Albuquerque Public Schools reported encouraging results in preparing students for life after high school. The district said it surpassed its postsecondary readiness expectations, with high schools across the city driving the gains with double-digit improvements.
Officials reviewed the latest monitoring report for Goal 3 during Wednesday night’s Board of Education meeting. It is one of four five-year goals the board adopted in 2023. The objective aims to equip graduates for their next steps. It supports students who plan to attend college, join the military, enter a trade program, or go directly into the workforce.
Goal 3 targets an increase in the percentage of graduates who earn credit in two or more advanced courses. These include Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Dual Credit courses, as well as industry certifications or Bilingual Seal. The district aims to increase that figure from 39.6% in September 2023 to 49.6% by September 2028.
Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey shared encouraging news with board members. Preliminary figures for the 2025–2026 school year show that 52.8% of graduates met the benchmark. The figure represents an 8.1 percentage-point increase in one year.
“That is an 8.1 percentage-point increase in just one year and puts us ahead of where we expected to be at this point,” Durán Blakey said.
Despite the overall progress, district leaders said that systemic gaps continue to affect students, specifically those with disabilities. Durán Blakey stressed that the district will prioritize the expansion of access for underrepresented groups moving forward.
She said APS should be proud that more students are leaving with credentials and experiences that prepare them for the future. However, the district must ensure those opportunities should reach more learners.
High Schools Show Progress Under Goal 3
The meeting also highlighted notable progress at 14 high schools across several Goal 3 metrics:
- College and Career High School increased the percentage of students earning credit in a Bilingual Seal course by 10.9 percentage points.
- Del Norte High School increased overall Goal 3 performance by 12.1 percentage points.
- Early College Academy increased the percentage of students earning credit in a Bilingual Seal course by 4.2 percentage points.
- Eldorado High School increased overall Goal 3 performance by 10.3 percentage points.
- Freedom High School increased overall Goal 3 performance by 18.8 percentage points. It also boosted participation in Career Connected Learning courses by 18.8 percentage points.
- Highland High School increased overall Goal 3 performance by 18.7 percentage points. The school also increased Career Connected Learning course credits by 22.2 percentage points and Bilingual Seal course credits by 5.3 percentage points.
- La Cueva High School increased the percentage of students earning credit in at least one Career Connected Learning course by 13.1 percentage points.
- Manzano High School increased overall Goal 3 performance by 17.4 percentage points. It also increased Advanced Placement or Dual Credit course completion by 8.2 points. The school also gained Career Connected Learning course credits by 16 points.
- New Futures High School posted a 24 percentage-point gain in overall Goal 3 performance. It also reported a 17.3 percentage-point increase in Advanced Placement or Dual Credit course credits.
- Rio Grande High School increased Advanced Placement or Dual Credit course credits by 8.1 percentage points. It also increased Bilingual Seal course credits by 5.1 percentage points.
- Sandia High School increased the students earning credit in at least one Career Connected Learning course by 10 percentage points.
- Valley High School improved its overall Goal 3 performance by 12 percentage points. It also increased Career Connected Learning course credits by 13.2 percentage points. The school raised Bilingual Seal course credits by 4.8 percentage points.
- Volcano Vista High School increased its overall Goal 3 performance by 17.1 percentage points. It also increased Advanced Placement or Dual Credit course credits by 9.1 percentage points. The school improved Career Connected Learning course credits by 11.1 percentage points.
- West Mesa High School increased the percentage of students earning credit in Bilingual Seal course by 9.5 percentage points.
Officials said the data demonstrates the district’s broader efforts to equip students meaningful qualifications that align with their future goals.
“These numbers matter because of what they represent: more students earning college credit, developing multilingual skills and gaining meaningful career-connected learning experiences before they graduate,” Durán Blakey said.
“More importantly, they represent the work happening every day in our schools to make sure students graduate not simply with a diploma, but with opportunities and choices for what comes next.”
