The 2026 KIDS COUNT Data Book ranks New Mexico 50th in education for the 10th consecutive year, with an education Index Score of 1—the lowest in the nation.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – This morning, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released its 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, an annual report measuring child well-being across all 50 states. The report evaluates outcomes across four key domains: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community.

After ranking 50th in overall child well-being for three consecutive years, New Mexico climbed to 49th in 2026. However, for the 10th consecutive year, the state ranks 50th in education.

This year’s data shows progress in two key areas. New Mexico’s ranking in economic well-being improved from 49th to 47th, while its health ranking rose from 46th to 41st. The state’s family and community ranking and education ranking remained unchanged at 50th.

This year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation introduced Index Scores to measure how child well-being is changing over time. Scores range from 0 (worst) to 1,000 (best) and reflect child well-being relative to a 2019 baseline. In education, New Mexico received the lowest score in the nation, earning an Index Score of 1.

“For 10 consecutive years, a decade, New Mexico has ranked last in education. This year, the news is even more devastating, with a new index score that shows New Mexico as the worst not just in overall scores, but last in progress. On a scale of 0 to 1,000, our score is 1. This is heartbreaking,” said Amanda Aragon, executive director of NewMexicoKidsCAN. “Our children are bright, capable and full of potential. These rankings are not a commentary on who they are, but rather, the data is a damning indictment of the education systems we create for them.”

Based on the 2019 baseline, New Mexico’s education indicators show:

• 60% of young children ages 3 and 4 are not enrolled in school (2020-2024), up from 55% in 2019.
• 80% of fourth graders are not proficient in reading (2024), up from 76% in 2019.
• 86% of eighth graders are not proficient in math (2024), up from 79% in 2019.
• 22% of high school students are not graduating on time (2023-2024), down from 25% in 2019.

New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi have long been neighbors at the bottom of the KIDS COUNT rankings. In 2026, that pattern continued, with Louisiana ranking 48th, New Mexico 49th and Mississippi 50th overall. Yet despite facing many of the same challenges in economic well-being, family and community, and health, Louisiana and Mississippi have pulled away from New Mexico in education. Mississippi ranked 16th on the education index, and Louisiana 35th.

“The good news is there is progress in some areas, and I do believe we will see progress in coming years thanks to universal childcare and other state initiatives, but we cannot stop there,” Aragon said. “While New Mexico has done some nation leading work in areas, we cannot continue to ignore our K-12 education system. This data is a glaring alarm, and it calls for immediate, bold and strategic reform driven by our state’s educational leaders and future governor.”

The 2026 KIDSCOUNT Data Book can be accessed here: https://www.aecf.org/resources/2026-kids-count-data-book

###

About NewMexicoKidsCAN: Launched in 2018, NewMexicoKidsCAN is a local non-profit organization that advocates for community-informed, student-centered and research-backed education policies. Connecting policy, instructional practice and politics the organization works to reimagine what is possible in New Mexico’s public education system to ensure New Mexico students become the future community, civic and business leaders New Mexico needs.
To learn more, visit www.nmkidscan.org.