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Portales, New MexicoPhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
B+
Schools in Portales · Portales Municipal Schools

Portales’s public schools outscore 66% of New Mexico districts

In Portales, 29% of tested students are proficient in math, above the New Mexico average (24%). The grade covers the public school district serving Portales, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within New Mexico, not nationally.

#8of 73 New Mexico townsK–12Where will my kid go?

From New Mexico state tests taken in spring 2022, when 92% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

Reading proficiency
35%
▲ 1 pts vs NM 34%
2021–22
Math proficiency
29%
▲ 4 pts vs NM 24%
2021–22
Graduate on time
80–84%
▲ 4–8 pts vs NM 76%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$17.6K
▼ 1% vs NM $17.7K
FY2024
Students per teacher
11.7
NM 12.9 · smaller classes
Schools in town
7
2,518 students on the public path
In brief

Portales’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 131 New Mexico towns with household incomes within a quarter of Portales’s, its schools beat 92%, higher than their 66% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Above the state on both counts

Reading proficiency is 35% and math 29% in spring 2022, against 34% and 24% statewide; 80–84% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 76%. Test scores ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $17,577 per student, against $17,681 across New Mexico (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then one elementary, one middle and one high school

From grade 3 the district’s path is Valencia Elementary, then Portales Jr. High, then Portales High. See the path ↓

Choice beyond the district

Generations Academy (private) is in town. Every school ↓

Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.

The School Grade

What’s behind Portales’s grade

B Test scoresB Graduation

B+: better than 66% of New Mexico school districts, #8 of 73 New Mexico towns. Test scores and graduation are both above the New Mexico average; graduation is the stronger of the two.

New Mexico school districts we grade (139)Better than 66%
Lower resultsHigher results
New Mexico towns with similar household incomes (131)Better than 92%
B−B+A fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 1,262 test results and a graduating class of 193 could put Portales anywhere from B− to B+. The tests are from spring 2022, when 92% of Portales’s students in the tested grades sat them (1,259 in math, 1,264 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Portales, with each school’s own grade.

The path, start to finish
PK–KBrown Early Childhood CenterPortales Municipal SchoolsNo scores
3–4Valencia ElementaryPortales Municipal SchoolsB−
7–8Portales Jr. HighPortales Municipal SchoolsC+
9–12Portales HighPortales Municipal SchoolsC−

Portales’s public schools are run by Portales Municipal Schools. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.

The district

Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.

Portales Municipal SchoolsGrades PK–12 · 6 schools · 2,518 students, down 4% since 2020–21 · 11.7 per teacher (NM 12.9)
$17,577NM $17,681 · FY2024
B+
Test scores · 2021–22

Close to the state in reading

Reading35%
State average 33.8% · 1264 students tested
Math29%
State average 24.5% · 1259 students tested

Portales vs. its neighbors

Schools grades for the New Mexico towns that share Portales’s borders.

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
PortalesB+Portales Municipal Schools

Every school in Portales

7 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with New Mexico’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).

District schools in Portalesby address
Brown Early Childhood Center
Elementary · Grades PK–K
332 students9:1Rate it →
James Elementary
Elementary · Grades 1–2
364 students10:1Rate it →
Valencia Elementary
Elementary · Grades 3–4
B−
366 students11:1Rate it →
Lindsey-Steiner Elementary
Middle · Grades 5–6
B−
376 students13:1Rate it →
Portales Jr. High
Middle · Grades 7–8
C+
326 students9:1Rate it →
Portales High
High · Grades 9–12
C−
754 students16:1Rate it →
Private schoolstuition; no state tests, so no grade
Generations Academy
Grades PK–12
Private · Religious
82 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about Portales’s schools

Are Portales’s schools good?

By New Mexico’s own tests, yes: the public schools Portales children attend outscore 66% of New Mexico’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B+ Schools grade, #8 of 73 New Mexico towns. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 92%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is Portales in?

Portales Municipal Schools, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,518 students in 6 schools (2024–25).

Where do Portales kids go to high school?

Portales High, with 754 students; its own test results earn a C−.

What is Portales’s graduation rate?

80–84% of the class of 2023 in Portales Municipal Schools graduated in four years, against 76% across New Mexico.

How much does Portales spend per student?

$17,577 in Portales Municipal Schools (FY2024), against $17,681 across New Mexico. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Are there private schools in Portales?

Yes: Generations Academy (religious, grades PK–12, 82 students).

Parents talk

What Portales families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near Portales → They have their own page.

School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within New Mexico. Stars are from neighbors.