How strong are the public middle schools in Albuquerque?

With a fresh school year kicking off, we analyzed newly released data from Niche.com — which include comprehensive report cards, rankings and reviews — to identify those schools that made the biggest strides last year and those that lead their nearby peers.

Hoover Middle School's overall rating improved the most among similar school in Albuquerque, rising from a B- to a B+, according to data from Niche.

For the 2019-2020 school year, the school, located at 12015 Tivoli NE, enrolls 621 students. Hoover Middle School serves a diverse population: 43% of students identify as Hispanic and 42% identify as white. Niche graded the school a B+ for academics (on an A-D scale).

The overall ranking comes from Niche's proprietary algorithms. A school's ranking might change due to many factors, including the relative rankings of similar schools and whether a school gained or lost peers due to openings or closings. Other numbers come from current public data from the U.S. government.

Academically, 24% of Hoover Middle School's students scored as proficient or above in math, and 39% did so in reading. That's compared to city averages of 15% in math and 22% in reading.

It's not the only school that's climbed Niche's rankings this year. Grant Middle School saw its overall rating increase from a C to a B-. The school is located at 1111 Easterday NE and currently serves 578 students, of whom 62% identify as Hispanic and 25% identify as white.

Niche graded Grant Middle School a B- for academics on an A-D scale. The school's latest math proficiency was at 10%, and reading proficiency was 32%.

Desert Ridge Middle School also saw improvement in its overall rating, from B+ to A-. The school is located at 8400 Barstow NE and has 983 students currently enrolled, of whom 48% identify as white and 36% identify as Hispanic.

Niche graded Desert Ridge Middle School an A- for academics on an A-D scale. Its latest math proficiency was at 49%, and reading proficiency was 48%.

While some public middle schools in Albuquerque are moving up the ranks, others are consistently top-rated overall, including:

• Eisenhower Middle School, with an overall rating of A-.
• Tony Hillerman Middle School, with a B rating overall.
• James Monroe Middle School, rated B overall.

Want more of the latest intel on Albuquerque schools? Hoodline also analyzed the latest Niche ratings for the city's public high schools.

This story was created automatically using data from Niche.com, then reviewed by an editor before publication. Click here for more about how and why Hoodline is automating local news. Got thoughts about what we're doing? Go here to share your feedback.