COMMENTARY:
As of this writing, 31 states have opted into (or signaled their intent to opt into) the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit.
The tax credit would generate an estimated $24 billion dollars in funding for K-12 students nationally by allowing private citizens to donate to approved scholarship-granting organizations and get a dollar-for-dollar tax credit up to $1,700.
That’s a lot of cash! Will New Mexico students be opted in?
New Mexico is ranked last in the Nation for education. Academic proficiencies in New Mexico schools are shockingly low, yet most students are allowed to graduate anyway. For example, in Albuquerque (the state’s largest school district), only 10% of students at Manzano High School are proficient in math, and 37% are proficient in reading. At Del Norte High School, 7% are proficient in math, and 23% are proficient in reading.
Things are no better in Las Cruces, the second-largest school district in the state. Only 13% of Las Cruces High School students are proficient in math, and 31% are proficient in reading. At Organ Mountain High School (formerly known as Oñate, until the school board spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to change the name), students have math proficiencies of 9% and reading proficiencies of 32%.
In addition to these abysmal scores, New Mexico is trending in the wrong direction. According to the Educational Opportunity Trends Project, New Mexico students have gone from about one grade level below average in 2015 to over one and a half grade levels below average in 2025.
When 2 out of 3 high schoolers can’t read well, and 9 out of 10 can’t do math, it’s clear that New Mexico schools are not preparing kids for success as they move into adulthood and careers. New Mexico business owners lament that many high school and college students cannot spell or do even the most basic math. Before long, these will be the adults who will be measuring medications, installing sprinkler systems, selling homes, fighting fires, and fulfilling the myriad of roles needed for a functioning community.
New Mexico voters consistently say that education is one of the top issues, but it remains to be seen whether Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will opt in to this opportunity to provide students with more educational options and resources, without raising taxes or dipping into the state budget. If New Mexico opts in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, students would gain access to scholarships for tutoring, school supplies, after-school programs, and other critical academic supports for all public school students.
Scholarships would also enable students to attend private schools. When families have the ability to choose their own school, it’s not only good for students who choose this path. Studies have shown that when public schools have to compete with private schools, the educational outcomes for public school students are also improved as well.
In a 2024 poll of parents, a staggering 96% agreed that parents should be able to choose the best educational option for their children. No matter what their political affiliation, religion, socioeconomic status, or level of education, parents want what’s best for their kids and access to educational options.
We all know students who are struggling, whether it's because of learning differences, inadequate instruction, poverty, abuse, or other personal circumstances. The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit would help students and families customize an education that fits them, so they don’t get left behind.
New Mexico needs to do everything it can to help students who are ranked last in the nation. Getting New Mexico students access to these scholarships would show students and families across The Land of Enchantment that they come first. New Mexico students deserve every educational opportunity available.
This commentary originally ran in Real Clear Education.
Paul Runko is the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, K-12 Programs for Defending Education. Paul has many years of experience in media as well as in education. He is the father of two.
Sarah Smith co-leads the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance, a non-partisan statewide grassroots coalition. She also organizes a group of 200+ public school teachers, runs a homeschool group for 100+ families in Las Cruces, homeschools her two teens, and teaches Liberty-and-Leadership classes for teens. Sarah is a natural healthcare practitioner and former NASA aerospace engineer.
Sarah Smith's opinions are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.