The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Science. The lowest is 23% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Aldo Leopold Charter
Aldo Leopold Charter sits on West Tenth Street in Silver City, a small southwestern New Mexico town where a historic downtown grid meets the foothills of the Pinos Altos Range and the vast Gila National Forest. Silver City blends a walkable commercial core of galleries, murals, and restaurants with residential neighborhoods, the Western New Mexico University campus, and the civic functions of a county seat. The town's economy runs on university employment, government, healthcare, tourism and arts, and copper mining operations that have defined the region since the early nineteenth century. Publicly reported data describe a town whose population has been gradually declining rather than growing, with attention directed toward downtown revitalization and cultural programming rather than large-scale new housing. The surrounding housing market sits well below both state and national benchmarks, which may appeal to families seeking affordability in a rural university town.
The school itself is a charter serving grades six through twelve, with an enrollment that is modest for its grade band. The student body is majority white with a substantial Hispanic presence and very small numbers of other racial and ethnic groups. A meaningful share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on individualized education programs and English learner status were not available, so those population details remain unknown here.
On the most recent state assessments, Aldo Leopold Charter shows a distinctive academic profile. English language arts proficiency runs well above what most New Mexico schools post, with a clear majority of tested students reaching proficient or above. Science results are even stronger, with a large share of tested students demonstrating proficiency. Math tells a different story: proficiency there is low, with only a small fraction of tested students reaching the proficient threshold. This gap between literacy and science on one hand and mathematics on the other is wide enough that a parent may want to look into how the school approaches math instruction and what supports are available for students who need to build quantitative skills.
Only a single year of assessment data was available, so no trend over time could be established. The school's grade band includes middle and high school grades, but the state results reported here cover the tested grades in the three-through-eight band. High school-specific outcomes such as a graduation rate were not provided in the available data. Course access details, including any Advanced Placement, dual-credit, or career-technical offerings, were not included in the materials we received, nor were staffing, attendance, or discipline data. Families considering Aldo Leopold Charter for the upper grades would do well to ask the school directly about its high school curriculum, graduation track record, and postsecondary pathways.
We looked for recent district-level changes that parents might care about but found little of lasting impact, so there is nothing to report there.
What emerges from the available picture is a small charter secondary school in an affordable, culturally rich small town, with genuine strengths in literacy and science and a clear soft spot in mathematics. The setting would suit families drawn to outdoor access, a compact arts-oriented community, and a university-adjacent town, especially those willing to supplement or investigate further where the data is thin or where the school's math results lag.
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