Year after year, New Mexico finds itself at the bottom of national education rankings—dead last.

According to the latest studies, our students perform worse in reading, math, and graduation rates than in almost every other state in the country. But this isn’t just a statistic; it’s a crisis that affects our children, our economy, and our future.

So why, despite billions of dollars in funding and years of promised reform, does New Mexico continue to fail its students? New Mexico spends billions on education every year. This year, Gov. Lujan Grisham’s budget proposes a $10.5 billion spending plan, a 9.9 percent increase from the last fiscal year. Fact: we spend more per student than some states that outperform us.

The problem isn’t our teachers. Many of them work tirelessly, often with limited resources, overcrowded classrooms, and little administrative support. As a retired administrator and teacher, I can vouch that our teachers are not the problem. The problem is a system designed to fail.

New Mexico consistently ranks last in education due to a combination of systemic failures, poor policy decisions, and socio-economic challenges. We see more emphasis on political agendas, standardized testing, and administrative expansion than on real solutions that help kids learn. The result? Declining test scores, dismal literacy rates, and students graduating unprepared for the real world.

Meanwhile, school choice options are stifled, leaving parents with no real alternatives when their local public schools fail their children. Instead of prioritizing what works—such as vocational training, school choice, and curriculum reform—our leaders continue to double down on failed policies that have left generations of New Mexico students behind.

New Mexico has also fallen into the trap of lowering academic standards instead of raising student performance. Rather than ensuring our students meet rigorous reading and math benchmarks, we keep watering down requirements and making excuses for underperformance. We mask the problem with policies that push students forward whether they’re ready or not. Root causes of failure need to be addressed.

It’s no wonder employers hesitate to hire New Mexico graduates, and why so many of our young people leave the state in hopes of better opportunities elsewhere.

New Mexico does not have to stay last in education. We can change course. But it will require bold leadership, less bureaucracy, and more accountability. Here’s what we must do:

• Demand transparency in education spending—every dollar should go toward improving student outcomes, not expanding bureaucracy.
• Raise academic standards, not lower them. Stop making excuses and start expecting more from our students.
• Expand school choice. Parents should have the right to choose the best education for their children—whether it’s public, charter, private, or homeschooling.
• Invest in real-world skills. Not every student needs a four-year college degree. We must bring back vocational training and apprenticeships to prepare students for high-paying, skilled jobs.
• Hold leadership accountable. If school administrators and policymakers continue to fail, they must be replaced with those who will actually fight for student success.

This is not a hopeless situation. Other states have turned their education systems around through bold reforms. New Mexico can too—but only if we stop accepting failure as the norm.

For too long, politicians have promised change while delivering nothing. Our children deserve better. Our communities deserve better. We all deserve better.

It’s time to stop asking why New Mexico is last in education and start demanding that our leaders do something about it.

 

Nickie McCarty is a former educator and athletic director and New Mexico State Director of Concerned Women for America.