Is Desert Willow Elementary a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary ranks 173 rd of 433 New Mexico elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 820 students attended Desert Willow Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary are 72% Hispanic, 26% White, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Desert Willow Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Willow Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus High : Carlsbad High

Desert Willow Elementary School in Carlsbad NM

Performance Trends

Compare Details Desert Willow Elementary ranks better than 60% of elementary schools in New Mexico. It also ranks last among 4 ranked elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 54.21. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Desert Willow Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Carlsbad School District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (71.6%), White (26%), African American (1.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 40.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary is 15, which is the lowest among 6 elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District! (See more...)

Compare Desert Willow Elementary employs 54.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Willow Elementary is $8,800, which is the 3^rd highest among 4 elementary schools in the Carlsbad School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Desert Willow Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Willow Elementary 173^rd of 433 New Mexico public elementary schools. (See Desert Willow Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Carlsbad:

SchoolDigger ranks Carlsbad 80^th of 119 New Mexico school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Desert Willow Elementary?

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Rank History for Desert Willow Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2019	57.25	141^st	396	64.4%
2022	41.68	210^th	420	50.0%
2023	54.79	183^rd	435	57.9%
2024	54.21	173^rd	433	60.0%

See the entire list of New Mexico Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	32.36	57^th	83	31.3%
2023	75.22	47^th	191	75.4%
2024	46.02	97^th	166	41.6%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	41.02	106^th	165	35.8%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	56.42	128^th	356	64.0%
2019	53.88	144^th	361	60.1%
2022	30.17	262^nd	410	36.1%
2023	53.98	190^th	426	55.4%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	8.77	36^th	36	0.0%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	52.48	138^th	339	59.3%
2019	57.92	116^th	343	66.2%
2022	41.32	193^rd	395	51.1%
2023	51.80	177^th	390	54.6%
2024	52.33	160^th	393	59.3%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	44.73	166^th	333	50.2%
2019	47.63	157^th	337	53.4%
2022	34.01	223^rd	392	43.1%
2023	55.78	171^st	414	58.7%
2024	52.36	177^th	410	56.8%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2022	72.41	6^th	56	89.3%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	51.05	148^th	329	55.0%
2019	55.09	121^st	320	62.2%
2022	38.76	201^st	389	48.3%
2023	50.43	180^th	395	54.4%
2024	49.55	183^rd	390	53.1%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	NM State Percentile
2018	31.30	145^th	187	22.5%
2019	46.94	112^th	199	43.7%
2022	22.19	284^th	325	12.6%
2023	52.46	184^th	413	55.4%
2024	42.51	161^st	293	45.1%

See the entire list of Best New Mexico Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: New Mexico Public Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: New Mexico Public Education Department

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Enrollment information for Desert Willow Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2017	173	12	5	446	5	2	1	644
2018	168	13	5	466	7	2	2	663
2019	173	14	2	477	6	1	4	677
2020	196	17	3	511	11	1	4	743
2021	165	10	2	416	5	3	2	603
2022	193	11	5	400	2	3	1	615
2023	226	14	5	534	5	2	1	787
2024	213	9	4	587	4	2	1	820

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Desert Willow Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2017	644	39.0	16.5	75.5
2018	663	41.0	16.1	76
2019	677	34.1	19.8	60.7
2020	743	40.9	18.1	46.7
2021	603	36.2	16.6	46.8
2022	615	38.0	16.1	44.2
2023	787	46.9	16.7	30.9
2024	820	54.5	15.0	40.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Desert Willow Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2017	644	39.0	16.5	75.5
2018	663	41.0	16.1	76
2019	677	34.1	19.8	60.7
2020	743	40.9	18.1	46.7
2021	603	36.2	16.6	46.8
2022	615	38.0	16.1	44.2
2023	787	46.9	16.7	30.9
2024	820	54.5	15.0	40.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Desert Willow Elementary

