The Bleak Story of New Mexico Education

New Mexico Ranks Number 50 Nationally in Education

      The literature concerning the current state of education in New Mexico all agrees overall: the state is failing their kids. A correlating reason for this is the socioeconomic status of many families in the state. The demographics of New Mexico are “unique” according to Scheerer: “As a collective, they consist of under-represented minority students with large numbers living in rural and low socio-economic status families. Hispanic and Native American student and community demographics in the state are higher than most of the U.S.” (64).  

View from Sandia Peak ~ Elisabeth Fulton

    Amanda Aragon says that New Mexican students face extra challenges, “the result of historic injustice and current economic and family instability.” She quotes data from the Annie E. Casey 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book, stating that New Mexico ranks 50 out of 50 in education for the 8^th consecutive year. Oakes says that “New Mexico’s education system operates in a social and economic context that has been unable to lift a large proportion of the state’s young people out of poverty or ameliorate the barriers that poverty creates to school success.” Oakes writes for the Learning Policy Institute, which is conducting research in New Mexico to provide accurate and evidence-based statistics to drive change.

New Mexico’s education system operates in a social and economic context that has been unable to lift a large proportion of the state’s young people out of poverty or ameliorate the barriers that poverty creates to school success.

Balloon Fiesta 
Photo by Elisabeth Fulton

Regarding poverty, “In 2018, 75% of New Mexico’s students qualified for federally subsidized meals because of their families’ low incomes. More than 1 in 10 children (13%) lived in extreme poverty… and 35% lived with families in which no parent had secure employment” (Oakes et. al.). Statistics reveal that New Mexico is also failing kids in education. As of 2024 it has been reported that, in addition to ranking 50 out of 50 states in education for the 8th consecutive year, "New Mexico also ranks 48th in economic well-being, 44th in health, 49th in family and community, and 50th in overall child well-being” (Aragon). According to the Learning Policy Institute, it is critical to recognize that “children and young people who face barriers to school success from poverty and marginalization are the norm in New Mexico, rather than exceptions. Accordingly, the state must design its educational system with their diverse needs at the center, rather than placing them at the periphery where they might get ‘special’ help” (Oakes et. al.).

Children and young people who face barriers to school success from poverty and marginalization are the norm in New Mexico, rather than exceptions.

Many New Mexican students of color “do not see themselves or their cultures represented in the curricula” (Wildau) and the lack of funding to rectify and obtain materials that represent New Mexican social identities makes this hard to rectify. “This historical lack of education funding has robbed too many New Mexico kids of the opportunities to reach their full potential and left our kids behind the national rates for reading and math proficiency and graduation, with greater gaps along racial lines and by income levels” (Wildau).

Kimo Theatre, Downtown Albuquerque
Photo by Elisabeth Fulton

Lack of funding is a huge issue, but New Mexico has recognized that this is “no excuse to deprive students of their constitutional right to a sufficient and uniform education” (Wildau). Since 2018 New Mexico has been making moves to rectify this, “but the pandemic and recession have put the state’s educational progress at risk” (Wildau). Efforts to close the digital access divide in schools have also been attempted. Technology in schools for the purpose of education is particularly important, even if screens are available to children at home. It has been found that “educational screen time provides the most benefit, showing positive effects on children’s persistence and educational outcomes while also having no significant impact on health” (Ray).

The story of New Mexico education is bleak, and continued efforts to rethink education to privilege the marginalized and poverty-struck populations of New Mexico is critical.

TLDR: 

• New Mexico ranks 50 out of 50 states in education, 48th in economic well-being, 44th in health, 49th in family and community, and 50th in overall child well-being.
• Children with significant educational barriers related to marginalization and poverty is the norm in New Mexico.
• Lack of funding is an ongoing issue for New Mexico public schools, but cost-effective efforts to pursue educational improvements today that favor the marginalized are possible and necessary. 

Works Cited:

Aragon, Amanda. Facing the Facts: New Mexico's Latest Education Ranking and the Path Forward. NM Kids CAN, www.nmkidscan.org/facing-the-facts-new-mexicos-latest-education-ranking-and-the-path-forward. Accessed 6 Sep. 2024.

Scheerer, Kimberly Allen. “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Project-Based Learning Education: A New Mexico Case Study for Equity and Inclusion.” New Mexico Journal of Science, vol. 57, Jan. 2023, pp. 64–79. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=7bbde604-59f6-3aee-8b6c-e09356cbe83e.

Oakes, Jeannie, et al. "New Mexico: Improving Education for Multilingual and English Learner Students." Learning Policy Institute, 1 Dec. 2020, learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/new-mexico-improving-education-report. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.

Ray, Kecia. "Here's What Research Says About Screen Time and School-Aged Kids." EdTech Magazine, 23 Jan. 2023, edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2023/01/heres-what-research-says-about-screen-time-and-school-aged-kids. Accessed 9 Sep. 2024.

Wildau, Emily. “New Mexico Ranks 50th in Child Well-Being for Third Consecutive Year." New Mexico Voices for Children, 24 June 2021, www.nmvoices.org/archives/15541#_edn1. Accessed 7 Sep. 2024.