Public education in New Mexico

K-12 education in New Mexico

Education facts

State superintendent: Mariana Padilla

Number of students: 322,989

Number of teachers: 21,681

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:14.8

Number of school districts: 129

Number of schools: 854

Graduation rate: 75%

Per-pupil spending: $11,332

See also

New Mexico Public Education Department • List of school districts in New Mexico • New Mexico • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in New Mexico Glossary of education terms

Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

The New Mexico public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, New Mexico had 322,989 students enrolled in a total of 854 schools in 129 school districts. There were 21,681 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, New Mexico spent on average $11,332 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 75 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how New Mexico compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in New Mexico
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher-to-pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
New Mexico	854	129	322,989	21,681	1:14.8	$11,332
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Arizona, Colorado, and Utah), New Mexico had the lowest percentage of students score at or above proficient nearly every category.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
New Mexico	31%	23%	21%	22%
Arizona	40%	31%	28%	28%
Colorado	50%	42%	41%	40%
Utah	44%	36%	37%	39%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for New Mexico and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

New Mexico schools reported a graduation rate of 70.3 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, lowest among its neighboring states.

In New Mexico, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.9.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
New Mexico	70.3%	Fifth	19.9	70%	1,626	12%
Arizona	75.1%	Fifth	19.6	50%	1,551	35%
Colorado	76.9%	Fourth	20.4	100%	1,721	14%
Utah	83%	Third	20.7	100%	1,684	6%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for New Mexico was higher than the national average at 5.0 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 5.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in New Mexico

As of June 2015 school choice options in New Mexico included charter schools, homeschooling, online learning, private schools and multiple public school open enrollment policies.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

New Mexico is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: New Mexico state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

New Mexico spent approximately 19.5 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds. New Mexico's per pupil spending was the highest among its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
New Mexico	19.5%	$9,012	14.8%	68.3%	17%
Arizona	18.6%	$7,208	14.6%	36.2%	49.2%
Colorado	26%	$8,647	7.9%	42.1%	50%
Utah	23.6%	$6,555	9.5%	52%	38.5%
U.S. averages	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In New Mexico, the primary source of school system revenue came from state sources during fiscal year 2013, at $2.4 billion. New Mexico reported the lowest total public education revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
New Mexico	$519,318	$2,401,884	$597,419	$3,518,621
Arizona	$1,178,356	$2,934,165	$3,985,395	$8,097,916
Colorado	$696,266	$3,693,829	$4,392,164	$8,782,259
Utah	$409,774	$2,235,917	$1,656,221	$4,301,912
U.S. totals	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in New Mexico totaled approximately $3.6 billion in fiscal year 2012. New Mexico reported the lowest total public education expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
New Mexico	$3,039,423	$516,030	$4,253	$3,559,706
Arizona	$7,974,545	$922,249	$282,469	$9,179,262
Colorado	$7,341,585	$706,235	$500,592	$8,548,413
Utah	$3,779,760	$746,262	$264,051	$4,790,073
U.S. totals	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in New Mexico, the average salary increased by 4.7 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
New Mexico	$44,488	$49,378	$46,381	$46,573	4.7%
Arizona	$50,430	$50,119	$49,501	$49,885	-1.1%
Colorado	$52,153	$52,520	$49,865	$49,844	-4.4%
Utah	$47,757	$48,980	$48,961	$49,393	3.4%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: New Mexico Department of Education

The New Mexico Public Education Department is led by the New Mexico Secretary of Education. Hanna Skandera began serving in that role in 2010.

The New Mexico Public Education Commission is composed of 10 members, elected from state districts. They serve staggered, four-year terms. As a partner to the New Mexico Public Education Department, the Public Education Commission works in three committees: the Public Education Department's Strategic Plan, Charter Schools and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical federal fund for career technical programs.

The vision statement of both the New Mexico Public Education Department and the New Mexico Public Education Commission reads:

“

A world-class education system in which all New Mexico students are prepared to succeed in a diverse, increasingly complex world.

”

Unions

In 2012, the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. New Mexico ranked 37th overall for union power and influence, or "weak," which was in the fourth tier of five.

The main unions related to the New Mexico school system are the National Education Association of New Mexico, an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT New Mexico, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers. The National Education Association of New Mexico is the largest education association in the state.

List of local New Mexico school unions:

• National Education Association of New Mexico
• AFT New Mexico
• AFT Albuquerque
• Albuquerque Educational Assistants Association
• AFT Anthony
• AFT Gallup
• AFT Arroyo Hondo

Government sector lobbying

See also: New Mexico government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the New Mexico School Boards Association.

Transparency

As of 2009, New Mexico did not have a statewide spending transparency database. The Albuquerque Journal had several lists of the salaries of top state officials on their Watchdog resources page. A listing of the New Mexico state payroll from 2009 is posted here.

