New Mexico has consistently been linked with lower rates of educational attainment compared to the rest of the United States. In fact, in 2024, New Mexico was rated the 42nd most educated state in the country, according to a study by WalletHub. Recent data from the New Mexico Public Education Department shows that only 38% of New Mexico students are proficient in reading, one of the lowest percentages in the nation.

It wasn’t until my mom, a fourth grade teacher at Eldorado Community School, expressed her sadness and concern with New Mexico’s consistently low ranking that I realized the size and scope of the reading problem in New Mexico.

This low number is partly due to the relationship between poverty and literacy. As of 2023, New Mexico’s poverty rate is 16.8%, which is higher than the national rate of 11%, according to a report from the New Mexico Legislature. Factors of poverty like coming to school hungry, no access to reading materials at home and the absence of a role model who prioritizes reading, contributes to lower literacy rates, according to an initiative of the World Literacy Foundation called USA Reads. However, there are resources that can be found right here in ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe that prioritize boosting student proficiency in reading. One of those organizations is Reading Quest.



Abby Frey is a rising senior at ·è¿ÍÖ±²¥ Fe High. Contact her at abbyafrey@gmail.com.