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Santa Fe Public Schools, New Mexico, elections

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Santa Fe Public Schools
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District details
School board members: 5
Next election: November 4, 2025
Students: 11,490 (2023-2024)
Schools: 30 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Santa Fe Public Schools is a school district in New Mexico (Santa Fe County). During the 2024 school year, 11,490 students attended one of the district's 30 schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

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Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools

Elections

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3

Kate I. Noble is running in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3 on November 4, 2025.

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Kate I. Noble (Nonpartisan)

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5

General election

The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5

Juan Blea, Brenda Mae Lehuanani Colburn, Lynn Gardner Heffron, and Jakob Lain are running in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5 on November 4, 2025.

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Juan Blea (Nonpartisan)
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Brenda Mae Lehuanani Colburn (Nonpartisan)
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Lynn Gardner Heffron (Nonpartisan)
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Jakob Lain (Nonpartisan)

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3

General election

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3

Incumbent Kate Noble won election in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 3 on February 7, 2017.

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Kate Noble (Nonpartisan)

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5

General election

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5

Incumbent Lorraine Price won election in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 5 on February 7, 2017.

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Lorraine Price (Nonpartisan)

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 1

General election

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 1

Incumbent Steven Carrillo won election in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 1 on February 3, 2015.

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Steven Carrillo (Nonpartisan)

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Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 2

General election

General election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 2

Incumbent Maureen P. Cashmon won election in the general election for Santa Fe Public Schools school board District 2 on February 3, 2015.

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Maureen P. Cashmon (Nonpartisan)

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Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in New Mexico are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, every two years in odd-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute Section 1-22-3

Recent or upcoming election dates for all public school districts in the state

Below are the recent/upcoming dates for all public school districts in the state. There may be exceptions to these dates for specific districts because of local charters and district-specific exceptions and carve-outs.

  • Filing deadline date: August 26, 2025
  • General election date: November 4, 2025

Election system

School board members in New Mexico are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute Section 1-22-3

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in New Mexico are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates. New Mexico Statute Section 1-22-3(B) states, "A regular local election shall be a nonpartisan election, and the names of all candidates shall be listed on the ballot with no party or slate designation."

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute Section 1-22-3

Winning an election

The school board candidate that receives the largest number of votes in the general election is elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Constitution Article VII Section 5

Term length and staggering

School board members have four-year terms.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 22-5-8

School districts elect as close as to half of their school board members as possible at one general election, and the other half at a general election two years later. Upon the formation of a newly created, three school board members will be elected for two-year terms and the other two school board members will be elected for four-year terms to ensure staggered elections. Albuquerque School District is the only district with seven board members, and elects four school board members at one general election and the other three school board members two years later.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 22-4-13

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected either at large or from single-member election subdistricts, depending on the size of the school district. As of 2022, 28 districts (31%) had board members elected by single-member district and 61 districts (69%) had board members elected by at-large.

School board members in districts having a population in excess of 16,000 must be elected from single-member subdistricts.

School boards in districts with less than 16,000 population have the option of establishing single-member board subdistricts or continuing to elect members at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 22-5-1.1 & New Mexico School Boards Association Handbook Chapter II Section A

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

School board candidates must file declarations of candidacy by 5:00 PM on the 70th day prior to the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 1-22-7

School board candidates can file between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM on the 70th day prior to the election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 1-22-7

Newly elected school board members officially take office on the first day of January following their election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: New Mexico Statute 1-2-18

 


About the district

School board

Santa Fe Public Schools consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameSeatYear assumed officeYear term ends
Roman AbeytaDistrict 42027
Sarah BosesDistrict 22027
Carmen GonzalesDistrict 120242027
Lynn Gardner HeffronDistrict 520242025
Kate NobleDistrict 320172025

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District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Santa Fe Public Schools
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
New Mexico House of Representatives District 50Matthew McQueenDemocratic Party 49% 41%
New Mexico House of Representatives District 47Reena SzczepanskiDemocratic Party 24% 99%
New Mexico House of Representatives District 43Christine ChandlerDemocratic Party 14% 14%
New Mexico House of Representatives District 46Andrea RomeroDemocratic Party 11% 22%
New Mexico House of Representatives District 45Linda SerratoDemocratic Party 1% 100%
New Mexico House of Representatives District 48Tara LujanDemocratic Party 1% 100%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[1]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $28,456,000 $2,374 12%
Local: $68,948,000 $5,751 30%
State: $129,627,000 $10,812 57%
Total: $227,031,000 $18,937
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $203,378,000 $16,963
Total Current Expenditures: $154,800,000 $12,911
Instructional Expenditures: $92,642,000 $7,727 46%
Student and Staff Support: $25,246,000 $2,105 12%
Administration: $15,999,000 $1,334 8%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $20,913,000 $1,744 10%
Total Capital Outlay: $40,246,000 $3,356
Construction: $37,452,000 $3,123
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $32,000 $2
Interest on Debt: $8,133,000 $678

