GRANTS, N.M. – After months of delays from the New Mexico Public Education Department, student results from the 2023-2024 school year annual test have been released, showing a slight increase in student results at the Grants-Cibola County Schools that still trails the state.
Results show that GCCS is, like the rest of the state, struggling, trailing behind the state in all three tested disciplines – Math, Reading, and Science.
The data does not paint a pretty picture for Grants-Cibola County Schools.
“The results are low, yes, but they reflect intentional work and progress,” said Dr. Delton Martin, Director of Educator Success for GCCS. “For the first time in years, we’re seeing growth across all three areas—reading, math, and science—and that’s worth celebrating even as we acknowledge there’s still much work to do.”
It is important to note that these test scores were only released last week.
The data reflects student results at the end of the School Year 2023-2024. The test is given annually to students across the state to measure statewide competencies. The Cibola Citizen acknowledges that the 2024-2025 school year is nearly halfway complete, as students will soon go on Thanksgiving Break. This data was compiled, held, and released by the New Mexico Public Education Department.
“We are excited to celebrate the incredible work happening in our classrooms to boost student performance,” said Public Education Secretary-Designate Mariana Padilla. “While there's still much to be done, it's essential to honor the progress and victories we're achieving along the way, especially considering the benchmarks for progress have become more challenging.”
While these increases in student proficiency are celebrated, they still fall short of being sufficient.
GCCS District-Wide Results
The recently released data from the New Mexico Public Education Department reveals a modest improvement in academic proficiency across the Grants-Cibola County School District. Overall district-wide results for the 2023-2024 school year show that:
• 18 percent of students are proficient in math, a onepoint increase from last school year’s 17 percent.
• 36 percent of students are proficient in reading, marking a significant six-point improvement from 30 percent.
• 29 percent of students are proficient in science, up from 27 percent in the previous school year.
Growth metrics from the state indicate an average movement with a 50th percentile in math growth and a 49.5th percentile in reading growth, showing that Grants-Cibola County students are generally advancing at a rate similar to their peers statewide.
The overall growth, Martin said, is positive for the district. He acknowledged that results are low but said there is intentional work being done to improve student results.
Cibola’s Student Proficiency Rates
“The focus on literacy district-wide, combined with strong state-aligned curriculum and equipped teachers, is making a difference, particularly in schools like Bluewater and San Rafael.” – Dr. Delton Martin High School Results Grants High School reports that 10 percent of students are proficient in math, 28 percent in reading, and 44 percent in science. This is a three point gain in math, six point gain in reading, and seven point gain in science since the previous year.
The school’s graduation rate has dropped slightly, with a -2.5 percent change over three years.
Dr. Martin emphasized that these results reflect the district's investment in SAT preparation, including review materials and after-school support sessions. “You can't just send students into an exam without preparation,” Martin said. “Our focus on readiness is starting to make a difference.”
Laguna-Acoma High School faces considerable challenges, with math proficiency of less than five percent, and reading proficiency at 15 percent. Science proficiency stands at 23 percent, showing mixed performance across subjects.
LAHS had a math proficiency of less than 10 percent in the year prior but is now at less than five percent. The school has gained in reading by four points, and two points in science from the previous year.
Notably, Laguna-Acoma saw a 2.7 percent increase in its graduation rate over three years.
Dr. Martin attributed part of the drop in math to the loss of a key mathematics teacher last year due to visa restrictions, which left the school relying on substitutes. “Teacher availability has a significant impact on learning,” Martin explained, saying that the district is working to address staffing gaps while maintaining equity in resources, including a new $500,000 Mechatronics lab to support career and technical education.
Early College High School proficiency data remains masked due to small student population privacy concerns. However, the unique role of Early College High School within the district, in partnership with New Mexico State University, offers students an alternative pathway toward earning both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
Students at this school are required to apply, allowing only high performing students to access this opportunity and receive their AA at the same time as their high school degree.
Middle School Results
At the middle school level, the proficiency results indicate ongoing academic challenges, though some improvement is evident in reading.
