As the school year wraps up, the New Mexico Public Education Department is reporting increased graduation rates with last year’s class having the highest number of graduates in the last fifteen years.
New Mexico’s class of 2024 had a little over 78% of students graduate high school, which is a 1.34% increase from the previous year. The national graduation rate is 87%.
PED Cabinet Secretary Mariana Padilla said to catch up to other states, New Mexico would need 2,400 additional students graduating by Cohort 2027.
Padilla, said using an initiative called ‘Next Step Plans’ allows students starting in 8th grade to set their post high school goals.
"We’re monitoring the courses that students are taking. It seems like something so basic but it’s really something that’s not being done to the extent that it should be," said Padilla.
She’s hopeful that these plans can create a safety net and allow schools to re-engage students who are no longer in traditional classrooms, whether that’s with continuing education or work-based learning.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
