White Sands Elementary ranks No. 1 in Las Cruces, No. 6 statewide

White Sands Elementary earned the No. 1 ranking among Las Cruces elementary schools in the U.S. News & World Report 2027 Best Elementary Schools list. The school also placed No. 6 statewide out of 339 ranked elementary schools in New Mexico.

The small school on White Sands Missile Range enrolls 270 students in grades PK-8. According to U.S. News, 75% of its students scored at or above the proficient level in reading and 64% reached that mark in math. Both figures rated "well above expectations," according to the rankings.

Those numbers stand out against the Las Cruces Public Schools district averages. According to the district's U.S. News profile, 39% of elementary students districtwide tested proficient in reading and 29% tested proficient in math.

White Sands Elementary has a student-teacher ratio of 11:1, matching the district average, according to U.S. News. All 26 of its full-time teachers are certified. The school is classified as a public school in a "distant rural" setting and is not a charter school.

Other top Las Cruces schools

Desert Hills Elementary ranked No. 2 in Las Cruces and No. 39 statewide. The school on North Roadrunner Parkway serves 502 students in grades PK-5. Its reading proficiency rate was 61% and math proficiency was 42%, according to U.S. News. Both scores rated "well above expectations." Desert Hills has a 12:1 student-teacher ratio and 42 full-time teachers, all certified.

Sonoma Elementary came in No. 3 locally and No. 88 statewide. The Northrise Drive school enrolls 660 students in grades PK-5. Its reading proficiency was 46% and math proficiency was 38%, according to U.S. News. Both scores also rated "well above expectations." Sonoma has 55 full-time teachers, 94% of whom are certified.

All three top-ranked Las Cruces schools enroll 100% economically disadvantaged students, according to U.S. News.

District snapshot

Las Cruces Public Schools serves 22,782 students across 39 schools, according to U.S. News. The district has 22 ranked elementary schools. Districtwide, 66.7% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, and 98.6% of teachers are licensed. The district spends $15,157 per student each year.

How the rankings work

U.S. News' 2027 Best Elementary Schools rankings evaluate student achievement in mathematics and reading/language arts, taking student demographics into account. The methodology uses expanded state assessment data collected by RTI International, alongside U.S. Department of Education data. Student-teacher ratios are used to break ties in overall scores.

The assessment data underlying the 2027 rankings comes from the 2023-2024 school year, and school profile data comes from the Common Core of Data (2025), according to U.S. News.