District Spotlight
Albuquerque's 2017 Graduation Rate Held at 67.9% While the State Reached 71.1%
Albuquerque Public Schools graduated 67.9% of students in 2017, up 2.8 points over eight years while the statewide rate moved 5 points to 71.1%.
New Mexico
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of New Mexico, grounded in New Mexico Department of Education data.
Espanola's Graduation Rate Climbed to 65.5% in 2017, but a 44-Point Gap Separates Its Native American Students
Espanola's overall graduation rate rose to 65.5% in 2017, but a 44-point gap separated its Native American students, the widest such gap of any New Mexico district that year.
The Extra Year: How a 5th Year Gives Black Students a 7-Point Boost
Black students gain 7 points and Native American students 5.8 points with a fifth year, the largest gains among all subgroups in New Mexico.
From 69% to 86%: How Hobbs Became One of New Mexico's Graduation Success Stories
Hobbs Municipal Schools climbed from 69% to 86% graduation in eight years, outpacing wealthier districts while serving a high-poverty, majority-Hispanic population.
The 15-Point Gap: Native American Students Graduate at 61% in New Mexico
Native American students in New Mexico graduated at 61% in 2017, 15 points below white peers. Three districts cleared 80%, showing the gap is not inevitable.
More Coverage
Equity
The Gender Chasm: New Mexico Boys Graduate at 67%, Girls at 75%
New Mexico's gender graduation gap of nearly 8 points exceeds the national average by 3 points. Male students graduate at lower rates than economically disadvantaged students.
Graduation Rate
New Mexico's 71% Graduation Rate Leaves It 16 Points Behind the Nation
New Mexico's graduation rate climbed from 66% to 71% over eight years but remains nearly 16 points below the national average, with progress stalling mid-decade.
Grade Shift
New Mexico's Kindergarten Class Has Shrunk 20% Since 2016
New Mexico kindergarten enrollment fell 20% since 2016 while 12th grade grew, inverting the pipeline that once fed the state's schools.
Enrollment
59 New Mexico Districts at Record-Low Enrollment
More than a third of New Mexico's districts are at their smallest enrollment ever recorded, including nine of the 10 largest.
School Choice
Explore Academy Grew 612% in a Decade. Then 2026 Happened.
The flagship Albuquerque charter has posted 10 straight years of growth, but the three-campus network just recorded its first enrollment decline.
Special Populations
One in Six New Mexico Students Is an English Learner
English learner enrollment grew 4.3% since 2019 while total enrollment fell 11%. Permian Basin immigration and post-Yazzie reforms drive the gap.
Demographics
Fewer Than One in Five
White students now represent just 19.6% of New Mexico's public school enrollment, the first time the share has fallen below 20%.
Covid Impact
Six Years After COVID, 93 Districts Still Haven't Recovered
New Mexico lost 16,782 students during the pandemic. It has lost another 19,996 since. Only 31.6% of districts have returned to 2019 enrollment.
District Spotlight
Espanola Has Lost More Than a Third of Its Students
Espanola Public Schools shed 1,475 students over the past decade, a 37.3% decline that ranks second-worst among mid-size New Mexico districts.
School Choice
Charter Growth Stalls After Seven-Year Run
New Mexico's charter sector lost 508 students in 2025-26, its first enrollment decline since at least 2019, as brick-and-mortar charters contract.
