th	383	61.4%
2019	42.41	212^th	396	46.5%
2022	62.79	114^th	420	72.9%
2023	76.58	92^nd	435	78.9%
2024	62.60	137^th	433	68.4%

See the entire list of New Mexico Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	69.90	32^nd	203	84.2%
2024	70.51	55^th	166	66.9%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	19.47	131^st	132	0.8%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	48.54	170^th	356	52.2%
2019	39.62	217^th	361	39.9%
2022	41.66	189^th	410	53.9%
2023	76.92	89^th	426	79.1%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	47.18	160^th	339	52.8%
2019	42.05	187^th	343	45.5%
2022	39.86	202^nd	395	48.9%
2023	68.16	114^th	390	70.8%
2024	45.58	194^th	393	50.6%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	52.80	130^th	333	61.0%
2019	40.70	185^th	337	45.1%
2022	73.24	58^th	392	85.2%
2023	80.41	73^rd	414	82.4%
2024	77.06	86^th	410	79.0%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	49.72	151^st	329	54.1%
2019	40.15	193^rd	320	39.7%
2022	57.46	104^th	389	73.3%
2023	77.37	80^th	395	79.7%
2024	61.98	129^th	390	66.9%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Sunset Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	36.35	128^th	187	31.6%
2019	26.17	158^th	199	20.6%
2022	37.68	215^th	325	33.8%
2023	76.05	89^th	413	78.5%
2024	42.63	159^th	293	45.7%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Mexico Public Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: New Mexico Public Education Department

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Enrollment information for Sunset Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	274	4	7	122	2	n/a	n/a	409
1991	311	7	3	145	0	n/a	n/a	466
1992	305	8	4	133	0	n/a	n/a	450
1993	286	4	3	103	0	n/a	n/a	396
1994	255	4	3	103	1	n/a	n/a	366
1995	251	5	5	107	3	n/a	n/a	371
1996	251	5	5	107	3	n/a	n/a	371
1997	227	4	3	103	5	n/a	n/a	342
1998	237	3	3	101	2	n/a	n/a	346
1999	235	4	6	85	0	n/a	n/a	330
2000	239	3	3	107	3	n/a	n/a	355
2001	241	4	1	118	3	n/a	n/a	367
2002	211	2	1	121	4	n/a	n/a	339
2003	211	2	1	121	4	n/a	n/a	339
2004	211	1	0	135	2	n/a	n/a	349
2005	218	1	1	122	0	n/a	n/a	342
2006	216	3	2	140	4	n/a	n/a	365
2007	210	3	4	143	8	n/a	n/a	368
2008	206	6	5	136	8	n/a	n/a	361
2009	221	10	4	158	5	n/a	n/a	398
2010	212	6	3	162	6	0	0	389
2011	252	7	2	174	3	0	0	438
2012	248	8	1	195	4	0	2	458
2013	270	9	3	208	4	0	3	497
2014	245	8	3	181	4	0	2	443
2015	221	14	3	189	3	1	0	431
2016	186	14	4	212	3	0	0	419
2017	171	9	4	198	2	0	0	384
2018	177	7	6	203	2	0	1	396
2019	178	7	5	213	9	0	3	415
2020	187	2	2	199	6	0	2	398
2021	178	2	3	226	3	0	1	413
2022	153	2	2	199	3	0	3	362
2023	141	1	5	202	2	0	5	356
2024	152	5	5	247	4	0	6	419

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sunset Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	409	17.8	22.9	n/a
1991	466	22.0	21.1	n/a
1992	450	22.0	20.4	n/a
1993	396	19.0	20.8	n/a
1994	366	18.5	19.8	n/a
1995	371	20.5	18.1	n/a
1996	371	20.5	18.1	n/a
1997	342	19.5	17.5	n/a
1998	346	20.0	17.3	n/a
1999	330	18.8	17.6	47.3
2000	355	20.8	17.1	51
2001	367	20.5	17.9	62.9
2002	339	22.3	15.2	57.2
2003	339	22.3	15.2	57.2
2004	349	20.7	16.9	62.2
2005	342	21.1	16.2	56.4
2006	365	21.0	17.4	56.4
2007	368	21.1	17.4	57.6
2008	361	20.4	17.7	55.7
2009	398	23.3	17.1	53.5
2010	389	23.3	16.7	54.8
2011	438	24.8	17.6	54.1
2012	458	24.4	18.7	52.6
2013	497	25.2	19.7	53.5
2014	443	26.0	17.0	51.2
2015	431	24.0	17.9	53.8
2016	419	24.0	17.4	52.3
2017	384	22.1	17.3	54.9
2018	396	21.2	18.6	57.3
2019	415	21.5	19.2	45.1
2020	398	20.8	19.0	39.7
2021	413	21.2	19.4	37.8
2022	362	20.7	17.4	35.6
2023	356	21.6	16.4	31.7
2024	419	25.9	16.1	36.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sunset Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	409	17.8	22.9	n/a
1991	466	22.0	21.1	n/a
1992	450	22.0	20.4	n/a
1993	396	19.0	20.8	n/a
1994	366	18.5	19.8	n/a
1995	371	20.5	18.1	n/a
1996	371	20.5	18.1	n/a
1997	342	19.5	17.5	n/a
1998	346	20.0	17.3	n/a
1999	330	18.8	17.6	47.3
2000	355	20.8	17.1	51
2001	367	20.5	17.9	62.9
2002	339	22.3	15.2	57.2
2003	339	22.3	15.2	57.2
2004	349	20.7	16.9	62.2
2005	342	21.1	16.2	56.4
2006	365	21.0	17.4	56.4
2007	368	21.1	17.4	57.6
2008	361	20.4	17.7	55.7
2009	398	23.3	17.1	53.5
2010	389	23.3	16.7	54.8
2011	438	24.8	17.6	54.1
2012	458	24.4	18.7	52.6
2013	497	25.2	19.7	53.5
2014	443	26.0	17.0	51.2
2015	431	24.0	17.9	53.8
2016	419	24.0	17.4	52.3
2017	384	22.1	17.3	54.9
2018	396	21.2	18.6	57.3
2019	415	21.5	19.2	45.1
2020	398	20.8	19.0	39.7
2021	413	21.2	19.4	37.8
2022	362	20.7	17.4	35.6
2023	356	21.6	16.4	31.7
2024	419	25.9	16.1	36.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sunset Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$8,498

