by Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board
Albuquerque Journal
May 15, 2015
Once again, New Mexico charter schools are at the top of the class, demonstrating why there is pent-up demand from families for this successful alternative public education model.
A U.S. News and World Report ranking of the best U.S. high schools lists three Albuquerque charters at the top of the 12 New Mexico schools that made the list of the 2,500 top high schools in the United States. Coming in at 76th out of nearly 20,000 high schools reviewed by the publication in compiling its “best of” list – and first in New Mexico – is Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School. Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science and Albuquerque Public Schools’ South Valley Academy were nationally ranked 219 and 410 respectively. Two other charters also made the list – APS’s Early College Academy at 910 and New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe at 2,008.
The highest ranking for a traditional New Mexico public school was Los Alamos High School at 521. Albuquerque High was rated No. 5 for New Mexico and 842 nationally. La Cueva and Eldorado in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and V. Sue Cleveland in Rio Rancho and Texico High in Curry County were also ranked within the top 2,500 schools on the list.
All deserve congratulations.
But the list further reinforces the importance of charter schools in the nation’s education reform efforts. The publicly funded charters, which can’t recruit students, use a lottery system to fill their schools. In the case of Cottonwood Classical, Executive Director Sam Obenshain says 100 new students were admitted this year from an applicant pool of about 500. South Valley Academy has accepted 90 students for this fall’s sixth-grade class, with 180 on a waiting list, and 92 ninth-graders, with 78 on a waiting list.
It is not uncommon for demand for charter slots to exceed the supply. The Center for Education Reform’s Newswire reported this week that New York City has the longest wait list for charter schools in the nation with over 160,000 students on it.
And while charters generally don’t offer all of the activities and amenities most traditional schools do, it’s clear plenty of motivated parents and students are willing to forgo them to receive the closest to a private school education they can get without the tuition.
Plus, charters have proven to be effective “labs” that allow traditional public schools to adopt innovative solutions that are proven.
Congratulations to all 12 New Mexico schools – students, teachers, parents, administrators and support staff – for making the prestigious U.S. News list.
This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.