In 2009, Senate Bill 159, known as the "Budget Transparency Act," passed the New Mexico State Senate. However, it died in committee in the spring of 2009. It was introduced by Sen. Sander Rue.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

New Mexico received a score of 66.6, or a D+ average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 92.0, or an A- average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 60.3, or a D- average. New Mexico tied for the 15th highest score for the "standards, assessments and accountability" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of New Mexico and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
New Mexico	66.6 (D+)	60.3 (D-)	92.0 (A-)	74.3 (C)	70.5 (C-)	89.3 (B+)
Arizona	70.2 (C-)	66.6 (D+)	87.6 (B+)	62.4 (D-)	66.8 (D+)	78.6 (C+)
Colorado	82.9 (B)	74.2 (C)	81.8 (B-)	66.4 (D)	68.6 (D+)	82.1 (B-)
Utah	79.1 (C+)	69.1 (D+)	81.7 (B-)	64.5 (D)	65.2 (D)	89.3 (B+)
United States average	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

New Mexico contains only traditional school districts. Districts may levy ad valorem taxes without voter approval. With voter approval, districts can issue general obligation bonds. With approval from the state board of education, districts may also issue revenue bonds.

School board composition

New Mexico school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members may be appointed. New Mexico school board elections typically follow one of these two methods, or a mixture thereof:

• At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
• District: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.

Districts with a population of more than 16,000 residents must follow the district method of election, while districts with a population below 16,000 residents can choose between the two election processes.

School boards can consist of five or seven members. School board members serve four-year terms, which are staggered every two years.

Term limits

New Mexico does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.

Elections

See also: New Mexico school board elections, 2025

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2025 in this state. This list may not include all school districts with elections in 2025. Ballotpedia's coverage includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2025 New Mexico School Board Elections
District	Primary	General Election	General Runoff Election	Regular term length	Seats up for election	Total board seats	2022-2023 enrollment
Albuquerque Public Schools	N/A	11/4/2025	N/A	4	4	7	79,805

Path to the ballot

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in New Mexico, a person must be:

• A "qualified elector" in the state and school district
• A resident of the geographic district in which they are running, if they are running in a school board election using the district election process instead of an at-large election process

The process of running for office as a school board candidate begins with filing a "declaration of candidacy" form with the appropriate election authority by the close of business on the third Tuesday of December in the even-numbered year preceding the election. Candidates may withdraw from the race or file as write-in candidates as long as they file the appropriate form prior to the close of business on the 35th day preceding the election.

Campaign finance

New Mexico school board candidates running in districts with student enrollment over 12,000 residents must file one campaign finance report with the New Mexico Secretary of State prior to the second Tuesday in April each year.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the New Mexico state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of New Mexico ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. New Mexico Amendment 2 (1996)
2. New Mexico Amendment 2, Public Education Funding Act (September 2003)
3. New Mexico Amendment 1, Creation of a Public Education Commission (September 2003)
4. New Mexico Higher Education Capital Improvements and Acquisitions Bonds, Question B (2006)
5. New Mexico Higher Education and Special Schools Bonds, Bond Question C (2012)
6. New Mexico Dates for School Elections, Amendment 1 (2014)
7. New Mexico Student on Board of Regents, Amendment 2 (2014)
8. New Mexico School Board, Amendment 1 (2008)
9. New Mexico Capital Expenditures for Higher, Tribal and Special Education, Bond Question C (2014)
10. New Mexico Referendum: School Fund Levy (1970)
11. New Mexico Referendum: Board of Regents of State Educational Institutions (1970)
12. New Mexico Referendum: Student Loan Programs (1970)
13. New Mexico Referendum: Creation of Student Loans for the Healing Arts (1974)
14. New Mexico Referendum: Number of School Board Members in Large Districts (1980)
15. New Mexico Ballot Proposal: Issuance of Bonds for Educational Institutions (1984)
16. New Mexico Ballot Proposal: Recall of School Board Members (1986)
17. New Mexico Ballot Proposal: Expand State Board of Education (1986)
18. New Mexico Ballot Proposal: Board of Regents Membership (1986)
19. New Mexico Bond Act: Educational Capital Improvements (1986)
20. New Mexico Bond Question: Education Capital Expenditures (1988)
21. New Mexico Ballot Proposal: Fund Management (1990)
22. New Mexico Proposed Amendment 1, Local School Board Recall (1994)
23. New Mexico Proposed Amendment 3, Student Regent (1994)
24. New Mexico Proposed Amendment 2, Five-member State Board of Education (1930)
25. New Mexico Proposed Amendment 4, Staggered Terms for Educational Boards of Regents (1942)
26. New Mexico Proposed Amendment, New Mexico Educational Institutions Board (1942)
27. New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Elected State Board of Education (1958)
28. New Mexico Proposed Amendment, Western New Mexico University, Name Change (1964)
29. New Mexico Proposed Amendment, School Bond Issues, Remodeling and Additions (1964)
30. New Mexico Bond Question D, Higher Education, Special Schools, and Tribal Schools (2018)
31. New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 1, Land Grant Permanent Fund Distribution for Early Childhood Education Amendment (2022)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Mexico education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in New Mexico - Google News

See also

• Historical public education information in New Mexico
• New Mexico state budget and finances
• New Mexico Department of Education
• List of school districts in New Mexico
• School choice in New Mexico
• Charter schools in New Mexico
• New Mexico
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links

• New Mexico Public Education Department
• New Mexcio Public Education Commission
• New Mexico School Performance Standards
• New Mexico AYP Results
• New Mexico Graduation Rates
• New Mexico Charter Schools
• New Mexico School Public Records Requests
• New Mexico Public School Ratings by PSK12
• New Mexico Public School Ratings by Great Schools