Data source: New Mexico Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sunset Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 212^th of 396 Elementary schools	Ranks 92^nd of 435 Elementary schools	32.4%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Language Arts (Sunset Elementary)	32	36.5	4.5%
3rd Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	34	33.8	0.2%
3rd Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	31.8	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Sunset Elementary)	19	35.1	16.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	28	23.9	4.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	32	22.5	9.5%
4th Grade Language Arts (Sunset Elementary)	31	38.9	7.9%
4th Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	33	27.1	5.9%
4th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	35.2	5.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Sunset Elementary)	13	28.8	15.8%
4th Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	24	24.3	0.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	27	24.5	2.5%
5th Grade Language Arts (Sunset Elementary)	38	44	6%
5th Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	36	40.4	4.4%
5th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	33	35.7	2.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Sunset Elementary)	14	36	22%
5th Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	22	37.2	15.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	24	30.7	6.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	415	356	14.2%
African American	7	1	85.7%
American Indian	9	2	77.8%
Asian	5	5
Hispanic	213	202	5.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	178	141	20.8%
Two or More Races	3	5	66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	45.1%	31.7%	13.3%

Schools Near Sunset Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NM-ASR Science (2024)	NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2024)	NM-MSSA Mathematics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM-ASR Science All Grades	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-5	923 North Walter St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3300	419	26	16.1	36.5%	152 (36.3%)	5 (1.2%)	247 (58.9%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	62.6	137^th of 433 public elementary schools	68.4%		76.6	92^nd of 435 public elementary schools	78.9%	45	39.0	46.0	28.0	$8,498
Edison Elementary	Public	1-5	406 N. Alameda Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Hillcrest Preschool	Public	PK	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3303	320	21	15.3	33.8%	106 (33.1%)	1 (0.3%)	205 (64.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)								(n/a)
Monterrey Elementary	Public	K-5	1600 Johnson St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3309	345	21	16.8	43.8%	119 (34.5%)	6 (1.7%)	208 (60.3%)	5 (1.4%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	69.8	115^th of 433 public elementary schools	73.4%		83.2	71^st of 435 public elementary schools	83.7%	44	47.0	43.0	36.0	$9,032
Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3300	212	14	15.6	42.9%	49 (23.1%)	5 (2.4%)	151 (71.2%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)								(n/a)				$10,395
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 W Lea Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3304	671	42	15.9	49.9%	102 (15.2%)	6 (0.9%)	556 (82.9%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50.1	195^th of 433 public elementary schools	55.0%		43.1	237^th of 435 public elementary schools	45.5%	42	30.0	36.0	29.0
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	K-5	2106 Captain Williams Ln	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	711	39	18.1	35.2%	283 (39.8%)	7 (1.0%)	392 (55.1%)	16 (2.3%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	74.9	96^th of 433 public elementary schools	77.8%		69.8	128^th of 435 public elementary schools	70.6%	32	35.0	51.0	38.0	$8,453
Desert Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Primrose St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3310	820	55	15.0	40.1%	213 (26.0%)	9 (1.1%)	587 (71.6%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	54.2	173^rd of 433 public elementary schools	60.0%		54.8	183^rd of 435 public elementary schools	57.9%	10	36.0	40.0	27.0	$8,800
Loving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 South Sixth	Loving	88256	Eddy County	Loving	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 745-2071	335	21	15.6	94.9%	96 (28.7%)	1 (0.3%)	236 (70.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	77.5	89^th of 433 public elementary schools	79.4%		67.8	132^nd of 435 public elementary schools	69.7%	43	46.0	53.0	35.0	$14,857

Sunset Elementary

Sunset Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Carlsbad:

What do you think?

Rank History for Sunset Elementary

Rank History for all students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sunset Elementary

Rank History for White students at Sunset Elementary

Enrollment information for Sunset Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sunset Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Sunset Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sunset Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Sunset Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Sunset Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Sunset Elementary

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