Should parents get to choose where their children go to school?
It might depend on who — or how — you ask.
Respondents to a statewide survey, the results of which were released Monday, were given a choice between two hypothetical candidates: One who “believes that all parents should have the right to choose any school option they feel is best for their child regardless of geographic boundaries,” and one who believes students should remain in the school district they live in “even if the school is not working for a particular kid.”
Some 68% of respondents overall favored the idea of school choice, according to the results.
“Voters across the political spectrum show real appetite for expanding school choice,” analysts of Quantum Survey Group, which conducted the review for national advocacy organization Parents for School Options, wrote in the report.
But Whitney Holland, union president of the American Federation of Teachers of New Mexico, said the idea of letting parents choose their kids’ schools is often a misleading one.
“Simplistically, I think we have a messaging problem. We ask parents, ‘Do you think you should have the right to choose where your kid goes to school?’ Of course, they’re going to say yes,” she said. “But when you peel back the layers, it’s not just saying ‘We want options.’ It’s saying, ‘This money moves to this place.’ ”
In practice, Holland argued the practice of allowing parents to choose where their kids go to school amounts to a voucher program that would allow money set aside by the government for a student’s education to be taken and used to pay for tuition at a private school. Ultimately, she argued that would lead to the defunding and closure of schools seen as less desirable.
Results of the survey showed broad support for school choice — 74% of GOP respondents, 61% of Democratic respondents and 69% of swing voter respondents supported the idea. Some 56% of people across political leanings who responded also supported the idea of state and local funding following students to the school of their choice.
Some public school districts have implemented certain degrees of school choice.
In Santa Fe Public Schools, parents can enter a lottery to enroll their children in specific schools based on capacity by grade level. During the 2025-26 lottery, 984 seats were available.
Albuquerque Public Schools spokesperson Martin Salazar said their district has greatly opened up students’ freedom to transfer to other schools, provided there is capacity for them.
“If families have a particular choice that they want, they can do that, unless that school is at capacity,” he said. If a school is full, students would likely be placed on a waiting list, he noted.
But efforts to write school choice into state law have failed in recent years. In 2026 and 2025, measures introduced by Republican members of the state House barring schools from restricting a student’s enrollment based on where they live, among other factors, have failed to be considered.
“It’s time for New Mexico to realize that what we’re doing is not working,” said Rep. Alan Martinez, R-Bernalillo. “… If that’s getting rid of boundaries, whatever it is, we need to look at something out of the box that’s going to be successful. And so far, what I’m seeing is: school choice is best for New Mexico.”
Esteban Candelaria is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. He covers child welfare and the state Children, Youth and Families Department. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.
