Is Nizhoni Elementary a good school?

Nizhoni Elementary ranks in the bottom 0.5% of New Mexico elementary schools.

How many students attend Nizhoni Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 253 students attended Nizhoni Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Nizhoni Elementary?

Students at Nizhoni Elementary are 94% American Indian, 4% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Nizhoni Elementary attend?

Students who attend Nizhoni Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Tse Bit Ai Middle High : Shiprock High

Nizhoni Elementary

Summary:

Nizhoni Elementary is a public elementary school located in Shiprock, New Mexico, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 276 students. The school is part of the Central School District, which is ranked 108 out of 119 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Nizhoni Elementary has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in New Mexico over the past decade, with rankings ranging from 328 out of 374 schools in 2016-2017 to 434 out of 435 schools in 2022-2023. The school has received a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period, indicating very poor academic performance. Nizhoni Elementary's performance is particularly concerning for specific student subgroups, such as Native American students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, who rank among the lowest in the state. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments are significantly lower than the state and district averages, with only 9% of students proficient in English Language Arts, 5% in Mathematics, and 7% in Science, compared to the state averages of 39%, 25%, and 36%, respectively.

While Nizhoni Elementary is the lowest-performing school in the immediate area, some of the nearby schools, such as Judy Nelson Elementary and Eva B Stokely Elementary, are performing significantly better, with higher rankings and test scores. Nizhoni Elementary has a relatively low student-teacher ratio, suggesting that the school may have adequate resources in terms of staffing, but the low academic performance indicates that other factors, such as curriculum, instruction, or school climate, may be contributing to the poor outcomes. The school's performance has remained consistently low over the past decade, with no significant improvement in its rankings or test scores, indicating that the school may be facing deep-rooted challenges that have not been effectively addressed.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

Hwy 491
Shiprock, NM 87420

(505) 368-4565

District: Central

SchoolDigger Rank:
431^st of 433 New Mexico Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $11,021

Students who attend Nizhoni Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Tse Bit Ai Middle
High:	Shiprock High

Student/teacher ratio: 12.0

Number of students: 253

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

94.5%

Hispanic:

3.6%

Asian:

0.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 70%

See top rated New Mexico elementary schools

Compare Nizhoni Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Nizhoni Elementary ranks worse than 99.5% of elementary schools in New Mexico. It also ranks last among 7 ranked elementary schools in the Central School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 6.13. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: American Indian (94.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian (0.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 70% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Nizhoni Elementary is 12. 4 elementary schools in the Central School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Nizhoni Elementary employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Nizhoni Elementary is $11,021. 7 elementary schools in the Central School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Nizhoni Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Nizhoni Elementary 431^st of 433 New Mexico public elementary schools. (See Nizhoni Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Male students:

Native American students:

Central:

SchoolDigger ranks Central 108^th of 119 New Mexico school districts. (See district ranking list.)

What do you think?

Your rating for Nizhoni Elementary?

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Rank History for Nizhoni Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2005	4.51	386^th	389	0.8%
2006	12.59	372^nd	390	4.6%
2007	9.54	382^nd	398	4.0%
2008	14.49	379^th	405	6.4%
2009	17.42	371^st	411	9.7%
2010	18.65	375^th	419	10.5%
2011	14.68	369^th	402	8.2%
2012	14.90	369^th	398	7.3%
2013	20.62	351^st	412	14.8%
2014	16.22	407^th	442	7.9%
2015	24.25	345^th	421	18.1%
2016	12.09	402^nd	410	2.0%
2017	17.06	328^th	374	12.3%
2018	10.99	371^st	383	3.1%
2019	9.49	387^th	396	2.3%
2022	7.43	402^nd	420	4.3%
2023	5.46	434^th	435	0.2%
2024	6.13	431^st	433	0.5%

See the entire list of New Mexico Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	25.85	81^st	98	17.3%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	12.88	343^rd	356	3.7%
2019	10.60	352^nd	361	2.5%
2022	7.13	363^rd	410	11.5%
2023	4.22	425^th	426	0.2%
2024	7.35	233^rd	237	1.7%

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

Rank History for Female students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	8.95	335^th	339	1.2%
2019	10.69	329^th	343	4.1%

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

Rank History for Male students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	13.30	319^th	333	4.2%
2024	6.38	408^th	410	0.5%

