Catherine Plan in Settlers Pass by Desert View Homes
Las Cruces, NM 88012

I have personally attended this school about 20 years ago. Obviously a lot has changed since then, and I have kept up with the school's developments over the years. When I went to this school, it was in a bad part of town but had excellent teachers and staff that actually cared about education and the education system. Some of those teachers still affect my life to this day. Over the years, the physical structure has improved by leaps and bounds. It is a fantastic campus located in the middle of the city. It is not the nicest part of town in the world, but it is safe. If I had a child living in this area, I would send him/her to this school any day of the week.

As a teacher with over 10 years of experience in education, I can confidently say that Sierra Middle School is currently in the worst condition I’ve ever seen. Under Principal Yong Vega’s leadership, the school environment has become toxic for both students and staff.Rather than supporting and guiding students through challenges, Principal Vega often resorts to immediate suspension—even for minor issues like cursing. There’s little to no effort made to understand the root of a student's behavior or to offer constructive alternatives. This kind of disciplinary approach only pushes students away rather than helping them grow.Teachers are also being targeted and micromanaged, which has created a culture of fear rather than collaboration. Morale is extremely low, and the sense of community that once made Sierra a good school is disappearing fast.If you're a parent considering Sierra for your child, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere. This school needs a serious change in leadership before it can be a safe and supportive environment again.

The focus of the school goes beyond providing education for students--it helps students plan their future. Students are required to adapt quick to the school environment, where regular classes go twice as fast compared to other schools that surrounds it because the course is only one semester long instead of two semesters. Because of that, students almost complete their high school graduation requirements while still being a sophomore! Students spend their remaining two years working on their Associate's degree, and most of them, if they do not change career paths, even get to work in their Bachelor's degree for their last semester of their high school senior year! The school pays for all college expenses, high school classes are really of good help, the school is guarded by charismatic securities all the time, has the most wonderful yet small campus in New Mexico, and students have access to different technological tools--there are IPad tablets and laptops available in almost every classroom, almost every classroom contains three good-quality smart boards that are located around the classroom, there is a Mac lab available for students, and laptops available for check out for students if they need access to one from home. To conclude, it was a great exeprience and I love the different engineering, medical, criminal justice, along with other careers, that the school offers. Your kid will obtain a good education here and will be helped by the school to go beyond just a high school graduation. Although the school name, grade level, and contact info are incorrect. I was a junior when it was finally from grade levels 9-12. Now it is called Arrowhead Park Early College High School, from grade levels 9-12, and the address is now 3600 Arrowhead Dr, Las Cruces, NM, 88011, which is in the New Mexico State University area and just a few blocks away from its previous location. I hope this gets fixed.

I give this school the worst possible rating. If you pick your child up, you won't leave for a few hours because of the traffic.