Rio Rancho Public Schools' mission is to graduate students with a strong foundation for individual success, whether they choose to go on to college, join the military, or enter the job market. The latest results from one of the nation's leading tests of college and career readiness suggests the district's high schools are doing just that.
Data from 640 Rio Rancho Public Schools 2019 graduating seniors who took the ACT exams for college entrance shows RRPS students are the equal of students nationally when it comes to college and career readiness.
The ACT establishes benchmark scores in each of four college subject areas -- College Science, Reading, Math, and English -- that indicate a student's chances of earning a B or C in credit-bearing college courses. In each of the four areas, the percentage exceeds or equals national average and well above the state average. More than one-quarter of our students – 26% -- were found to be college-ready in all four subject areas, equaling the national average.
|
All four subject areas
|
College English
|
College Math
|
College Reading
|
College Science
|
|
Rio Rancho High
|
24%
|
61%
|
38%
|
48%
|
40%
|
|
Cleveland High
|
28%
|
63%
|
41%
|
48%
|
44%
|
|
Rio Rancho Cyber Academy
|
50%
|
86% |
50% |
64% |
71% |
|
Independence High
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
|
Rio Rancho district
|
26%
|
62%
|
39%
|
48%
|
42%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State average
|
16%
|
47%
|
27%
|
37%
|
26%
|
**To protect student privacy, percentages are not reported for groups of fewer than 10 students
Individual subject areas tested on the ACT, RRPS seniors continue to measure up well against their peers around the nation. The district composite score of 21.1 -- a slight increase over last year -- exceeds the national average of 20.7 and far exceeds New Mexico's average composite score of 19.3. Scores in individual subject equal or exceed the national average and are well ahead of the state average.
The ACT is a curriculum-based achievement test designed to measure the skills and knowledge taught in school and deemed important for first-year college students to possess. The ACT is widely accepted by colleges and universities in New Mexico and all major colleges and universities across the nation.
The chart below shows all of Rio Rancho’s high schools along with the state and national averages in each category.
|
Rio Rancho High
|
21.1
|
19.8
|
20.3
|
21.9
|
21.0
|
322
|
|
Cleveland High
|
21.2
|
19.9
|
20.4
|
22.0
|
21.7
|
299
|
|
Rio Rancho Cyber Academy
|
23.7
|
23.3
|
22.2
|
24.5
|
24.5
|
14
|
|
Independence High
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
**
|
5
|
|
Rio Rancho district
|
21.1
|
20.1
|
20.4
|
22.0
|
21.6
|
640
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State average
|
19.3
|
18.1
|
18.9
|
20.0
|
19.6
|
13,196
|
**To protect student privacy, scores are not reported for groups of fewer than 10 students
Rio Rancho High School and district administrators use the ACT data, along with information from other tests to determine where improvement is needed and where changes in curriculum or instructional strategies might help students.