The latest US Census Bureau data for 2020 came out a while back and we missed them in all the Corona Virus related news. So, we put together the following chart. You can see the Bureau’s data for the rest of the nation here.
While New Mexico is now in the middle with regard to its neighbors after several years of having been the biggest-spending state among its neighbors.
New Mexico ranks last amoung all of these states in student outcomes. It is often raised that teachers in the U.S. and NM aren’t appreciated as indicated by their “low” salaries. The average salary for a public school teacher in NM with 20 years experience and a Level 2 license is approximately $55,000. Japan has among the best student outcomes in the world and the average salary for a similar teacher is around $50,000. By the way, maximum class size in Japan for elementary school is 35 students. It is 22 in NM and averages under 20 in APS elementary classes.