The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Don Cecilio Martinez Elementary
Don Cecilio Martinez Elementary is a small, early-grades school serving only second and third graders on the west side of Las Vegas, New Mexico, within the West Las Vegas school district. The school is a regular public school, and its narrow grade band means it functions as a transitional step for young children rather than a full elementary experience under one roof. Families here are sending their children into a setting where nearly every student qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which speaks to the economic challenges facing this part of the community. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with very small numbers of children from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
On state assessments, the most recent results show real difficulty. In math, only a small fraction of tested third graders reached proficiency, and in English language arts the share meeting that bar was higher but still modest. These are sobering figures, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what supports and interventions are in place, especially given that this is a two-grade building where early literacy and numeracy are the central academic work. A science proficiency figure exists in the data, but it comes from an older assessment administered under a different test name several years ago, so it cannot be read alongside the current math and reading results as a comparable trend. No multi-year trend data is available for the current assessment period, so it is hard to say whether performance is improving, holding steady, or slipping.
Several data gaps are worth naming. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learner status was not available, which limits the picture of how the school serves children with specialized needs. Discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance data were also absent, so we cannot speak to class sizes, teacher experience, or disciplinary patterns from what was provided. Title I status was not reported, though the universal free-or-reduced-price meal eligibility strongly suggests the school serves a high-poverty population.
Las Vegas, New Mexico is a historic small city in San Miguel County with a distinctive dual character. Publicly reported sources describe it as originating from two separate municipalities: West Las Vegas, or Old Town, laid out in Spanish Colonial style around a central plaza as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, and East Las Vegas, or New Town, which grew around the railroad depot one mile east. Though unified under one city charter, the two sides retain separate school districts, and Don Cecilio Martinez sits on the west side within the West Las Vegas district. The city has a large number of structures on the National Register of Historic Places, many from the railroad era. New Mexico Highlands University is a major institutional employer and anchor, and county government provides additional employment. The population has been declining over recent census counts, and the area was affected by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire, the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history.
The housing market around the school is relatively affordable compared with state and national benchmarks. Home values in the school's zip code sit well below the statewide and national levels, which may make ownership accessible for some families, though mortgage rates remain elevated. No rent data was available for this area.
We looked for the district's strategic priorities or recent parent-relevant changes and found little publicly reported, so we left that out rather than guess. What the data does show is a small school in a historic, economically pressed community, serving very young children at a critical stage of their education, with current academic results that point to a need for close attention and conversation with school staff.
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