The Options for Parents & Families Division (OPFD) strives to ensure that New Mexico families have access to the information they need to make informed decisions for the education of their students.
Parents and families have a number of options for their children’s education. Most children in New Mexico are enrolled in public schools. Some families send their children to non-public schools, which the Public Education Department (PED) does not oversee. Other families homeschool their children.
Most of the nearly 900 public schools in New Mexico are operated by one of the state’s 89 school districts. One hundred of the state’s public schools are charter schools, which operate with more autonomy than traditional district schools. Charter schools operate under a contract with an authorizer, either the Public Education Commission (PEC) or a school district. Schools chartered by the PEC are called state charter schools and operate as their own independent school district or local education agency (LEA).
Schools chartered by a district have more autonomy than other district schools but are still part of their local district. Currently, twelve New Mexico districts authorize charter schools.
If you have questions about educational options for your child after exploring the Options for Parents & Families web pages, please contact us at charter.schools@ped.nm.gov or (505) 827-6909. Questions about home schooling can be directed to info.homeschool@ped.nm.gov.