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Launch Complex 33Launch Complex 33 · Photo: NASA · Public domain
B−
Schools in White Sands · Las Cruces Public Schools

White Sands’s public schools outscore 54% of New Mexico districts

The grade covers the public school district serving White Sands, 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.

K–12Where will my kid go?

From New Mexico state tests taken in spring 2022, when 93% 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
33%
▼ 1 pts vs NM 34%
2021–22
Math proficiency
22%
▼ 2 pts vs NM 24%
2021–22
Graduate on time
82%
▲ 6 pts vs NM 76%
class of 2023
Spent per student
$16.9K
▼ 4% vs NM $17.7K
FY2024
Students per teacher
11.4
NM 12.9 · smaller classes
Schools in town
1
7,690 students on the public path
In brief

White Sands’s schools, in brief

Better than its incomes would predict

Among the 103 New Mexico towns with household incomes within a quarter of White Sands’s, its schools beat 66%, higher than their 54% against all the state’s districts. The grade ↓

Results trail the state

In spring 2022, 33% of tested students were proficient in reading and 22% in math, against 34% and 24% statewide; 93% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓

Graduation

82% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 76% across New Mexico. Districts ↓

Spending and class size

The district spends $16,907 per student, against $17,681 across New Mexico (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓

One elementary school, then five high schools

Which school depends on the address at the later steps. See the path ↓

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 White Sands’s grade

B− Test scoresB Graduation

B−: better than 54% of New Mexico school districts. Graduation is above the New Mexico average; test scores are below it.

New Mexico school districts we grade (139)Better than 54%
Lower resultsHigher results
New Mexico towns with similar household incomes (103)Better than 66%
B−BA fairly firm grade. Ordinary sampling error in 11,855 test results and a graduating class of 1,870 could put White Sands anywhere from B− to B. The tests are from spring 2022, when 93% of White Sands’s students in the tested grades sat them (11,861 in math, 11,849 in reading).

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where will my kid go?

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

The path, start to finish
PK–8White Sands ElementaryLas Cruces Public SchoolsNo scores
9–125 high schoolsDepends on your addressC+ to A+

White Sands’s public schools are run by Las Cruces Public Schools, which also serves Las Cruces and Mesilla. 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.

Las Cruces Public SchoolsGrades PK–12 · 39 schools · 22,670 students, down 3% since 2020–21 · 11.4 per teacher (NM 12.9)
$16,907NM $17,681 · FY2024
B−
Test scores · 2021–22

Close to the state in reading

Reading33%
State average 33.8% · 11849 students tested
Math22%
State average 24.5% · 11861 students tested

White Sands vs. its neighbors

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

Schools next door
TownSchoolsMain districts
White SandsB−Las Cruces

Every school in White Sands

6 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 White Sandsby address
White Sands Elementary
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Las Cruces
270 students11:1Rate it →
Also serving White Sandsin other towns
Organ Mountain High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Las Cruces
B
2,128 studentsRate it →
Centennial High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Las Cruces
A−
1,713 students13:1Rate it →
Las Cruces High
High · Grades 9–12 · Las Cruces
B
1,703 studentsRate it →
Mayfield High
High · Grades 9–12 · Las Cruces
C+
1,327 studentsRate it →
Arrowhead Park Early College High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Las Cruces
A+
549 students9:1Rate it →

Questions about White Sands’s schools

Are White Sands’s schools good?

They sit near the middle of New Mexico: the public schools White Sands children attend outscore 54% of New Mexico’s school districts on tests and graduation, a B− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they beat 66%. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.

What school district is White Sands in?

Las Cruces Public Schools, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 22,670 students in 39 schools (2024–25).

Where do White Sands kids go to high school?

One of 5 high schools, depending on your address: Organ Mountain High School, Centennial High School, Las Cruces High, Mayfield High and Arrowhead Park Early College High School.

What is White Sands’s graduation rate?

82% of the class of 2023 in Las Cruces Public Schools graduated in four years, against 76% across New Mexico.

How much does White Sands spend per student?

$16,907 in Las Cruces Public Schools (FY2024), against $17,681 across New Mexico. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.

Parents talk

What White Sands families are saying about school.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Looking for colleges? Colleges near White Sands → 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.