The Facts About APS Right-sizing

Albuquerque Public Schools has been planning for enrollment changes for more than a decade.

Since 2016, APS has seen 15,000 fewer students, largely due to declining birth rates. To make sure our schools remain strong and sustainable, APS launched a long-term right-sizing process that began back in 2013.

This work has always been public and community-driven. Families, neighborhood associations, and school staff shared what they wanted most for their children, and APS listened.ant to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. 

  • Families asked for more STEM opportunities

    APS opened a STEM magnet at Garfield Middle School.

  • Families wanted bilingual education to continue into middle school

    Coronado Bilingual School was moved into the Taft campus to expand that pathway.

  • Families wanted more support for newcomers and immigrant students

    APS created a new International School with wraparound services downtown.

  • Families deserved stronger facilities

    APS invested $28 million into Taylor Middle School to expand programs and provide modern classrooms.

Instead of spreading resources too thin, APS chose to reinvest in stronger programs and more choices.

This ensures that students don’t just have a place in school — they have the opportunities they need to thrive.

All buildings that were open in 2024-2025 school year are still open and providing robust education options (with the exception of Duranes, which is under construction).

  • Albuquerque International High School

    1. APS opened a new downtown high school this year to better serve recently-arrived multilingual, refugee, and immigrant students, with multilingual family supports and an English-acquisition, small-school model.

    2. Meeting the moment we’re in by providing comprehensive services and safety. 

    3. Danielle traveled to New York City for a learning trip to study the International Schools model. Then connected APS staff to a grant-funding opportunity that they applied for and secured funding to support the planning year for the school. Her national network made a difference. 

    4. The school is co-located with a new “Global Hub” to provide resources on immigration, transportation, legal aid, social services. Centrally located downtown so as many students as possible have access.

  • Coronado Dual Language K-8

    Expanded access to in-demand dual language education, closing the gap between elementary and high school and providing sought-after programming right in the North Valley.

    2. Coronado provides preference to neighborhood students so North Valley residents have access

    3. Provide bussing for students across the city, using “super stops” to reduce traffic in the North Valley.

  • Garfield STEM Magnet School

    1. APS polled families asking what they want. The #1 response was STEM. So we have a magnet stem middle school in the North Valley. 

    2. This school is integrated into a complete STEM pathways, with Mission Avenue Elementary, and Valley High School.

    3. Test scores are improving across APS

  • Duranes Early Childhood

    1. Duranes Elementary was under-enrolled, and less than 2 miles from neighboring Reginald Chavez and Cochiti Elementary schools. 

    2. Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2023 to provide universal pre-k. APS proactively rising to that opportunity be re-purosing Duranes to be an Early Childood hub, and lab school, providing early learning and teacher education, in partnership (and co-located) with community based providers, allowing for the wrap-around schedule (early and late care) that working families need. 

  • La Luz

    1. Student were reassigned to the school of their choice. And APS leased the building to the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy, providing much-needed education options for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, right here in our community.

  • Additional Updates

    Taft and Taylor were combined, with new investment in Taylor. Students at Taft were given priority access to any middle school in APS. 

    No other District 3 schools are slated for re-purposing or rightsizing.