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

Rank History for Native American students at Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	17.52	42^nd	48	12.5%
2019	10.16	62^nd	64	3.1%
2023	5.85	92^nd	92	0.0%
2024	6.40	79^th	79	0.0%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Native American 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 Nizhoni Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1990	5	0	0	0	296	n/a	n/a	301
1991	0	0	0	1	300	n/a	n/a	301
1992	2	0	0	0	296	n/a	n/a	298
1993	3	0	0	0	277	n/a	n/a	280
1994	5	0	0	0	257	n/a	n/a	262
1995	3	1	0	0	356	n/a	n/a	360
1996	3	1	0	0	356	n/a	n/a	360
1997	0	2	0	0	366	n/a	n/a	368
1998	1	0	0	0	417	n/a	n/a	418
1999	0	0	0	0	395	n/a	n/a	395
2000	0	0	0	0	372	n/a	n/a	372
2001	1	0	0	0	369	n/a	n/a	370
2002	3	0	0	0	313	n/a	n/a	316
2003	3	0	0	0	313	n/a	n/a	316
2004	3	0	0	0	307	n/a	n/a	310
2005	1	0	1	1	314	n/a	n/a	317
2006	1	0	0	1	304	n/a	n/a	306
2007	2	0	0	1	324	n/a	n/a	327
2008	2	0	0	1	319	n/a	n/a	322
2009	0	1	0	0	391	n/a	n/a	392
2010	0	1	1	0	415	0	0	417
2011	2	0	0	1	503	0	0	506
2012	0	0	1	1	492	0	0	494
2013	0	0	1	1	477	0	1	480
2014	0	0	1	1	536	0	0	538
2015	4	0	2	1	535	0	4	546
2016	2	0	4	8	510	0	22	546
2017	0	0	3	6	426	0	27	462
2018	1	0	0	6	366	0	16	389
2019	0	0	0	8	354	0	25	387
2020	0	0	3	5	325	0	22	355
2021	0	0	3	7	262	0	20	292
2022	0	0	2	7	279	0	10	298
2023	0	0	1	7	262	0	6	276
2024	0	1	2	9	239	0	2	253

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 Nizhoni Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	301	18.8	16.0	n/a
1991	301	18.0	16.7	n/a
1992	298	17.0	17.5	n/a
1993	280	18.0	15.6	n/a
1994	262	17.0	15.4	n/a
1995	360	22.1	16.3	n/a
1996	360	22.1	16.3	n/a
1997	368	22.0	16.7	n/a
1998	418	24.0	17.4	n/a
1999	395	25.5	15.5	94.2
2000	372	27.2	13.7	93.5
2001	370	27.7	13.4	99.2
2002	316	23.0	13.7	87.7
2003	316	23.0	13.7	87.7
2004	310	24.4	12.7	97.4
2005	317	23.2	13.7	95.9
2006	306	22.5	13.6	99
2007	327	25.0	13.1	99.1
2008	322	29.3	11.0	77.6
2009	392	26.1	15.0	99.2
2010	417	25.9	16.1	99.3
2011	506	27.9	18.1	97
2012	494	29.0	17.0	99.4
2013	480	27.5	17.4	93.8
2014	538	25.5	21.0	65.2
2015	546	28.0	19.5	97.6
2016	546	33.0	16.5	100
2017	462	31.0	14.9	38.7
2018	389	24.9	15.6	100
2019	387	20.9	18.4	100
2020	355	23.1	15.3	100
2021	292	23.1	12.6	100
2022	298	21.8	13.6	100
2023	276	21.0	13.1	100
2024	253	21.0	12.0	70

