Albuquerque Public Schools
Shaping Albuquerque's Future
At the 2026 State of the District, Superintendent Durán Blakey highlights new pathways, partnerships and opportunities helping APS students discover their strengths and build their futures.
The future of Albuquerque is being built today — in classrooms, career pathways, partnerships and opportunities designed to help students see what comes next.
That was the message Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey delivered Monday during Albuquerque Public Schools’ 2026 State of the District address, where she celebrated the progress APS has made while outlining an ambitious vision for its next chapter.
From advanced manufacturing and health care to the arts, skilled trades and college coursework, APS is expanding opportunities for students to discover their strengths, gain real-world experience and build a future they can imagine for themselves.
A recurring theme of the 23-minute speech was the call to embrace our sacred responsibility to pass the torch to the next generation. For Durán Blakey, that responsibility means making sure students have the knowledge, skills, confidence and vision to carry that torch forward.
She pointed to the breadth of opportunities already available across APS, allowing students to train in simulated hospital laboratories, engage in pre-apprenticeship programs with trade unions, or pursue rigorous International Baccalaureate studies and college-level coursework directly on higher education campuses. Whether they are diving into STEM, engineering, and sustainability or immersing themselves in world languages and the arts, students can earn industry certifications and participate in paid internships that help them envision and prepare for futures they may have never previously imagined.
And that’s just the beginning, Durán Blakey said.
Through the Academies of Albuquerque, APS is working with United Way of North Central New Mexico to transition its 13 comprehensive high schools toward an academies model that connects rigorous academics with real-world career pathways. Three Freshman Academies were piloted last year, with six more launched this year.
The pathways will span fields including health care, engineering, business, public service, digital media and the arts.
“These aren't just new programs,” Durán Blakey said. “They represent a new way of thinking about high school.”
The goal is for students to understand not only what they are learning, but why it matters and where that learning can take them.
That same philosophy is driving partnerships beyond the traditional school setting.
Through the CAMINO Collaborative, APS is working with Central New Mexico Community College, Sandia National Laboratories and other partners to create an advanced manufacturing and innovation hub. The project will expose students to cutting-edge careers and provide them with hands-on STEM experiences and new pathways to college and careers.
For Durán Blakey, CAMINO represents something larger than workforce development.
“It’s about giving young people a pathway to a successful, prosperous life right here in New Mexico,” she said.
The district is also investing in students at the earliest stages of their education. APS recently opened the Duranes Early Childhood Center, transforming an underenrolled historic school site into the district’s first early childhood hub and a collaborative lab school in partnership with the University of New Mexico and CNM.
New and renovated facilities are part of that investment, including the rebuilt Sandia Base Elementary School on Kirtland Air Force Base. APS also is preparing to break ground next year on a new West Side school designed specifically for students with special needs, with sensory-friendly learning spaces, life-skills studios and specialized supports.
But Durán Blakey emphasized that buildings and programs mean little without the educators who bring them to life.
APS has expanded teacher residency and training programs with UNM, CNM and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, allowing aspiring educators to learn alongside experienced teachers while earning a paycheck. The district also launched New Mexico’s first School Counselor Residency Program and continues its partnership with UNM to prepare future school leaders.
The effort is beginning to show results. Durán Blakey reported that APS started the school year with the lowest number of teacher vacancies in more than a decade.
The district also has plenty to celebrate in student and staff achievement.
Nine APS schools exited intensive state oversight last school year. Highland and Rio Grande high schools exited their designation after sustained gains in graduation rates. Students earned more than $300,000 through internship programs, while Inez Elementary was named a National Magnet School of Excellence and Cleveland Middle School earned its International Baccalaureate certification.
APS also welcomed 53 new National Board Certified teachers — the largest number the district has had in a single year and the second-highest total nationally.
“These aren't just statistics,” Durán Blakey said. “This is proof. Proof that our students are capable of extraordinary things. Proof that our educators are doing extraordinary work. And proof that APS is moving forward.”
Still, she acknowledged the challenges facing APS and school districts across the country, including chronic absenteeism, enrollment, school safety and financial pressures.
Those challenges, she said, should not define the district.
“Our aspirations define us,” Durán Blakey said. “We can acknowledge what's difficult without losing sight of what's possible.”
Moving forward will require the entire community, she said.
Families can encourage students to attend school every day. Businesses can provide internships, mentorships and real-world experiences. Community organizations can connect students and families with resources. Educators can continue challenging the district to make learning relevant, engaging and meaningful.
“No one institution or individual prepares a child for life,” Durán Blakey said. “We do that together.”
She noted that the generations of educators who came before helped shape today’s leaders. But the responsibility of shaping tomorrow’s leaders, she stressed, is a shared commitment that sustains the very flame we are working to pass on.
“To our parents: your encouragement is the spark,” Durán Blakey said. “To our business and community partners: your mentorship is the fuel. To our educators and staff: your dedication is the flame.”
And eventually, the torch will belong to today’s students.
The question, Durán Blakey said, is what kind of torch the community will give them.
“Will it be bright enough to illuminate their path? Strong enough to withstand the challenges ahead? And warm enough to remind them that they belong?”
“That is our responsibility,” she said.
For APS, preparing students for what comes next is not simply about the next school year. It is about the next generation of Albuquerque.
“We are Albuquerque,” Durán Blakey said. “And we rise together.”