Questions?
Contact Us Here
Contact Us Here
New Mexico trails the regional or national benchmark on seven of eight scored measures.
- 1 Winning
- 7 Losing
SECTION 1
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
4th-graders proficient in reading (NAEP) *
On the one reading test every state's 4th-graders take, one in five New Mexico kids is proficient — the lowest share in America. Reading well by 4th grade matters because after that, students use reading to learn every other subject, from math word problems to science and history.
Source NCES, 2024
8th-graders proficient in math (NAEP) *
Same national test, 8th-grade math: About one in seven New Mexico students is proficient — again 50th of 50. These are the workers and voters of the 2030s.
Source NCES, 2024
4th-graders below NAEP Basic in reading (struggling readers) *
At the other end of the scale, 53% of New Mexico 4th-graders score below "basic," the NAEP's lowest achievement level. That means more than half cannot yet read grade-level text with even partial skill. This may be the more troubling number because it shows how many students are far behind, not just short of proficiency.
- 53.10% NEW MEXICO
- 41.28% REGIONAL AVG.
- 40.70% U.S. AVG.
Source NCES, 2024
NM state test proficiency (NM-MSSA) — CONTEXT ONLY *
New Mexico's own reading test says 44% of students are proficient; the national test says 20%. Both are valid, but they set different bars. Shown here so nobody is blindsided by the friendlier number. (Context only; state tests can't be compared across states.)
Source NM PED, Spring 2025
SECTION 2
ATTENDANCE & COMPLETION
High school graduation rate (4-year ACGR) **
Seventy-seven of 100 students who start 9th grade here hold a high school diploma four years later as tracked student-by-student by the federal government. The average was 83 across neighboring states in 2020-2021, the most recent year every state was counted the same way.
Source ACGR: American Century Large Cap Growth, NCES, 2020-21 school year
Chronic absenteeism (students missing 10%+ of school days) †
Students missing at least 18 days of school a year number nearly one in three in New Mexico. Absenteeism that runs this deep drags down every other number on this tab.
- 30.00% NEW MEXICO
- 22.75% REGIONAL AVG.
- 23.10% U.S. AVG.
Source AEI Return to Learn, SY2023-24 (AEI compilation; NM also has SY2024-25 = 33)
Public school enrollment change since 2019 (% change fall 2019 - fall 2023)
Public school enrollment shrank almost 6% in four years — roughly triple the decline experienced by surrounding states. Fewer students eventually leads to consolidations and difficult conversations about half-empty buildings.
-5.88%
NEW MEXICO
-1.50%
REGIONAL AVG.
-2.52%
U.S. AVG.
Source NCES, Fall 2019 to fall 2023
High school completion estimate (AFGR) **
The federal government estimates that about 71 of every 100 New Mexico students complete high school. Every neighboring state is at 86 or higher. This is an estimate, not a count that follows individual students, so it's less precise than New Mexico's own graduation rate. We include it because it's the most recent figure that measures every state the same way.
Source AFGR: Active Factor Large Cap Growth, NCES, SY 2022-23 (NCES Digest 2024, table 219.40)
SECTION 3
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT & ACCESS
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher (%)
New Mexico trails neighboring states in the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. That limits the pool of qualified workers employers can hire from, which can make it harder to attract or grow businesses that need skilled labor. But the bigger issue is retention: When New Mexico graduates leave for jobs elsewhere, the state has paid to educate them but other states get the benefit. Closing the gap means producing more graduates and giving them reasons to stay.
Source Census Bureau, 2024 ACS 1-yr
4-year-olds in state-funded pre-K (%)
More than half of New Mexico 4-year-olds attend state-funded pre-K, which is far above our neighbors. The state made a huge bet on early education; today's pre-K seats are supposed to become tomorrow's reading scores, and the follow-through is the story.
- 53.0% NEW MEXICO
- 38.2% REGIONAL AVG.
- 37.0% U.S. AVG.
Source NIEER, 2024-25 school year (NIEER 2025 Yearbook)
SECTION 4
FUNDING & WORKFORCE
Per-pupil spending on public schools ($ per pupil)
What taxpayers spend per student per year equals about $17,800 — the most in the region by a wide margin and above the U.S. average. Spending isn't graded good or bad here; it's one half of the return-on-investment question the rows around it finish. (Input, not scored.)
Source NCES, FY2024 (school year 2023-24)
Growth in per-pupil spending since 2019 (% change FY2019-FY2024)
School spending per student rose 70% in five years — roughly double the pace of any neighboring state. Set beside test scores still ranked 50th, this is the gap between effort and results that taxpayers deserve to see plainly. (Input, not scored.)
70%
NEW MEXICO
37%
REGIONAL AVG.
34%
U.S. AVG.
Source NCES, FY2019 to FY2024
Average public school teacher salary ($)
After recent raises, New Mexico's average teacher pay is slightly above that of neighboring states, so pay alone may not explain schools' difficulty attracting teachers.
Source NEA, 2024-25 (NEA estimates)
Per-pupil spending, each state's largest school district ($ per pupil) §
This metric examines what each state's biggest school district spends per student on day-to-day education (buildings and debt excluded). It may come as a surprise that APS, at about $15,100 per student, is mid-pack — less than Denver and less than the national average, but more than Mesa, Tulsa, Houston or Alpine. APS's real story is: fewer students, bigger budgets, flat results.
Source Census Bureau, FY2023 (school year 2022-23), F-33 school district finance data as published by NCES CCD district fiscal pages
Total spending per student incl. construction & debt, largest districts ($ per pupil) §
This is the 'loaded' number, meaning everything each big district spent per student (construction and debt interest included). APS spent about $17,600, second only to Denver ($22,600) among peers. You may be familiar with a $30,000-per-student figure, but that is APS's $2.25 billion all-funds budget divided by enrollment. It reflects spending authority (reserves, pass-throughs, capital not yet built), not checks actually written.
Source Census Bureau, FY2023 (school year 2022-23), F-33 school district finance data as published by NCES CCD district fiscal pages