New Mexico ranks dead last in national school system study despite high spending

SANTA FE — New Mexico has the worst public school system in the nation, according to a new ranking released by personal finance site WalletHub.

The state finished 51st out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in WalletHub’s 2026 “States With the Best & Worst School Systems” report, with a total score of 30.37 — the lowest in the country. Oklahoma ranked 50th, followed by Alaska, Arizona and Oregon rounding out the bottom five.

New Mexico placed last in the “Quality” dimension, which carried 80% of the overall weighting and factored in test scores, graduation rates and instructor credentials. The state posted the lowest math test scores, lowest reading test scores and lowest median SAT scores of any state measured. New Mexico also tied for the highest dropout rate in the nation, alongside Idaho, Alaska, Arizona and Washington, D.C.

The state fared somewhat better on the “Safety” dimension, which made up the remaining 20% of the score, ranking 39th.

The report evaluated states across 32 metrics using data collected as of June 2025 from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics and the College Board.

Massachusetts topped the overall rankings, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia and New Hampshire.

“Getting enough funding is essential for a productive school system, but simply having more money doesn’t guarantee success,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. “How funds are applied also plays a big role in how good a school system is, as does the quality of educators, other professionals and the curriculum.”

This is not the first time New Mexico has been criticized for its outcomes despite massive influxes in spending. For years, Rio Grande Foundation President Paul Gessing has argued that the state’s per-pupil costs far outpace its neighbors without a corresponding improvement in outcomes. Gessing noted that Albuquerque Public Schools’ recently adopted $2.35 billion budget works out to roughly $36,859 per student — 22% more than tuition at Albuquerque Academy, the area’s most expensive private school — even as APS enrollment has fallen 20% from pre-pandemic levels, from 80,109 students in 2019 to 63,726 this year.

Gessing has argued the growth in spending has come with no corresponding gain in student outcomes, and that the district could reduce its footprint in buildings and staff relative to its shrinking enrollment.