APS Math and Reading Scores Hold Steady

District records its best overall math performance and second-best reading scores since the assessment's debut.

A year after Albuquerque Public Schools students demonstrated their strongest performance to date on the New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement (NM-MSSA), students have largely held onto those gains. 

Excluding APS-authorized charter schools, the district’s overall proficiency rates were 43 percent in English Language Arts and 26.6 percent in mathematics. The assessment was administered to more than 26,600 APS third through eighth graders in the spring of 2026.  

Language arts proficiency decreased by half of a percentage point and math proficiency increased by 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous year.

The results are captured in the latest state testing data released on Sept. 14 by the New Mexico Public Education Department. 

Those overall rates are the best math scores and the second best reading scores APS students have achieved on the test since the state switched to the New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement (NM-MSSA). The assessment was administered fully for the first time in the spring of 2022.

“While we were hoping for stronger growth, I’m proud that our students largely held onto the hard-won gains from 2025,” Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey said. “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.”

In English Language Arts proficiency, APS schools making significant strides include:

• Eugene Field Elementary, 16.3 percentage point increase
• Alvarado Elementary, 14.4 percentage point increase
• Kirtland Elementary, 12.2 percentage point increase
• Collet Park Elementary, 11.6 percentage point increase
• Tierra Antigua Elementary, 10.3 percentage point increase
• And Wherry Elementary, 9.9 percentage point increase

APS schools achieving significant gains in their math proficiency rates include:

• La Mesa Elementary, 12.5 percentage point increase
• San Antonito Elementary, 9.6 percentage point increase 
• Lew Wallace Elementary, 8.6 percentage point increase
• Mark Twain Elementary, 7.3 percentage point increase
• And Armijo Elementary, 7.2 percentage point increase

The sustained gains are a direct result of the focused efforts to enhance student outcomes, aligning with the goals established by the APS Board of Education in 2023. That work includes progress monitoring, where top APS administrators go before the board regularly to discuss progress being made toward achieving each of the goals.

Strategies for improving student outcomes include a strong focus on structured literacy instruction. APS has also prioritized high-quality instructional materials, teacher collaboration and using student data to guide lessons. 

The four five-year goals focus on literacy, math, college and career readiness, and skills, habits and mindsets for life success. The first two goals – focused on literacy and math – were geared toward improving academic outcomes for African American students and those identified in the Yazzie-Martinez court decision: Native American students, English Language Learners, students with disabilities and those who are economically disadvantaged. The board established these goals based on extensive input from the community.

As a group. Yazzie-Martinez and Black students continued to demonstrate annual increases in both ELA and mathematics proficiency rates compared to last year. Overall, the Spring 2026 proficiency rates for these students were 35.6% in ELA, an increase of 1 percentage point from Spring 2025, and 19% in math, an increase of 1.4 percentage points.

Science and high school results

The state uses the New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness (NM-ASR) to assess science proficiency and to determine how elementary, middle, and high school students are performing.

Students in grades 5, 8 and 11 took the New Mexico Assessment of Science Readiness last spring, and of those, 33.4% tested proficient, a decrease of 1.4 percentage points from the prior school year. 

Proficiency rates for students in grade 11 in mathematics and reading and writing were based on the College Board’s SAT School Day test. In reading and writing, 43.2% of APS grade 11 students were proficient, a 4.2 percentage point decrease. In math, 17% of APS grade 11 students were proficient, a 0.4 percentage point decrease.

NM Vistas designations

The state PED also released the latest school improvement designations. The NM Vistas designations are on a three-year cycle and are part of the state PED’s Every Student Succeeds Act accountability model. Excluding APS-authorized charter schools, more than a third (38%) of APS schools improved their designations, including Rio Grande, Highland and Del Norte High Schools, which exited MRI status based on sustained improvements to their graduation rates.