Education

ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is the largest of New Mexico's 89 school districts, serving about a fourth of the state's public school students in 144 schools in Albuquerque, Corrales, Los Ranchos, Bernalillo County, Sandoval County and the pueblos of Isleta and Laguna.

Military members moving to Albuquerque can find information on the APS Newcomer’s webpage, https://www.aps.edu/students-parents/newcomers. Call (505) 855-9040 for special help with enrollment, transfers, and other issues.

The APS district has Magnet schools which offer specialized programs with unique curriculum and new experiences not available at other schools in the district.  They differ from other public schools in that they receive additional funding to enable them to spend more money on their students, supplies, teachers, programs, etc.

To be enrolled in an Albuquerque Public Schools kindergarten, a child shall be at least five years of age prior to 12:01 a.m., on September 1, of the school year in which they are enrolling.

Exception to the enrollment requires the parent to secure a waiver from the superintendent or his/her designee (Student, School and Community Service Center). The Albuquerque Public Schools waiver states that the student may be given approval to remain out of school one additional year prior to entering kindergarten. Upon entry into public school, the child shall enroll in the kindergarten program.

RIO RANCHO SCHOOL DISTRICT

The Rio Rancho School District has elven elementary schools, five middle schools and four high schools. Information about Rio Rancho Public Schools is available at https://rrps.net/ or by calling (505) 896-0667.

LOS LUNAS SCHOOLS

Los Lunas Schools has 15 schools and approximately 8,500 students who live in the Village of Los Lunas, the Village of Bosque Farms, the Town of Peralta, Valencia, Tome, Meadow Lake, El Cerro, El Cerro Mission, Isleta Pueblo, and other portions of unincorporated Valencia County.  Information about Los Lunas Schools is available at http://www.llschools.net/.

MORIARTY-EDGEWOOD MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

Moriarty-Edgewood Municipal Schools (MEMS) consists of three elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school. MEMS proudly services the communities of Moriarty and Edgewood, as well as much of the Estancia Valley stretching in all directions. For information call (505)832-4471.

HOME SCHOOL

Thousands of families in New Mexico choose to home school their children. Information about home school is available at: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/options-parents-families/home-schools/

NON-PUBLIC (PRIVATE) SCHOOLS

There are around fifty non-public (private) schools in the Albuquerque area. The New Mexico Public Education Department maintains a list of all nonpublic schools in the state.

CHARTER SCHOOLS

There are more than fifty Charter Schools in the Albuquerque area. Charter schools differ from public and magnet schools in that they operate independently from school districts and are held accountable by an entity called an authorizer.

Charter schools operate under a performance contract with their authorizer. This gives them more autonomy to serve student needs in return for a commitment to meet higher standards of accountability. In New Mexico, there are two different authorizers:

• New Mexico Public Education Commission
• APS School District

Charter school information in the Albuquerque area is available online at https://www.aps.edu/innovation/charter-schools.

SCHOOL LIAISON OFFICER

Kirtland AFB has a full-time School Liaison Officer (SLO) who is available to assist parents with their children’s education needs by calling 505-846-6477/DSN 312-246-6477.

STATE REQUIREMENTS

New Mexico state law requires students of the appropriate age to enter a kindergarten program in a public school, private school, home school, or a state institution.

In accordance with state law, before attending school, all children must have the following immunizations:

1. Polio Series

2. DTP Series (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis)

3. MMR 1 and 2 (measles, mumps and rubella)

4. Hepatitis B Series

5. Varicella (chicken pox)

New Mexico state law requires all students be currently immunized before entrance into public school. If a student does not have the required immunizations after thirty days of entering school, the student may be dis-enrolled.

Kirtland AFB and the Albuquerque community have a broad spectrum of educational opportunities for adult learners who would like to grow and develop both personally and/or professionally.  For more information about Adult Education please see the Education – Training (College/Technical) topic.