Rio Rancho, Bernalillo schools fluctuate in U.S. News' 'Best Schools' rankings

BERNALILLO/RIO RANCHO — Bernalillo and Rio Rancho school officials touted their elementary and middle school achievements regardless of whether their institution moved up or down the list of U.S. News & World Report’s latest “Best K-8 Schools” rankings.

The online news site released the rankings for 70,000 public elementary and middle schools in the U.S. Oct. 28. Not every Rio Rancho or Bernalillo school received a ranking, according to an independent review of the list.

LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said schools that saw a significant jump up in their rankings likely had higher scores in their students’ statewide assessment scores. But the scores are only half the equation, he said, since U.S. News evaluates the scores based on a school’s socioeconomics.

Schools that saw a significant drop in their place in the rankings likely had other schools outperform them, or the schools did not perform as well as the year before, he said.

Jones maintained U.S. News has always been transparent and clear about how it ranks schools and he said he is not worried about critics who may believe their school’s ranking doesn’t reflect the quality of the institution.

“We always maintain that our rankings are not the end-all, be-all; they are one source of information that parents and families can use about where to send their child to school,” Jones said. “It doesn’t mean that if a school fell in rankings that it’s bad or if it increased in rankings, it’s superior.”

Jones said his publication’s school rankings are just one source of information, among many, that families can use to decide where to send their child to school.

“It really is a deeply personal decision, and it takes a lot of different factors into account,” Jones said. “But every child is unique, so just look at these rankings and look at the data behind them as you’re looking at the factors that matter most to you.”

Bernalillo BPS Communications Coordinator JoAnn Beuerle wrote in an email that while the district is proud of its rankings, officials believe they are “only one measure of success.”

“What matters most to us as a district is the steady, system-wide improvement we’ve seen in student learning and engagement across all schools,” Beuerle wrote. “These rankings affirm that our collective efforts are working, but our ultimate goal remains ensuring that every student has access to engaging, rigorous and culturally relevant learning opportunities that prepare them for lifelong success.”

She added that the leadership of BPS Superintendent Matt Montaño, who joined the district in 2021, and “high-quality instructional materials” can be attributed to the rankings.

Beuerle and district leaders applauded Placitas Elementary and Cochiti Middle School, which ranked 77th and 135th, respectively, among New Mexico schools.

Cochiti Principal Genevieve Sosa wrote that her school’s ranking “honors our teachers’ dedication, our students’ ambition, and our families’ unyielding partnership.”

Placitas Principal Rachel Lopez wrote that her school’s ranking is “an exciting accomplishment, and we’re proud to be recognized as one of the best elementary schools in New Mexico.” She added that “our work is never done” and “we continually strive to grow and improve.”

Rio RanchoRio Rancho Elementary School moved up to 127th place in 2026 from 170th place last year, for a net gain of 43 spots on the list.

RRES Principal Danielle Thomson-Sena wrote in an email that she had not seen the data but added, “We are excited about this information and strive to do our best to support student growth.”

Rio Rancho Middle School maintained its position of 24th place. RRMS was one of the few schools that maintained its position in the rankings year over year.

RRMS Principal Andrew Pierce is pleased his school did not see a drop in its U.S. News ranking.

“I think it’s a testimony to the work our staff does here,” Pierce said. “We are big about relationships.”

Some examples include teachers utilizing homeroom period as well as connecting students with resources, programs and other activities “in a world where kids have a lot competing for their attention.”

“We’re trying to get them focused on a big school — make it smaller — but we have amazing people that have bridged that,” Pierce said.

He considers U.S. News’ rankings among other data, including the state’s, though he has long held questions about how U.S. News creates its school rankings.

“While I like to see how all of our New Mexico schools are listed ... I always like to ask, ‘Do they have the most relevant data for that state?’” Pierce said. “I would like to know more about all the factors that going into that ranking. Are they utilizing the factors we look into?

“I always like to see who’s in front of us, because we are very competitive here and we want to move up,” Pierce said with a laugh. “I pride us on, ‘We’re going to meet the needs of your child,’ and I think Rio Rancho, as a whole, has that philosophy.”

Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School moved down to 145th place from 64th place last year. Administrators said they were not available for comment by press time.