Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico —
As high schoolers across the state don caps and gowns for graduation, state education officials are noting the state’s highest graduation rate in at least the last 15 years.
While still below the national average, last year the highest percentage of New Mexico high-schoolers graduated on time since 2008, when the state began its current methods of graduation rate calculations, according to new data from the Public Education Department.
State data shows a little over three quarters of all students have graduated high school in New Mexico each year since the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2024, 78.05% of them made it across the finish line, a slight increase over recent years and the highest rate in more than a decade.
PED calculated that of 26,108 9th graders who started the 2020 school year in New Mexico, 20,378 graduated from a New Mexico school four years later. The calculations account for students who move into or out of the state during that period, according to PED.
Despite the progress, New Mexico’s rate is about 10 percentage points less than the national average, which is 87%, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
“This increase reflects the hard work of our educators, students and families, and it underscores our shared commitment to student success,” PED secretary Marianna Padilla said in a statement. “At the same time, we recognize that too many students are still not making it to the finish line—and we must continue working together to ensure every student has the support they need to graduate.”
See below for a chart showing about 50 New Mexico school districts’ graduation rates over the last five years, including how they compare to state and national rates. Read more here from the leader of the Gadsden Independent School District, whose students have graduated at rates on par with the national average the last few years.
Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: info@sourcenm.com.