At Excellent Schools New Mexico, we believe that all New Mexico families deserve – and are demanding – access to high-quality neighborhood public schools, and we back schools that commit to serving students who have historically lacked this type of access and opportunity.
In 2018-19, Excellent Schools New Mexico (ESNM) invested in four promising new schools and their leadership teams to create game-changing academic results for thousands of underserved New Mexico students and families:
- Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School – a K-1 (growing to K-5) school in Albuquerque’s South Valley;
- Altura Preparatory School – a K-2 (growing to K-5) school in Albuquerque’s International District;
- Turquoise Trail Middle School – a grades 6-7 (growing to grades 6-8) school in South Santa Fe; and
- MAS Charter School – Old Coors Campus – a K-1 (growing to K-12) school in Albuquerque’s Southwest Mesa.
In total, we provided over $1 million in startup capital to these four schools, which will cumulatively serve 2,375 students annually at full-scale.
In late July, 2018-19 student assessment results became public, and we are proud to share measurable student outcomes from our grantee schools. These outcomes highlight the tremendous strides made by local school leaders to better serve thousands of high-potential students AND demonstrate that all students can achieve at high levels when given the opportunity:
Turquoise Trail Middle School significantly outperformed similar schools across Santa Fe and the state
Turquoise Trail Middle School significantly outperformed similar schools across Santa Fe and the state
Importantly, our grantee schools’ demographics mirror those of Albuquerque Public Schools, Santa Fe Public Schools and those statewide:
- 83% of students are students-of-color;
- 76% of students are low-income;
- 22% of students are English-language learners; and
- 15% of students require Special Education services.
Across all four schools, nearly 900 students still sit on waiting lists.
We’re just getting started. In the months ahead, we will highlight innovative work that each school is embarking upon, from Altura Prep’s collaboration with NewSchools Venture Fund to support and measure students’ social-emotional learning, to MAS Charter School’s burgeoning partnerships with local mentoring and arts organizations. This work supports the whole child so that all students develop into well-rounded scholars who experience rigor and relevance. There is much to look forward to as the 2019-20 school year begins.
For now, please join me in celebrating these schools and their students, families, teachers and leadership teams as they change lives and show what is possible for our state.
Happy First Week of School!
