Welcome to El Rito Elementary! You can find us in El Rito, New Mexico, approximately 50 miles north of Santa Fe. We’re a brand new elementary school in the Mesa Vista Unified School District. It is exciting to be a part of a growing school district and we look forward to providing our students with a superb education. 

Our school offers Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade. We are 112 students strong, with a small teacher to student ratio. This allows us to focus on providing an outstanding education for all! Whether you need to contact us, check the school calendar, or want to know about the latest news on campus, we know our Web site will be helpful to you.

We encourage and welcome open communication between home and school. If you ever have any questions, feel free to call or stop by our office. We are always happy to talk to you!

My name is Ben Trujillo, principal of El Rito Elementary School. I was born and raised in El Rito, New Mexico; where I received my Elementary and High School Education at Northern New Mexico Normal School. I was a member of the last 7th grade class and 8th grade class at Northern, as  the Jr. High and High School programs were being phased out to make room for what is now Northern New Mexico Community College. I am proud to say I was also a member of the last El Rito Eagles High School Graduating Class of 1969.

Following high school I volunteered to serve my Country during the Vietnam conflict; and I enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. I was trained as a Military Policemen and I served in that capacity at Camp Pendleton, California and Iwakuni, Japan.
    
After two years of military service, I attended New Mexico Highlands University where I received a BA degree in General Business and Social Work in 1976. The following year I got my MA degree in Business Education and lacked three credit hours for a School Administration Endorsement which I later took through the University of New Mexico. 

In 1977 I was hired by the Penasco Independent School District as a Business Education Instructor where I remained for 7 ½ years. I spent the next 20 ½ years as a Business Education teacher and school administrator with the Pojoaque Valley Schools. Ten of those years I served as principal of the Pojoaque Intermediate School and Pojoaque Middle School.

I retired in 2005 from public education and I am currently doing the return to work after a year off. I was fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to return to my home town to work as a principal for the El Rito Elementary School. It has been pleasure for me to work for Mesa Vista Consolidated Schools for the last two years; and to be able to work with many of the staff with whom, in some cases, I went to school or who are children of those I went to school with. Needless to say, I am happy to serve the community where I grew up.

Sincerely,

Ben Trujillo