New Mexico literacy scores rise 10%, math gains lag at 1%
New Mexico student literacy scores rose by 10% in this year’s statewide results, while math scores improved by just 1%. State education officials released the 2026 New Mexico VISTAS and school accreditation results on Monday, and individual schools were given a chance to highlight where they saw gains.
“PED uses these systems to help us understand how each school is doing and to identify what support they need to strengthen student outcomes,” said Mariana Padilla, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Public Education Department.
Science scores, which had climbed in past years, dropped back to 2022 levels. “Although it is improving, we know that this progress is much too slow and science has remained relatively flat,” said Lynn Vásquez, Senior Manager for Assessment, Research, Evaluation, and Accountability for PED.
Brian Paniagua, principal of Eagle Peak Career Academy in Shiprock, said the assessments helped his school pinpoint student needs. “They are taking on a lot of responsibilities in the homes with helping with siblings and things like that, and so providing sort of toolkits on how they can manage time, giving them a little bit of counseling,” Paniagua said.
Ten of 11 Rio Rancho Public Schools elementary schools improved in English language arts proficiency, and eight improved in mathematics, a result the district attributes to leaders monitoring progress. “I think that the scores that we saw, I mean, they’re showing a lot of growth, which means that we’re headed in a positive direction,” said Matthew Soriano, a teacher at Sandia Vista Elementary School.
Excluding charter schools, Albuquerque Public Schools saw language arts proficiency decline by half a percentage point and math rise by 0.1% compared with last year.
While we were hoping for stronger growth, I’m proud that our students largely held onto the hard-won gains from 2025. This shows the real resilience of our students and the dedication of our staff. We know we still have work to do, and we’re more committed than ever to helping every student reach their full potential.
Superintendent Gabriella Duran Blakey issued that statement.
The state plans to administer the same performance tests again next spring.