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2019	$8,800

Data source: New Mexico Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Willow Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 141^st of 396 Elementary schools	Ranks 183^rd of 435 Elementary schools	6.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade Language Arts (Desert Willow Elementary)	31	35.6	4.6%
3rd Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	34	33.8	0.2%
3rd Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	31.8	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Desert Willow Elementary)	33	27.3	5.7%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	28	23.9	4.1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	32	22.5	9.5%
4th Grade Language Arts (Desert Willow Elementary)	47	17.9	29.1%
4th Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	33	27.1	5.9%
4th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	30	35.2	5.2%
4th Grade Mathematics (Desert Willow Elementary)	22	17	5%
4th Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	24	24.3	0.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	27	24.5	2.5%
5th Grade Language Arts (Desert Willow Elementary)	36	33.1	2.9%
5th Grade Language Arts (Carlsbad)	36	40.4	4.4%
5th Grade Language Arts (New Mexico)	33	35.7	2.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Desert Willow Elementary)	25	32.4	7.4%
5th Grade Mathematics (Carlsbad)	22	37.2	15.2%
5th Grade Mathematics (New Mexico)	24	30.7	6.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	677	787	16.2%
African American	14	14
American Indian	6	5	16.7%
Asian	2	5	150%
Hispanic	477	534	11.9%
Pacific Islander	1	2	100%
White	173	226	30.6%
Two or More Races	4	1	75%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	60.7%	30.9%	29.8%

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				NM-ASR Science (2024)	NM-MSSA English Language Arts (2024)	NM-MSSA Mathematics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	NM-ASR Science All Grades	NM-MSSA English Language Arts All Grades	NM-MSSA Mathematics All Grades	Total
Desert Willow Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Primrose St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3310	820	55	15.0	40.1%	213 (26.0%)	9 (1.1%)	587 (71.6%)	4 (0.5%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	54.2	173^rd of 433 public elementary schools	60.0%		54.8	183^rd of 435 public elementary schools	57.9%	10	36.0	40.0	27.0	$8,800
Edison Elementary	Public	1-5	406 N. Alameda Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Cottonwood Elementary	Public	K-5	1609 W Lea Street	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3304	671	42	15.9	49.9%	102 (15.2%)	6 (0.9%)	556 (82.9%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50.1	195^th of 433 public elementary schools	55.0%		43.1	237^th of 435 public elementary schools	45.5%	42	30.0	36.0	29.0
Early Childhood Education Center	Public	PK-K	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 234-3300	212	14	15.6	42.9%	49 (23.1%)	5 (2.4%)	151 (71.2%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)								(n/a)				$10,395
Hillcrest Preschool	Public	PK	1801 West Lea St.	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3303	320	21	15.3	33.8%	106 (33.1%)	1 (0.3%)	205 (64.1%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.3%)								(n/a)
Sunset Elementary	Public	K-5	923 North Walter St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3300	419	26	16.1	36.5%	152 (36.3%)	5 (1.2%)	247 (58.9%)	5 (1.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.4%)	62.6	137^th of 433 public elementary schools	68.4%		76.6	92^nd of 435 public elementary schools	78.9%	45	39.0	46.0	28.0	$8,498
Monterrey Elementary	Public	K-5	1600 Johnson St	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 234-3309	345	21	16.8	43.8%	119 (34.5%)	6 (1.7%)	208 (60.3%)	5 (1.4%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	69.8	115^th of 433 public elementary schools	73.4%		83.2	71^st of 435 public elementary schools	83.7%	44	47.0	43.0	36.0	$9,032
Ocotillo Elementary	Public	K-5	2106 Captain Williams Ln	Carlsbad	88220	Eddy County	Carlsbad	No	(n/a)	No	No	(575) 628-4498	711	39	18.1	35.2%	283 (39.8%)	7 (1.0%)	392 (55.1%)	16 (2.3%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)	74.9	96^th of 433 public elementary schools	77.8%		69.8	128^th of 435 public elementary schools	70.6%	32	35.0	51.0	38.0	$8,453
Loving Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	601 South Sixth	Loving	88256	Eddy County	Loving	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(575) 745-2071	335	21	15.6	94.9%	96 (28.7%)	1 (0.3%)	236 (70.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	77.5	89^th of 433 public elementary schools	79.4%		67.8	132^nd of 435 public elementary schools	69.7%	43	46.0	53.0	35.0	$14,857

Middle:	Carlsbad Intermediate School - Pr Leyva Campus
High:	Carlsbad High

Desert Willow Elementary

Desert Willow Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Carlsbad:

What do you think?

Rank History for Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for all students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Homeless students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for African American students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Willow Elementary

Rank History for White students at Desert Willow Elementary

Enrollment information for Desert Willow Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Desert Willow Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Desert Willow Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Desert Willow Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Willow Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Desert Willow Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Willow Elementary

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