Albuquerque Public Schools
Four APS Schools Earn Community Schools Certification
Albuquerque High, Los Padillas, Marie Hughes and Wilson Middle demonstrate strong practices in the state’s first community schools certification pilot.
Four Albuquerque Public Schools campuses have earned certification through New Mexico’s 2025-2026 Community Schools Certification pilot, recognizing their work to build stronger connections among schools, families and community partners.
Albuquerque High School, Los Padillas Elementary School, Marie Hughes Elementary School and Wilson Middle School were among seven APS schools that participated in the pilot process, developed by the New Mexico Public Education Department in partnership with MC2 Education.
The certification process focused on six key community school practices. Participating schools could demonstrate their progress by submitting evidence such as strategic plans, needs and assets assessments and root cause analyses. Schools also hosted site visits that included school walkthroughs and conversations with school leaders and Community School Coordinators.
Schools were evaluated on a four-level scale, from "Learning the Strategy" to "Driving Transformation." Schools earning scores of 3 or 4, representing "Achieving Impact" or "Driving Transformation," received certification.
The recognition highlights the work happening across ABC Community School Partnership Community Schools located in APS to identify the strengths and needs of each school community and build partnerships that help address those needs.
“Community Schools are about bringing together the strengths, resources and voices of a school community to create meaningful opportunities for students and families,” APS Executive Director of Integrated Supports for Learning Bryan Garcia said. “We are incredibly proud of these four schools for reaching this milestone and for the intentional work they are doing every day to build partnerships, engage their communities and create the conditions for students to thrive.”
Congratulations to Albuquerque High, Los Padillas Elementary, Marie Hughes Elementary and Wilson Middle on this significant achievement!
About APS Community Schools
With almost 70 Community Schools across the district, APS and the ABC Community School Partnership are building a network of schools that serve as community hubs. By weaving together rigorous classroom instruction, expanded learning opportunities, integrated support systems, and the voices of families and students in decision-making, these schools create conditions where every child can learn, grow and thrive.