Albuquerque Public Schools
Students Rewarded With NM United Tickets for Math Gains
Cleveland and Grant Middle School classes recognized for significant improvement in math proficiency.
See NM United on Saturday, June 7!
For every ticket purchased by June 4 at 5 p.m., $4 will be donated to the APS Education Foundation to support innovative school projects.
Students throughout APS had a great deal to celebrate on Thursday, with school wrapping up and summer vacation starting the next day. But two sixth-grade math classes had an extra surprise waiting for them, thanks to New Mexico United.
Students in one of Alex Morgan’s math classes at Cleveland Middle School and in another of Kathryn Taft’s math classes at Grant Middle School received free tickets for themselves and a chaperone to attend New Mexico United’s School’s Out 2025 event. The students will be recognized during the soccer match for their impressive gains in mathematics.
Morgan’s class saw a 32% improvement in students proficient in math from fall to spring, while Taft’s class saw a 19% improvement during the same period.
New Mexico United Team Captain Kalen Ryden announced the reward to students in a video message.
“I heard you all had a great year in your math studies and as a thank you for being such great students, I would like to invite all of you to join us on the field next Saturday, June 7, for School’s Out Night,” Ryden said. “I look forward to meeting you guys, and congratulations on finishing sixth grade.”
The announcement drew applause from students.
The School’s Out event will be at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park, with United’s match against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC set to begin at 7 p.m. Board members will be on hand to engage with community members and share information about the work underway to improve outcomes for APS students.
It’s one of many community outreach events the APS Board of Education has held this year.
Board Vice President Courtney Jackson was at Cleveland and Grant to congratulate the students who won the tickets.
“Thank you guys, and thank you for coming in the last day of school,” Jackson said. “On behalf of the APS Board of Education, I just want to congratulate you on the hard work that you guys have done this year.”
Both Taft and Morgan expressed their gratitude for the recognition.
“It's an absolute honor, and I give (all the credit) to the kids,” Morgan said. “I can lead the ship, but they're the ones that are rowing the boat. They're a good group of kids. We have a good rapport. I think we all enjoy each other, and that helps the environment.”
The theme of this year’s School’s Out event is “A Math-Tastic Game Night with New Mexico United!” – a nod to the work underway to improve math proficiency rates among APS middle schoolers.
For every ticket purchased through a dedicated link by June 4, $4 will be donated to the APS Education Foundation to support innovative school projects.
APS students will be highlighted throughout the night.
- The APS middle school soccer team with the best sportsmanship record will be the ball managers for the game.
- The National Anthem will be performed by Eldorado High School’s Gold Rush Choir.
- Flag runners at the beginning of the game will be students from Carlos Rey Elementary.