A report by the Census Bureau ranked New Mexico as 34th in the nation for its public education spending.
The Census Bureau released its findings last week, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. The report took from nationwide data from 2014-15. New Mexico spent $9,752 per student during those years, 14 percent less than the national average for that period, according to the Census Bureau.
In comparison, Utah spent around $6,500 per student, while New York invested a hefty $21,206.
Experts found that despite those amounts, the state’s proficiency scores and graduation rates are behind New York’s by less than 10 percent while Utah’s graduation rate passes New Mexico’s by 12 percent. Utah students also beat New Mexico students’ reading proficiency scores by 19 percent.
Bruce Baker, a Rutgers University professor and expert in education finance, told The New Mexican that the disparities can be a result of the different economies and demographics in the two states. About 1 in 3 New Mexico children are from impoverished families compared with 12.5 percent of the low-income Utah children, according the report.
“In New Mexico, you have an extreme poverty population, and there is not money to target resources in those areas,” Baker said.
Another advantage Utah may have over New Mexico is its large population of college-educated adults, who may consider public education a higher priority, said Michael Hansen, a senior fellow and director of The Brown Center on Education Policy for the Brookings Institution.
Hanson and Baker both agree, however, that money can make a difference in improving student outcomes.
The bureau’s data showed that New Mexico has slowly been increasing the money it puts toward students since 2012.
