The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kirtland Middle
Kirtland Middle sits on a rural county road in Kirtland, a very small, recently incorporated town in San Juan County within the Farmington metro area. The school serves seventh and eighth graders only, drawing from a community that publicly reports its identity as rooted in its founding by Mormon settlers in the 1880s, with a rural residential character along US Highway 64 and Brigham Street. The town has no traditional downtown, no public transit, and limited commercial activity. Most residents commute by car, many likely to Farmington for work. Housing here is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks, with home values well below the state midpoint. The housing stock dates largely from the 1990s and 2000s, and a substantial portion of occupied homes are mobile homes. Homeownership is high. For a family considering this area, the housing market offers a lower cost of entry than much of New Mexico, though the tradeoff is a car-dependent setting with few civic amenities within the incorporated town itself.
The student body at Kirtland Middle is predominantly American Indian, specifically Diné, with smaller Hispanic and White populations and a small multiracial group. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the surrounding community. This is a school serving a high-poverty, largely Native student population in a rural corner of the state. Data on English learners and special education enrollment was not available, so those populations could not be described here.
On the most recent state assessments, Kirtland Middle's results tell a mixed story. In English language arts, the proficiency rate sits in a moderate range, with a meaningful share of tested students meeting or exceeding proficiency. Math results are notably lower, with a smaller portion of students reaching proficiency. Science falls in a similar low range, though fewer students were tested in science given the grade levels served. Only a single year of assessment data was available, so no trend could be computed. Participation rates and average scale scores were not reported in the data provided. A parent reviewing these results may want to ask the school directly about how it supports math and science instruction and what interventions are in place, since the proficiency numbers suggest those are the areas where students are struggling most.
Because Kirtland Middle serves only seventh and eighth grades, it has no graduation rate, no AP or career-technical course data, and no high school level program offerings to report. The data provided did not include information about course access, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, discipline, or Title I status. Civil rights data was also absent. We looked for the district's strategic priorities or recent parent-relevant changes in Central Consolidated School District but found little of lasting impact in publicly reported sources, so that material was left out rather than guessed.
The comparison fact-set that would position Kirtland Middle against neighboring schools was not available, so its standing relative to peers in San Juan County could not be assessed here.
For a family weighing this school, the clearest picture is of a small middle school in a quiet, rural, affordable community serving a largely Diné student body with near-universal economic need. Reading outcomes are the relative bright spot. Math and science proficiency are low, and a parent would be right to probe what the school is doing to strengthen those areas. The surrounding town offers space, lower housing costs, and a close-knit setting, but little in the way of walkability, transit, or commercial amenities. Whether that fits a family depends on what they want from a community and how much they value proximity to Farmington's broader services and employment base.
See more original research from School Decision →