Albuquerque Public Schools
Facing Enrollment Shifts, APS Begins Community Dialogue on Right-Sizing
APS seeks family and staff feedback before crafting long-term recommendations on schools.
The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution Wednesday to launch a districtwide public engagement process on facility and enrollment planning, initiating conversations on how to address years of sharp enrollment declines.
No decisions have been made regarding school closures, consolidations or boundary changes. Instead, the resolution authorizes a series of community meetings this fall to gather input from students, families, staff and community members before any formal recommendations are crafted.
"No decisions have been made, and we are not presenting recommendations tonight," Deputy Superintendent of Operations Antonio Gonzales told board members during a presentation on the district’s long-term facility needs.
The initiative comes as New Mexico’s largest school district grapples with significant demographic shifts. In 2018, APS served 84,000 students. By the end of last school year, enrollment had fallen to under 64,000 — a loss of roughly 20,000 students.
The drop is primarily due to declining birth rates in Bernalillo County and families with school-age children moving out of state. Although district projections indicate enrollment will eventually level off, student populations are expected to remain substantially smaller than in past decades.
The sharp drop has left many schools underutilized, directly impacting the day-to-day student experience. Nearly one in four APS schools currently serves fewer than 250 students, while about one in six operates at less than half of its intended capacity — making it increasingly difficult to offer comprehensive programming and robust campus environments.
Operating under-capacity facilities presents significant financial and operational challenges that draw resources away from classrooms. APS spends about $50,000 daily on utilities alone, amid rising maintenance costs and an uncertain financial outlook marked by the expiration of pandemic relief funding, volatile state revenues and increasingly unpredictable federal funding.
“As school populations decrease, it becomes harder to sustain the same programs, services and staffing,” said Randy Mahlerwein, deputy superintendent for leadership and learning.
Smaller student populations negatively impact student opportunities and learning experiences. When schools are very small, students lose out on dedicated, full-time specialized staff — including counselors, librarians, nurses and art or music teachers — who are frequently forced to split time across multiple campuses. Extremely low enrollment also limits access to extracurricular activities, electives and teacher collaboration, leading to unequal access to vital support services and well-rounded enrichment.
APS is not alone in these challenges. School districts across the country are facing similar enrollment shifts and taking on right-sizing and closure initiatives to preserve educational quality and equitable student resources.
District leaders pointed to past campus repurposing efforts as examples of potential options, such as converting underused facilities into early childhood centers, dual-language academies, or specialized high schools.
Under the proposed timeline, community feedback collected this fall will be reviewed during the winter. District staff expect to return to the board in early 2027 to present the community's priorities and discuss possible next steps before any specific proposals are drafted.