New Mexico has again found itself at the bottom of the national child well-being rankings.
According to the annual Kids Count report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation on June 14,
New Mexico ranked 50th among all states.
“New Mexico is ranked worst in the nation, again, for child well-being by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. NM has been ranked 49th or 50th for child well-being each of the last five years. One party domination in the legislature as well as the governor and other top elected officials assure the trend continues,” the New Mexico Business Coalition said in an email alert on June 20.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation report revealed that New Mexico ranked last, with declining academic outcomes in reading and math as contributing factors. The state trailed just behind Louisiana at 49th and Mississippi at 48th. In contrast, New Hampshire claimed the top spot, followed by Utah and Massachusetts.
The report outlined deterioration in several areas, including the percentage of children whose parents lack secure employment climbed from 32% in 2019 to 35% in 2021; fourth graders not proficient at reading grew from 76% to 79% and eighth graders not proficient in math jumped from 79% to 87%, figures that reflect changes between 2019 and 2022; child and teen deaths per 100,000 population increased from 36 in 2019 to 43 in 2021; and teens not in school and not working went up from 11% in 2019 to 12% in 2021. The dire state of education in New Mexico, as highlighted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation's recent report, underscores the concerning decline in academic outcome
The report also found that 87% of eighth graders were not proficient in math last year, an eight-point decline since 2019, and 44% of children lived in single-parent families, an unchanged statistic between 2019 and 2021.
According to New Mexico Voices for Children in the Albuquerque Journal, an advocacy group
involved in the reporting, New Mexico has consistently ranked 49th or 50th since 2012. The state
organization has been pushing for legislative policies, such as an expanded child tax credit to address
the situation.
This year's ranking considered the state's worsening reading and math proficiency rates, comparing the outcomes from 2019 to 2022. However, long-term trends in the report demonstrate some notable advancements. In this year's report, the percentage of children living in poverty decreased by seven points since 2015, from 31% to 24%. Additionally, the percentage of children without health insurance dropped from 10% in 2012 to 6% in the current report.
While New Mexico has shown positive trends, Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, noted that the overall ranking remains unchanged due to other states also experiencing better outcomes, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The annual report sparked debate at the Capitol. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the Republican Party of New Mexico attributed the ranking to the failure of proposals to revamp the state's child welfare agency. It held the Democratic Party accountable, as they control the Governor's Office and both legislative chambers.
“Throwing more taxpayer money at child well-being, without requirements for accountability and improvement, has not changed New Mexico's results. We continue to be dead last in the nation for child well-being,” the New Mexico Business Coalition said in their June 20 email alert.
