The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Turquoise Trail Charter School
Turquoise Trail Charter School is a single-school charter district in New Mexico serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school sits in the southern part of Santa Fe County, though the available data does not include a detailed locale or community description, so we can say little about the surrounding housing market or neighborhood character. What we do have is a clear picture of the school's academic results, its student composition, and a recently announced change to its capacity.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial white enrollment and very small representations of other racial and ethnic groups. Free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, special education rates, and English learner figures were not available in the data provided, so we cannot characterize the school's economic demographics or the share of students receiving specialized services. A parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations, since they bear on the kinds of support structures in place.
On state assessments for the most recent reported year, the results split sharply by subject. English language arts proficiency is a relative strength, with roughly a third of tested students reaching proficiency. That is not a standout figure against state expectations, but it is the school's strongest area. Math proficiency is low, with only a small fraction of students testing proficient. Science falls between the two, with about a fifth of tested students proficient. The school tested a few hundred students in math and ELA and a smaller group in science, reflecting that science is assessed only at certain grade levels. Average scale scores and participation rates were not reported, so we cannot compare absolute performance levels or confirm test-taking participation. A parent weighing this school should look closely at the math results and ask what interventions or curricular changes are underway, since the gap between ELA and math is wide.
No multi-year trend data was available, which means we cannot say whether these proficiency rates are improving, declining, or holding steady. This is a gap worth noting: a single year of results tells you where the school stands now but not which direction it is moving.
The district brief, drawn from publicly reported material on the school's own admissions page, describes a recently announced expansion. For the first time in a span of years, the school is adding classes at the elementary level and opening up the middle school, which increases enrollment capacity and widens access for families across New Mexico who are seeking a charter option. The school's own messaging frames itself as a high-performing Title I charter, though the academic results in the data are more mixed than that label would suggest, particularly in math. Title I status itself was not confirmed in the structured data fields we received, which were blank.
No data was provided on course offerings, career or dual-credit pathways, advanced programs, discipline patterns, staffing ratios, or attendance. Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no high-school-level metrics apply. The absence of program and environment data is a limitation. A family considering Turquoise Trail would benefit from visiting and asking about how the school supports students who arrive below grade level in math, what the classroom experience looks like across the grade bands, and how the newly expanded middle school is structured.
In short, Turquoise Trail is a mid-sized pre-K-through-eight charter with a diverse student body, a solid ELA result, and clear challenges in math. Its recent expansion may make it more accessible than in past years. The academic picture is uneven, and the missing data on economic demographics, special populations, and programs means a family would need to fill in several blanks directly with the school before making a confident judgment about fit.
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