New Mexico Voices for Children breaks down 2025 Kids Count

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 2025 National Kids Count is in, putting New Mexico at the bottom for child well-being. The data book tracks 16 indicators for well-being.

“The 50th ranking doesn’t tell us anything. It compares us against all of the other states, and if we cared about every child in the United States, we would want every state to be number one,” said Gabrielle Uballez, the executive director for New Mexico Voices for Children.

She added that it takes time for changes to show up in the numbers. For example, looking at education, it says New Mexico got “worse” for young children in school.

“A reminder that these numbers are from 2023, so we hadn’t fully implemented our almost universally free childcare and access to pre-K yet in 2023, it was just starting to roll out. That number we expect it to rise in coming years,” she said.

Graduation rates are still trending upward, but stats that do raise some eyebrows are math and reading scores.

“What we like to look at are the indicators themselves, you know, we should feel urgency around the fact that 84% of fourth graders aren’t proficient in reading. We should get really curious about the remedies for bringing every fourth grader in New Mexico up to where they need to be with those ratings,” said Uballez.

While the numbers are important, it’s equally important to look at the material conditions affecting children in the classroom.

“If our families lose access to things like SNAP which is food and nutrition, and Medicaid which is healthcare, we are going to backslide on the indicators,” Uballez said.

Child poverty and the number of children living in high-poverty areas has gone down in New Mexico. Uballez said economic well-being is a big factor in a student’s success.

“Schools have to have resources, and kids need to have a high quality of life at homes. That means also investing in their parents. How do we make sure that we increase wages. So parents aren’t working two to three jobs to make ends meet so they can spend time with their children and be part of their learning,” said Uballez.