The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in English language arts. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on La Academia Dolores Huerta
La Academia Dolores Huerta is a small, single-school charter district in New Mexico serving middle school grades only. It operates as one school within its own district boundaries, educating students in grades six through eight. The enrollment is quite small for its grade band, which means students learn in a tight, intimate setting where peers and staff know one another well. The student body is almost entirely Hispanic, with a small handful of students from other racial backgrounds. Data on free or reduced-price lunch, special education, and English learner populations was not available, so a complete picture of the student body's economic and linguistic needs is missing from what we have.
On state assessments, the academic results are mixed and in one area quite low. In English language arts, a fair share of tested students reached proficiency, landing in a range that suggests the school's literacy instruction is reaching a solid portion of its students. In mathematics, proficiency was far lower, with only a small fraction of tested students meeting the state bar. This is a sharp gap between the two subjects and points to math as an area where a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what instruction and support look like in that subject. Science results were suppressed, which commonly reflects a very small testing group; with so few students in the tested grade, state rules suppress the figure to protect privacy, so the absence here reflects the scale of the school rather than a withheld result.
No multi-year trend data was available, so we cannot say whether proficiency is improving or declining over time. Participation rate data was also missing from the assessment records. Average scale scores were not reported in any subject.
The school's operational situation carries real weight for families. Publicly reported sources document that La Academia Dolores Huerta was evicted from its building and relocated to share property with Alma d'Arte Charter High School after the Las Cruces Public Schools board approved a sublease arrangement. The school now leases on a year-to-year basis, which means future location changes remain possible. For a family weighing day-to-day stability, commute, and the physical environment their child will walk into, that year-to-year lease is a concrete factor to keep in mind and ask about directly.
On the authorization side, the picture is more settled. The school's charter was renewed for a five-year term running through 2026, as documented in the New Mexico Public Education Department's annual performance report. That renewal gives parents a degree of certainty about the school's near-term future and its right to operate, even as its physical site remains less fixed.
We looked for locale, housing, community economic context, neighbor comparison, civil rights, course access, staffing, attendance, and discipline data, and found none available in the records provided. The absence of housing and community context means we cannot describe the surrounding area, cost of living, or what the local residential market looks like for a family considering a move. The absence of course access and staffing data means we cannot speak to advanced coursework, electives, counselor ratios, or teacher experience. Programs data was also not available, so any description of extracurriculars, arts, or specialized offerings would be a guess, and we leave that out rather than invent it.
What the available evidence does establish is a very small, culturally focused middle school serving a predominantly Hispanic student body, with stronger results in reading than in math and a science score too small to publish. Its charter is secure through 2026, but its building situation is year-to-year after a recent eviction and relocation. For a family drawn to a small, mission-aligned middle school environment, the fit may come down to how comfortable they are with that physical uncertainty and how directly the school can speak to its math outcomes.
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