Summary:
New Mexico offers families limited school choice options. The state does not support private school choice.
Public School Choice:
New Mexico offers choice within the public school system. The Education Commission of the States reports that the state has enacted two open enrollment policies: Low-performing public schools must allow intra-district transfers, and school boards may allow inter-district and intra-district transfer options for all students “when there are sufficient accommodations to provide for them.” The Center for Education Reform reports that New Mexico has an average charter school law. As of 2010, approximately 15,000 students were enrolled in the state’s 82 public charter schools.
Private School Choice:
New Mexico does not offer private school choice.
Online Learning:
New Mexico offers a state-led program and a few district-led online learning options, but as of fall 2011, there were no full-time online charter schools. According to Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, New Mexico’s state-led Innovative Digital Education and Learning New Mexico (IDEAL-NM) program provides courses to K-12 students statewide and had 3,816 course enrollments in 2010-2011. As of 2010, 38 school districts and 21 charter schools offered online courses to their students.
More Information:
Click here for detailed information on New Mexico's public school system and see below for school choice contacts and a history of school choice legislation in New Mexico.