Laguna-Acoma Middle School reports math proficiency at six percent, reading proficiency at 22 percent, and science proficiency at 20 percent.
While these scores remain below grade level, the school’s reading growth score sits at the 50th percentile, indicating students are progressing at an average pace compared to peers statewide. Math growth, however, trails in the 37th percentile.
Los Alamitos Middle School reports 12 percent proficiency in math, 36 percent in reading, and 24 percent in science.
Growth metrics indicate challenges, with math growth at the 47th percentile and reading growth at the 46th percentile. This data shows that while some progress has been made, students at Los Alamitos are advancing at slightly below average rate compared to peers statewide.
Elementary School Results
The elementary schools in the Grants-Cibola County School District show varied levels of proficiency, with some schools standing out as high performers in the district.
Bluewater Elementary continues to excel, with 60 percent of students proficient in math (up from 56 percent), 80 percent in reading (a significant increase from 71 percent), and 57 percent in science (this was masked data last year).
Growth metrics also improved, with students in the 73.5th percentile for math growth and the 64th percentile for reading growth. Bluewater maintains its Spotlight designation and remains a standout performer in the district. This comes as no surprise as this school consistently leads the district and holds a Blue Ribbon designation from the US Department of Education.
“When results were coming in, I told myself I wouldn’t be surprised if Bluewater became a Blue Ribbon School again,” Martin said. “Their success is a testament to the hard work of the community and the staff there.”
Cubero Elementary shows 35 percent proficiency in math (down from 37 percent), 49 percent in reading (this is an impressive increase from 38 percent), and 28 percent in science (down significantly from 41 percent).
Growth metrics indicate steady progress, with students in the 63rd percentile for math and the 53rd percentile for reading. While the school showed great growth with reading, the other fields dropped.
Despite the fact this school saw a decrease in math, and a significant decrease in science, its increase in reading was enough to earn this school a Spotlight designation by the Public Education Department.
Mesa View Elementary reports 22 percent proficiency in math (up from 21 percent), 38 percent in reading (up from 32 percent), and 23 percent in science (up from 19 percent).
Growth percentiles are 58th in math and 55th in reading, reflecting consistent progress.
Milan Elementary has 14 percent of students proficient in math (down from 16 percent), 33 percent in reading (same as last year), and 18 percent in science (down from 19 percent).
Growth data places Milan students in the 42nd percentile for math (a drop from last year) and the 49.5th percentile for reading (consistent with last year), suggesting continued struggles in advancing core subject proficiencies.
Martin acknowledged the results from Milan Elementary, he said that the district is working to address the metrics at the school, saying, “the first thing I did when the new principal joined was meet with him to discuss the trends and develop strategies to improve.”
Leadership at this school has been inconsistent since COVID-19.
The principal at Milan Elementary School for the current school year is Grants City Councilor Zachary Gutierrez.
Mt. Taylor Elementary reports 24 percent proficiency in math (up from 23 percent), 36 percent in reading (up from 32 percent), and 21 percent in science (up from 19 percent).
Math growth is at the 48th percentile, and reading growth is at the 46th percentile, showing slight progress.
San Rafael Elementary has 28 percent proficiency in math (down from 31 percent) and 48 percent in reading (up from 45 percent), with science data still masked.
Growth percentiles are high, with math growth at the 74th percentile and reading growth at the 66th percentile, meaning typically indicates the school is seeing strong advancements in student results. In this case, however, the school’s proficiency in math did fall.
Seboyeta Elementary has proficiency levels at or below 20 percent in both math and reading, with science data masked, consistent with last year.
Despite the low numbers, growth indicators remain positive, with math growth at the 74th percentile (up slightly) and reading growth at the 51st percentile (consistent with last year), showing progress even as overall proficiency levels remain low.
How Does Cibola Compare to New Mexico?
For the eighth year in a row, New Mexico has been named 50th of 50 in education by the Nation’s Report Card.
The 2023-2024 statewide results from the New Mexico Public Education Department show mixed bag of results in student proficiency and growth across New Mexico. Statewide, the percentage of students proficient in math fell, after stagnating last year.
