By Dan McKay, Albuquerque Journal
June 14, 2023
SANTA FE — A national report on child well-being ranks New Mexico last in the country again — sunk, in part, by deteriorating academic outcomes in reading and math.
But the annual Kids Count report also highlighted some signs of optimism, including fewer children in poverty and a falling teen birth rate.
It was released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a philanthropic group focused on young people.
The report’s bottomline remained dismal for New Mexico — a No. 50 ranking among states, just behind Louisiana at 49 and Mississippi at 48.
The top-performers were New Hampshire at No. 1, followed by Utah and then Massachusetts.
New Mexico has ranked 49th or 50th every year since 2012, according to New Mexico Voices for Children, an advocacy group that participates in the reporting and has pushed for an expanded child tax credit and other legislative policies.
Read more at the Albuquerque Journal