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 Nizhoni Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	301	18.8	16.0	n/a
1991	301	18.0	16.7	n/a
1992	298	17.0	17.5	n/a
1993	280	18.0	15.6	n/a
1994	262	17.0	15.4	n/a
1995	360	22.1	16.3	n/a
1996	360	22.1	16.3	n/a
1997	368	22.0	16.7	n/a
1998	418	24.0	17.4	n/a
1999	395	25.5	15.5	94.2
2000	372	27.2	13.7	93.5
2001	370	27.7	13.4	99.2
2002	316	23.0	13.7	87.7
2003	316	23.0	13.7	87.7
2004	310	24.4	12.7	97.4
2005	317	23.2	13.7	95.9
2006	306	22.5	13.6	99
2007	327	25.0	13.1	99.1
2008	322	29.3	11.0	77.6
2009	392	26.1	15.0	99.2
2010	417	25.9	16.1	99.3
2011	506	27.9	18.1	97
2012	494	29.0	17.0	99.4
2013	480	27.5	17.4	93.8
2014	538	25.5	21.0	65.2
2015	546	28.0	19.5	97.6
2016	546	33.0	16.5	100
2017	462	31.0	14.9	38.7
2018	389	24.9	15.6	100
2019	387	20.9	18.4	100
2020	355	23.1	15.3	100
2021	292	23.1	12.6	100
2022	298	21.8	13.6	100
2023	276	21.0	13.1	100
2024	253	21.0	12.0	70

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 Nizhoni Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$11,021

Data source: New Mexico Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Nizhoni 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 387^th of 396 Elementary schools	Ranks 434^th of 435 Elementary schools	2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
5th Grade Language Arts (Nizhoni Elementary)	20	12	8%
5th Grade Language Arts (Central)	30	22.1	7.9%
5th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	33	35.7	2.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Nizhoni Elementary)	9	6	3%
5th Grade Mathematics (Central)	18	17.7	0.3%
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	387	276	28.7%
African American	0	0
American Indian	354	262	26%
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	8	7	12.5%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	0	0
Two or More Races	25	6	76%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Nizhoni 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
Nizhoni Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	Hwy 491	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4565	253	21	12.0	70.0%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	9 (3.6%)	2 (0.8%)	239 (94.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	6.1	431^st of 433 public elementary schools	0.5%		5.5	434^th of 435 public elementary schools	0.2%	3	7.0	9.0	5.0	$11,021
Eva B Stokely Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	West Hwy 64	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-5109	212	24	9.0	68.4%	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.3%)	1 (0.5%)	198 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.9%)	37.9	251^st of 433 public elementary schools	42.0%		42.2	243^rd of 435 public elementary schools	44.1%	8	25.0	30.0	25.0	$13,874
Dream Dine Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	Highway 64 Milepost 23 NW	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-2500	24	2	12.0	62.5%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Mesa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	N Hwy 491 Mesa School Rd	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 368-4529	260	18	14.8	67.7%	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	248 (95.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	7.1	428^th of 433 public elementary schools	1.2%		10.1	422^nd of 435 public elementary schools	3.0%	6	15.0	11.0	4.0	$11,357
Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community School	Public	K-6	Pinon Street Bdg 1415	Shiprock	87420	San Juan County	Atsa' Biya' a'zh Community School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 368-2100	136	10	13.6	97.8%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	136 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Nenahnezad Community School	Public	K-6	6675 SJ County Road South	Fruitland	87416	San Juan County	Nenahnezad Community School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(505) 960-6922	146	4	36.5	97.9%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	146 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Judy Nelson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	40 Cr 6580	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 598-6285	467	38	12.2	66.6%	76 (16.3%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (13.3%)	3 (0.6%)	309 (66.2%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (3.2%)	58.8	150^th of 433 public elementary schools	65.4%		50.3	200^th of 435 public elementary schools	54.0%	50	28.0	36.0	38.0	$11,168
Beclabito Day School	Public	K-4	Clliford Ward Drive Hwy 64 Wes	Beclabito	87420	San Juan County	Beclabito Day School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(928) 656-3555	36	5	7.2	91.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Kirtland Pre-K Early Childhood Center	Public	PK	10 Cr 6400	Kirtland	87417	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	No	(505) 598-4550	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Ojo Amarillo Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	Rd 6500 And Rd 6466	Fruitland	87416	San Juan County	Central	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(505) 960-5271	299	25	11.9	75.9%	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	279 (93.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	16.1	385^th of 433 public elementary schools	11.1%		16.7	388^th of 435 public elementary schools	10.8%	3	11.0	17.0	15.0	$11,665

Nizhoni Elementary

Nizhoni Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Central:

What do you think?

Rank History for Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for all students at Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Nizhoni Elementary

Rank History for Native American students at Nizhoni Elementary

Enrollment information for Nizhoni Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Nizhoni Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Nizhoni Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Nizhoni Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Nizhoni Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Nizhoni Elementary