Rio Rancho Cyber Academy graduates embrace a guinea pig journey

Rio Rancho Cyber Academy’s 2026 seniors finished their high school run with a nickname that said as much about the school as the diploma: they were the “guinea pigs,” not the Scorpions, a class that spent four years adapting to a model built on flexibility, independence and constant adjustment.

That mattered inside CHS Concert Hall on May 21, where the school’s graduation ceremony became a test case for whether Rio Rancho Public Schools’ unconventional cyber program is delivering results that matter to families, colleges and employers. The academy serves grades 6-12, and its blended model sends students online from home two to three days a week while bringing them to campus two to three days a week for classes and hands-on learning.

Salutatorian Maylee Sellers told the audience the class had navigated major transitions throughout high school, a fitting description for a small, close-knit group that had to solve problems together rather than follow a traditional daily routine. Valedictorian Belle Lightball said the experience taught her that students do not need to have everything perfectly figured out before moving forward, and she described a school culture where self-motivation mattered because no one was constantly standing over students to tell them what to do.

That independence is part of the academy’s broader pitch. Rio Rancho Cyber Academy was founded in 2005 by Rio Rancho Public Schools and moved into its current facility in 2008. Its official profile lists 143 students for the 2024-25 school year, 21 employees and 11 teachers, with Julie Arnold serving as principal. The school’s profile puts its four-year graduation rate at 86.7 percent, while the district’s accountability page lists the rate at 89.6 percent, a sign that the model is producing an outcome competitive with broader district expectations.

The school also promotes 24/7 access to its online platform, one-on-one tutoring, parent and guardian participation, a 70 percent mastery benchmark, Advanced Placement courses and a Gifted and Talented program. Seniors had their last day on May 15, and the graduation itself ran from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at CHS Concert Hall.

For Rio Rancho families weighing whether a nontraditional path can still lead to a solid finish, the 2026 class offered a clear answer: the cyber academy is no longer a side experiment, but a long-running option that asks students to grow up fast and often rewards them for doing it.