Across New Mexico:
• 23 percent of New Mexico’s students are proficient in math, a statewide decline from 24 percent the previous year. This is much higher than GCCS’ 17 percent.
• 39 percent are
proficient in reading, showing a slight increase from 38 percent from the previous year. This is higher than GCCS, which is at 36 percent.
• 38 percent of students are proficient in science, a nice four-point improvement from 34 percent from the previous year. GCCS is significantly trailing in science, at 29 percent.
Growth metrics for math and reading both sit at the 50th percentile, indicating average progress when compared to similar peers nationwide. However, the state continues to struggle with graduation rates, reporting a -0.1 percent decline in the fouryear graduation rate over three years.
In a press release, PED wrote, “Five additional New Mexico schools are now rated as high performing, according to evaluation results, and 70 percent fewer schools were identified as in need of targeted, comprehensive, or rigorous support.”
While Grants-Cibola County Schools have shown growth in some areas, the district still falls behind statewide averages, particularly in math and especially science proficiency which lags by nine points.
Improved School Designations So, student scores are low. Again.
The district acknowledges this and has been working hard to improve student results.
To recognize progress made by schools, even when scores are low, the state has created designations to celebrate schools that succeed, and to help identify specific needs in struggling schools.
Several schools in the Grants-Cibola County School District have seen improvements in their state designations, reflecting their progress over the past year. Dr. Martin emphasized the hard work and alignment of initiatives that contributed to these changes.
“This year, we don’t have any ATSI [Additional Targeted Support and Improvement] or TSI [Targeted Support and Improvement] schools,” Martin said, referring to schools previously under state watch for underperformance. “We even added spotlight schools [a designation granted for hard work producing positive results], like Cubero Elementary, which is a huge accomplishment. Schools like Los Alamitos Middle, which was on watch for students with disabilities and English learners, have shown great improvement and are now considered traditional schools.”
Martin attributed these changes to a districtwide commitment to improving outcomes, particularly through targeted interventions and collaboration across school sites. “It’s a lot of hard work aligning resources and best practices, but we’re seeing the results,” he said.
Community Responds
In a statement, the Grants/Cibola County Chamber of Commerce responded to the results: “The Chamber of Commerce acknowledges the recent performance data from the Public Education Department (PED) in our state. While we understand that there are many challenges facing our education system, we believe that education is critical to the success of our community and our economy as a whole. We recognize that education starts at home, and we encourage parents to be actively involved in their children's education.
“Furthermore, we urge the PED to prioritize education as a key issue in our state. We believe that investing in our schools and teachers is essential to providing our children with the tools they need to succeed. We must work together as a community to provide our schools with the resources they need to prepare our students for the future. The Chamber of Commerce is committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure that our education system is providing the highest quality education possible for our students.”
After the release of statewide student data, there was no press release or notice to the press from the Office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. As of press time, no press release has been issued.
The Cibola Citizen reached out via email to the city manager and mayor of Grants, and the village manager and mayor of Milan for a statement about these results. The newspaper did not hear back by press time.
Small, Deliberate Steps
So, student results from the end of the 20232024 school year don’t paint a pretty picture.
But hope is not lost.
Grants-Cibola County Schools has been making efforts that are evident in these most recent scores. The six point increase in reading at the district didn’t happen by accident. It has taken serious effort from the district, teachers, students and their families.
Dr. Martin emphasized the importance of parental involvement in student success, saying, “It means a lot to students, seeing their parents being involved in their education. If you see your parents interested and engaged, that’s a huge motivation.” Attending parent-teacher conferences, monitoring academic progress, and fostering a positive learning environment at home are all ways families can contribute to improving student outcomes.
“We are hopeful for even greater results next year,” Martin said with a smile on his face and determination in his voice. “It’s about taking small, deliberate steps forward and building on the progress we’ve already made.”
From engaging parents to supporting teachers and administrators, the path to better outcomes lies in community collaboration. The Chamber of Commerce’s statement serves as a reminder: education is not just a school issue; it’s a community issue.