Nearly one in seven public-school students in New Mexico was considered habitually truant last year—meaning he or she accumulated at least 10 days of unexcused absences—according to a new report.
The report, prepared by researchers from the University of New Mexico Center for Education Policy Research, in Albuquerque, was presented to state lawmakers last month. It noted that 51,034 of the roughly 338,220 students in the study—about 15 percent—were habitually truant last year.
Workers in New Mexico who haven’t earned a high school diploma make an average of $16,000 a year, which impacts the state’s economic well-being, according to the report, which also links truancy to poor reading and math skills.
