The top reported proficiency rate is 32% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Chaparral Elementary
Chaparral Elementary sits on East Holly in Deming, a small high-desert city that serves as the Luna County seat. Deming is a crossroads town. Interstate 10 runs through the north side, freight rail lines cross here, and State Road 11 leads south to the Columbus port of entry on the Mexican border. The local economy runs on transportation logistics, agriculture, energy production, retirement communities, tourism, and a sizable federal Border Patrol and Homeland Security presence. Publicly reported sources describe a flat, sprawling, auto-oriented city with a compact historic downtown anchored by the Luna County Courthouse Square. Annual events like the Great American Duck Race and the Luna County Salsa Festival bring vendors and street life to the square. Outside of those gatherings, daily life is largely car-dependent. The population has been essentially flat to slightly declining, and economic development messaging emphasizes tourism, agriculture, energy, and cross-border commerce rather than rapid residential growth.
Chaparral is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Deming Public Schools district. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary campus. Nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school among the highest-poverty campuses in the state. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a smaller white population and a very small number of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on English learner identification and special education enrollment was not available, so those population details cannot be described here.
On state assessments, the most recent results show a school working from a low base. English language arts was the relative bright spot, with a modest share of tested students reaching proficiency, though most students still fell below the bar. Math proficiency was lower, and science results were lower still. Only the current year's results were available, so there is no multi-year trend to speak of. Average scale scores and participation rates were not reported. A parent considering this school may want to ask how the staff approaches reading and math intervention, what the school's improvement plan looks like, and how it supports students who are below grade level. These are fair questions given the results, and they are the kind that help a family understand whether the school is moving in the right direction even when the current numbers are low.
Because Chaparral serves only the elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-credit coursework, and no career-pathway program. Those are not gaps in the data; they simply do not apply to a school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
The housing market around Chaparral is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values in the zip code sit well below the New Mexico state figure and far below the national one, and the price-to-income ratio is favorable. Rent data was not available. For families who own or are looking to buy, housing costs in the area are low. Whether that translates into stable school enrollment depends on factors the data does not fully capture, including migration patterns and the local rental market.
Several categories of school-level information were missing from the available data. There was no discipline report, no staffing or class-size detail, no attendance or chronic-absenteeism figure, no Title I status confirmation, and no course-access or program information. The district brief searched for parent-relevant changes in Deming Public Schools and found little of lasting impact to report. Without these pieces, it is hard to paint a full picture of the school environment, classroom resources, or recent district priorities. A parent visiting the campus or calling the front office can reasonably ask about class sizes, intervention programs, after-school offerings, and how the school communicates with families.
Chaparral is a small, high-poverty elementary school in a border-town crossroads community where housing is inexpensive and the local economy is anchored by federal employment, freight, and agriculture. Its state assessment results are low across all tested subjects, with only a single year of data available and several key metrics missing. Families evaluating this school will get the clearest read by going directly to the staff, asking about academic improvement efforts, and walking the campus to get a sense of the classroom environment and the people working with the children.
See more original research from School Decision →