School ratings are a major factor for prospective homeowners trying to decide what neighborhood to buy in.
The Neighborhood Journal will feature a different school in northeast and northwest Albuquerque each week to help readers understand how schools in those neighborhoods are performing.
Below you will find stats and rankings from greatschools.org to help navigate school scores in your neighborhood.
Desert Ridge Middle School
Desert Ridge Middle School began serving families in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights in 1997. The school mascot is the Diamondbacks, and the current principal is Leslie Saucedo.
GreatSchools Ratings
Desert Ridge Middle School has a 9/10 rating, and three of 11 reviewers give the school five stars out of five. Desert Ridge is rated as the second-best public middle school in the Albuquerque district.
The GreatSchools Summary Rating, which includes test scores (10/10), academic progress (8/10) and equity (8/10), is 9/10 for Desert Ridge.
Student enrollment
The school has 1,014 students in grades 6-8, a ratio of 16:1 students per teacher.
Reviews
One 2020 five-star review reads:
“Very pleased with our transition this past year. Glad we made the transition”
Another 2020 five-star review from a parent/guardian reads:
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from middle school, but he had an excellent 6th grade year in all aspects of his education.”
A 2019 four-star review from a parent/guardian says:
“6th grade in the 18/19 school year was a mess. This school now has new leadership, which was much needed, and things seem to be improving in general. This along with my son’s 7th grade teachers has made a night and day difference from last year. I can gladly say that I am very impressed with what is happening at DRMS this year!”
