The Kids Count Data book measures 16 indicators based in four issue areas – family and community, health, economic well-being, and education.
New Mexico ranks 50th in overall child well being, education, and family and community, 49th in economic well being, and 46th in health.
The numbers reflect the hardships brought on by the pandemic up to 2023.
In education, proficiency rates worsened with data from fourth graders not reading at grade level, while eighth graders struggled in math. However, the state did improve with high school students graduating on time and fewer teenage students working.
Gabrielle Uballez, Executive Director for New Mexico Voices for Children says the state’s poor performance reflects remote learning during the pandemic and the subsequent learning loss during those two years of school closures, but the responsibility to improve education is multifaceted.
“If our kids aren't learning at the pace they need to, it's going to be harder for them to be able to get into good jobs when they become grown adults. We increased teacher pay this year, which hopefully improves in retention of teachers and their ability to teach. We also think and we know that, kids don't learn just in the classroom. We also need to keep pace with how kids are supported outside of school,” Uballez said.
Poverty rates have remained the same and sat at 25% from 2019-2023.
According to Uballez, New Mexico has since made significant strides post-pandemic toward universal free child care for most families and robust tax policies, but she said the state needs to pursue building more quality affordable housing options.
“If we can't get how expensive it is to put a roof over your head under control, growing wages and growing income support programs is only going to do so much,” said Uballez.
Low-income families often spend more than 30% of their pretax income on housing. Uballez says lawmakers need to act with urgency and consider ensuring that minimum wage is keeping up with inflation so families can prioritize home ownership and enjoy the stability that comes with it.
At the federal level, President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ could have implications for New Mexico as $600 billion may be cut in Medicaid spending, leaving almost 11 million Americans without coverage over the next 10 years, with potential for another $230 billion cut over the next 10 years.
Uballez said, “New Mexico actually has the largest percentage of families who benefit from things like SNAP and Medicaid. And a big part of our budget is funded through the federal government”.
While children in single-parent families and those living in homes where the head of household lacks a high school diploma also worsened, the rate of children living in areas with high-poverty declined.
The number of New Mexican children enrolled in health insurance have also not improved since 2019 according to the report, while child and teen deaths per 100,000 went up from about 36% in 2019 to 47% in 2023.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
