The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Jimmy Carter Middle
Jimmy Carter Middle sits on Albuquerque's West Side, in the northwest quadrant of a city that publicly reports itself as New Mexico's largest, sprawling across mesas and valleys with the Rio Grande running through its center and the Sandia Mountains rising to the east. The school's Bluewater Road address places it in a part of town defined by the West Mesa and the nearby Petroglyph National Monument, an area of newer suburban development relative to the historic core around Old Town and Downtown. Albuquerque is a car-oriented city, and getting to and from campus will almost certainly mean driving. The broader city economy runs on federal installations like Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base, the University of New Mexico, healthcare systems, and a growing film sector anchored by a Netflix production hub. Publicly reported population figures for the city show a roughly flat to slightly declining trend in recent years.
The school serves grades six through eight and operates as a regular public school within Albuquerque Public Schools, one of the larger districts in the country. Its enrollment is moderate for a middle school, with students distributed across the three grade levels. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller groups of American Indian or Alaska Native, White, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places this school among those serving a high-poverty community. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported, so those population sizes are unknown here.
On state assessments for the most recent year, results were low across all three tested subjects. Math proficiency was the weakest area, with only a small fraction of tested students scoring proficient or above. English language arts showed a somewhat higher but still modest proportion of students reaching proficiency. Science, tested only at certain grade levels, fell in between. Only one year of assessment data is available, so there is no trend to describe and no way to tell whether these results represent an improvement, a decline, or a steady state. A parent considering this school may want to ask directly what academic supports and interventions are in place, particularly in mathematics, and how the school plans to move these numbers.
Several categories of information that would help round out the picture are absent. No data on course access, program offerings, extracurriculars, or career and technical education pathways was provided, so it is not possible to describe what electives or enrichment opportunities exist beyond the core curriculum. No staffing information was available, meaning class sizes, teacher qualifications, and years of experience cannot be characterized. No discipline data, attendance data, or chronic absenteeism figures were reported. Title I status was listed as null, which is unusual given the universal free-or-reduced-lunch population, and a parent may want to confirm the school's federal funding designations directly. Because this is a middle school serving only grades six through eight, no graduation rate applies, and none is reported.
The housing market around the school's zip code is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks. Typical home values sit below the statewide midpoint and well below the national figure. Renting is moderately priced and comes in below the estimated monthly cost of owning, which makes the area accessible to families who are renting. The price-to-income ratio sits at a level that suggests moderate strain for buyers but not the steep ratios seen in more expensive metros. Home values in the zip code have risen slightly year over year, while rents have edged down marginally.
Albuquerque Public Schools is the parent district, and the district brief returned no recently reported policy, curriculum, or budget changes that would be parent-relevant at this time. The search found only general geographic and demographic material, so there is nothing to relay about shifting district priorities or new initiatives.
Taken together, Jimmy Carter Middle is a traditional public middle school serving a high-poverty, predominantly Hispanic student population on Albuquerque's West Side, in a neighborhood where housing costs are manageable by local standards. Its academic results on state tests are low, particularly in math, and the absence of multi-year trend data means there is no evidence of momentum in either direction. Families considering this school would benefit from asking school leadership about academic intervention plans, available electives and programs, and the supports in place for a student body where economic need is pervasive.
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