Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1993

Most recently amended: 2019

Number of charter schools: 104

Number of charter students: 30,000

Cap on the number of schools allowed: Yes; a maximum of 15 new charter schools per year, which roll over to the next year if the limit is not met. There is also a cap of 75 schools in any five year period.

Virtual charters allowed: No

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Local districts and the state public education commission can authorize charter schools, but the commission authorizes most and heavily regulates them. Appeals for denied applications from either type of authorizer goes to the state education secretary. New Mexico also has Charter School Districts, and the state education department oversees the Charter Districts, which are conversion schools.

GROWTH: In addition to the annual and 5-year caps, charters in sparsely-populated districts may enroll no more than 10 percent of students in the sending district, an arbitrary restriction. The overly regulatory environment hampers growth but in the past 4 years, owing to parent demand, enrollment in charters has steadily increased.

OPERATIONS: The law provides limited exemptions for charters and they must negotiate for extra exemptions directly with their authorizers. The state commission also heavily regulates the schools it authorizes, with a focus on compliance.

EQUITY: Charters are entitled to 98 percent of per-pupil operations costs, with two percent deducted for authorizer administrative fees. The law also stipulates that school boards that authorize charters provide the portion of state and federal per-pupil funds attached to each student. Charters receive some per-pupil facilities funding, but it is not equitable to the amount traditional public schools receive.

USE OF STUDENT DATA IN EVALUATING TEACHER PREP

"New Mexico does not currently use student achievement or growth data to hold teacher preparation programs accountable, yet "the state has announced plans to collect and report data that connect student achievement gains to teacher preparation programs in the future.""

This is just one indicator from The National Council on Teacher Quality, which collects and analyzes states on how well their policies and practices lead to well-prepared teachers. They collect data on state laws and regulations concerning the preparation of teachers, the policies that govern their oversight and the contracts that guide their employment. Learn more about your state here.