New Mexico Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
New Mexico reported 888 operating public schools, 153 operating districts, and 311,719 students in school year 2023–24.
The latest finance release places current spending at $14,812 per pupil in fiscal year 2024. School-year and fiscal-year figures are reported separately.
New Mexico Education Snapshot
Counts come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Spending figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Public School Enrollment, Fall 2019–2023
New Mexico public prekindergarten through grade 12 membership
Enrollment declined from 331,206 in fall 2019 to 311,719 in fall 2023, a reduction of 19,487 students or 5.9%.
Trend analysis
- Fall 2023 enrollment was 311,719.
- Enrollment fell by 3,304 students between fall 2022 and fall 2023.
- The one-year change was -1.0%.
- Enrollment was 5.9% below the fall 2019 count.
- Each year shown after 2020 remained below 317,000 students.
New Mexico School, Enrollment, and Spending Indicators
The reporting period and measurement unit are identified for each indicator.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating public schools | 888 | Schools | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Operating districts | 153 | Districts | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Student membership | 311,719 | Students | Fall 2023 | NCES CCD |
| Teacher count | 21,596 | FTE teachers | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 14.4 | Students per teacher FTE | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Regular schools | 834 | Schools | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Special education schools | 9 | Schools | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Career and technical schools | 0 | Schools | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Alternative education schools | 45 | Schools | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Charter schools | 101 | Schools with charter status | SY 2023–24 | NCES CCD |
| Current spending per pupil | $14,812 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY 2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| U.S. current spending per pupil | $17,619 | Nominal dollars per pupil | FY 2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Federal share of New Mexico revenue | 19.7% | Share of total revenue | FY 2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Federal share of U.S. revenue | 11.6% | Share of total revenue | FY 2024 | U.S. Census Bureau |
Table analysis
- Regular schools accounted for 834 of 888 operating schools.
- New Mexico reported 101 charter schools; charter is a status that can overlap with school type.
- The statewide pupil-teacher ratio was 14.4 students per teacher FTE.
- FY 2024 current spending was $2,807 per pupil below the national figure.
- New Mexico’s federal revenue share exceeded the national share by 8.1 percentage points.
- New Mexico had the third-highest federal revenue share among states in the FY 2024 Census release.
Enrollment, School Structure, and Finance Detail
Supporting tables retain the source definitions used by NCES and the Census Bureau.
Current Spending Per Pupil
New Mexico and the United States, fiscal year 2024
New Mexico’s $14,812 represented about 84.1% of the national current-spending figure.
Chart analysis
- New Mexico current spending was $14,812 per pupil.
- The national figure was $17,619 per pupil.
- The difference was $2,807 per pupil.
- Dollar amounts are not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.
Federal Revenue Share
Federal revenue as a percentage of total public-school revenue, FY 2024
Federal sources supplied 19.7% of New Mexico public-school revenue, compared with 11.6% nationally.
Chart analysis
- New Mexico’s federal share was 19.7%.
- The national federal share was 11.6%.
- New Mexico’s share was about 1.7 times the national percentage.
Enrollment History
Fall membership counts cover public elementary and secondary schools.
| Fall | Enrollment | Annual change | Annual change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 331,206 | Baseline | Baseline |
| 2020 | 316,840 | -14,366 | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 316,785 | -55 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 315,023 | -1,762 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 311,719 | -3,304 | -1.0% |
Trend analysis
- The largest decline shown occurred between fall 2019 and fall 2020: 14,366 students.
- Enrollment changed by only 55 students between fall 2020 and fall 2021.
- The fall 2023 count was the lowest value in the five-year series.
- The cumulative fall 2019–2023 reduction was 19,487 students.
Operating Schools by Type
NCES assigns each operating school one instructional type. Charter status is reported separately.
School Type Distribution
Operating public schools in school year 2023–24
The four school-type categories sum to the statewide total of 888 operating schools.
| School type | Schools | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 834 | 93.9% | SY 2023–24 |
| Alternative education | 45 | 5.1% | SY 2023–24 |
| Special education | 9 | 1.0% | SY 2023–24 |
| Career and technical | 0 | 0.0% | SY 2023–24 |
Table analysis
- 93.9% of operating schools were classified as regular schools.
- Alternative education schools accounted for 5.1% of the total.
- Special education schools accounted for 1.0%.
- The charter count is not added to these categories because charter status can overlap with school type.
Regular Schools by Grade Level
The level table excludes exclusively virtual schools, schools without reported membership, and records without a derived level.
| School level | Regular schools | Average membership | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prekindergarten | 13 | 150 | SY 2023–24 |
| Elementary | 446 | 308 | SY 2023–24 |
| Middle | 159 | 344 | SY 2023–24 |
| High school | 179 | 517 | SY 2023–24 |
| Secondary | 5 | 502 | SY 2023–24 |
| Other or ungraded | 21 | 644 | SY 2023–24 |
Table analysis
- Elementary schools formed the largest level group with 446 schools.
- High schools had average membership of 517 students.
- Other or ungraded schools had the highest reported average membership at 644 students.
- The 823 schools in this level table do not equal the 834 regular-school total because NCES applies additional exclusions to the level tabulation.
What the New Mexico Data Shows
The indicators describe system size, enrollment movement, staffing, school structure, and operating finance.
Enrollment contraction
Public-school membership declined in each interval after fall 2021, reaching 311,719 students in fall 2023.
System structure
The statewide count includes traditional districts and other operating education agencies. School and district counts should not be treated as interchangeable.
Charter classification
The 101 charter schools are also assigned an instructional school type. Adding charter status to the four type categories would double-count schools.
Spending comparison
New Mexico’s FY 2024 current spending per pupil was below the national figure, while its federal share of school revenue was above the national share.
Reporting periods
Fall enrollment and school counts refer to school year 2023–24. Finance values refer to fiscal year 2024.
Measure boundaries
Current spending covers operating costs and excludes capital outlay, debt service, and spending for programs outside public pre-K–12 education.
Source and Methodology
School and staffing counts
NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe, Local Education Agency Universe, and State Nonfiscal surveys, school year 2023–24, Final Version 1a.
School types
School type is based on instructional emphasis. Charter status is independent of the school-type categories.
School levels
NCES derives school level from reported grades offered. The table excludes exclusively virtual schools and certain records with missing membership or level data.
Enrollment history
Selected fall membership counts are from the NCES Digest of Education Statistics. Adult education students are excluded.
School finance
Fiscal year 2024 values come from the final Annual Survey of School System Finances released by the U.S. Census Bureau in May 2026.
Per-pupil comparison
The Census measure covers current operating spending for public pre-K–12 systems and excludes capital outlay and debt service.
Counts are presented as reported by the source agencies. Percentages and differences calculated from displayed values may vary slightly because of rounding. Fiscal-year dollar amounts are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation or regional price levels.
The 2026 title identifies the publication edition, not a common data year. School counts and enrollment use school year 2023–24 data, while spending and revenue shares use fiscal year 2024 data released in 2026. Spending differences do not establish differences in school quality or student outcomes.