The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gadsden Middle
Gadsden Middle sits in Anthony, a small border community perched on the New Mexico-Texas line in the Upper Mesilla Valley. The school serves seventh and eighth graders as a regular public campus within the Gadsden Independent School District, the public school system that covers Anthony and its surroundings. Anthony itself is a young, predominantly Hispanic town that incorporated only recently by local standards, stretching along Interstate 10 with the railroad forming its western edge. It functions mainly as a residential and commuting community within the El Paso-Las Cruces corridor, with modest commercial activity along its highway frontage and limited walkability. Median household income is low, and the poverty rate is elevated. Publicly reported sources describe a population that has been roughly flat or slightly declining since incorporation, with a modest recent rebound. The town has no independent public transit, and most residents drive to work, many toward El Paso or Las Cruces.
The student body at Gadsden Middle reflects its community. Nearly every student identifies as Hispanic, and the entire enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is a mid-sized middle school for its grade band. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the sources reviewed, so those populations could not be characterized here. The gap is worth noting, because in a community where income levels are low and a large share of residents are under eighteen, understanding the full range of student needs matters, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about special education and English-language support.
On state assessments from the most recent year, Gadsden Middle shows a clear split between subjects. English language arts is the school's relative strength, with a proficiency rate that sits well above its math and science results and represents the area where the largest share of tested students reached proficiency. Math proficiency is considerably lower, with roughly one in five tested students meeting the bar. Science falls in between, closer to math than to ELA. The school had only a single year of assessment data available, so no trend could be computed and no direction, up or down, can be read from these results alone. A parent evaluating this school should treat these as a current snapshot rather than a trajectory. Average scale scores and participation rates were also missing from the available data, so the proficiency figures stand on their own without that additional context.
Because Gadsden Middle serves only seventh and eighth grades, it has no graduation rate, and that absence reflects its grade band rather than any shortcoming. The same applies to AP, dual-credit, and career-pathway measures, which are not part of what this school reports. We looked for course access, staffing, discipline, and attendance data and found none available, so those dimensions are left out here rather than guessed. Program offerings were not reported either. The district brief for Gadsden Independent School District turned up little of lasting impact regarding recent referendums, curriculum changes, budget shifts, or property tax matters, so there is nothing to relay on that front.
Housing in the Anthony area is relatively affordable compared with both state and national benchmarks, with typical home values sitting well below the New Mexico statewide figure and further below the national mark. The estimated price-to-income ratio is moderate, and while mortgage rates remain elevated by recent historical standards, the cost of ownership here is lower than in most places a family might consider. Rental data was not available, so a full picture of the rental market could not be assembled.
What a family finds at Gadsden Middle is a community-rooted middle school serving a homogeneous, low-income student population in a small border town with a young demographic profile. The academic picture is mixed: English language arts stands out as the stronger subject, while math and science remain areas where a smaller share of students are reaching proficiency. Without trend data, staffing information, or program details, the portrait is necessarily incomplete, and a parent weighing this school would benefit from asking directly about instructional support in math, availability of tutoring or intervention programs, and how the school serves its English learners and students with disabilities.
See more original research from School Decision →