Last week, the New Mexico Public Education Department released statewide assessment data for the 2025–2026 school year. New Mexico students sustained recent gains in literacy, while math proficiency also increased slightly. Statewide reading proficiency increased from 44% to 45%, while math proficiency increased from 26% to 27%.

At NewMexicoKidsCAN, we believe these results are more than just numbers. We understand what these indicators represent for our students. Whether a student is reading proficiently by third grade, mastering math by eighth grade, or graduating high school prepared for what comes next impacts not only their future, but the future of our state.

That’s why we approach these results with urgent optimism. We are hopeful about the progress we are seeing, but we know our students are not improving fast enough. More must be done to ensure every student is at or near grade level. Over the past week, our team has spent more time digging into the data, and we have several highlights to share about school-level growth and performance among our state’s largest districts.

Highest Growth in Reading and Math

While statewide reading and math proficiency each increased by one percentage point, many New Mexico schools saw significant year-over-year growth.

In reading, Algodones Elementary led small schools with a 30 percentage point increase, Colinas del Norte Elementary led medium-sized schools with a 13.8 percentage point increase, and Mission Achievement and Success 2.0 led large schools with a 13.3 percentage point increase.

In math, Alta Vista Early College High School led small schools with a 32 percentage point increase, Horizon Academy West led medium-sized schools with a 16.8 percentage point increase, and Los Alamos High School led large schools with a 15.2 percentage point increase.

The above charts highlight the five schools with the highest year-over-year growth in each category. To explore additional schools showing growth in each subject and school-size category, view the PED briefing packet here.

Performance Among New Mexico’s Ten Largest Districts

The performance of New Mexico’s 10 largest school districts provides additional insight into where progress is happening and where more work is needed.

In reading, the five-year trend shows progress. All 10 of the state’s largest districts have higher reading proficiency rates today than they did in the 2021–2022 school year. The average increase among the 10 largest districts is 10.6 percentage points, with gains ranging from 6.8 percentage points in Los Lunas Public Schools to 17 percentage points in Hobbs Municipal Schools.

However, this year’s data shows progress has slowed. Seven of the 10 districts increased reading proficiency year over year, but most gains were modest. Gallup-McKinley County Schools stood out with a 5.3 percentage point increase, followed by Las Cruces Public Schools with a 2.5 percentage point increase.

In math, the five-year picture is more mixed. Six of the 10 largest districts have higher math proficiency rates than they did in 2021–2022, while four remain below where they started. This year, however, Gallup-McKinley County Schools saw a notable 6.1 percentage point increase in math proficiency, while Gadsden Independent Schools increased by 3.6 percentage points.

These results show us strong year-over-year gains are possible, and more work remains to ensure that progress reaches every student, school, and community.

Explore Your Local School’s Performance

With the release of the latest assessment results, the New Mexico Vistas website has been updated with 2025–2026 performance data for public schools across the state. You can explore proficiency rates, student growth, graduation rates, attendance, per-pupil expenditures, and more for your local school and district. Statewide data is also available to help you understand how student performance is changing across New Mexico.

EXPLORE NM VISTAS

We are proud to celebrate the growth and progress of New Mexico’s students. And with urgent optimism, we remain committed to advocating for a future where every New Mexico student is reading and doing math at grade level. We believe this future is possible, but reaching it will require us to move with greater urgency.

As we look ahead to the 2027 New Mexico Legislative Session, we have our eyes on the policy changes needed to improve student achievement, but the change we want for our students will require more than funding and policy. It requires something from all of us, and it starts with believing progress is possible.

We encourage you to talk about the latest assessment results with those around you, explore the results for your local school, and use this information to ask questions about how students are doing and what supports are available to help them succeed.

Together, we can build the public education system our students deserve.

ICYMI:

Want more assessment data analysis? Tune into the latest episode of New Mexico Rising to hear Amanda and Dominica unpack the data. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.