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[2]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 34 60-79 PS 20-24 <50 PS 60-64
2018-2019 18 50-54 25-29 12 10-14 43
2016-2017 17 40-44 20-24 11 10-14 36
2015-2016 18 45-49 15-19 12 15-19 39
2014-2015 14 35-39 10-14 9 15-19 31
2013-2014 36 65-69 40-44 29 30-34 58
2012-2013 35 70-74 40-44 28 30-34 56
2011-2012 36 65-69 40-44 29 30-34 58
2010-2011 32 60-64 40-44 25 20-24 55

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 70 >=80 PS 55-59 >=50 PS 90-94
2018-2019 30 60-64 45-49 24 25-29 60
2016-2017 28 50-54 45-49 21 25-29 54
2015-2016 26 55-59 40-44 19 25-29 51
2014-2015 27 50-54 35-39 20 25-29 50
2013-2014 48 70-74 50-54 40 45-49 70
2012-2013 46 75-79 60-64 39 40-44 66
2011-2012 48 70-74 60-64 40 45-49 72
2010-2011 42 60-64 55-59 35 40-44 63

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 87 >=50 >=50 85 60-79 >=95
2018-2019 78 >=50 >=50 77 60-79 85-89
2017-2018 73 >=50 >=50 71 >=50 80-84
2016-2017 69 >=50 >=50 69 60-79 70-74
2015-2016 71 60-79 <50 71 60-79 70-74
2014-2015 67 >=50 <50 64 60-79 70-74
2013-2014 64 60-79 >=50 64 40-59 60-64
2012-2013 60 >=80 >=50 58 40-59 65-69
2011-2012 62 60-79 >=50 60 50-59 65-69
2010-2011 57 >=50 60-79 56 21-39 60-64

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 11,490 -2.4
2022-2023 11,769 -1.9
2021-2022 11,989 -3.5
2020-2021 12,403 -4.6
2019-2020 12,979 -1.2
2018-2019 13,139 -0.8
2017-2018 13,250 0.6
2016-2017 13,171 -0.7
2015-2016 13,265 -11.2
2014-2015 14,752 1.9
2013-2014 14,473 1.2
2012-2013 14,304 1.6
2011-2012 14,071 -0.8
2010-2011 14,188 1.8
2009-2010 13,930 1.2
2008-2009 13,765 1.5
2007-2008 13,556 -0.6
2006-2007 13,633 0.1
2005-2006 13,624 -0.8
2004-2005 13,735 0.5
2003-2004 13,660 0.8
2002-2003 13,557 0.6
2001-2002 13,482 0.8
2000-2001 13,378 -1.2
1999-2000 13,533 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Santa Fe Public Schools (%) New Mexico K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.9 10.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.9 1.3
Black 1.0 1.8
Hispanic 79.4 63.6
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.1
Two or More Races 0.0 2.4
White 15.6 20.7

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[4]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Santa Fe Public Schools had 797.91 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 14.4.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 29.00
Kindergarten: 27.00
Elementary: 325.29
Secondary: 301.43
Total: 797.91

Santa Fe Public Schools employed 1.00 district administrators and 45.20 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 1.00
District Administrative Support: 0.50
School Administrators: 45.20
School Administrative Support: 54.69
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 171.90
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 3.60
Total Guidance Counselors: 37.02
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 17.50
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 19.52
Librarians/Media Specialists: 4.00
Library/Media Support: 3.40
Student Support Services: 52.51
Other Support Services: 9.80

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Santa Fe Public Schools operates 30 schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Academy For Technology & Classics3967-12
Acequia Madre Elementary164KG-6
Amy Biehl Community School At Rancho Viejo342PK-6
Aspen Community School304PK-12
Atalaya Elementary272PK-6
Capital High1,3769-12
Carlos Gilbert Elementary315KG-6
Cesar Chavez Elementary291PK-5
Chaparral Elementary195KG-6
Desert Sage Academy281KG-12
Early College Opportunities1209-12
Edward Ortiz Middle4476-8
E.J. Martinez Elementary173PK-6
El Camino Real Academy Community715PK-8
El Dorado Community School392PK-8
Francis X. Nava Elementary154PK-6
Gonzales Elementary306KG-8
Kearny Elementary322PK-6
Mandela International Magnet (Mims)3017-12
Milagro Middle3307-8
Nina Otero Community School644PK-8
Nye Early Childhood135PK-PK
Pinon Elementary519PK-6
Ramirez Thomas Elementary417PK-5
R.M. Sweeney Elementary283PK-5
Salazar Elementary229PK-6
Santa Fe Engage09-12
Santa Fe High1,5999-12
Tesuque Elementary68PK-6
Wood-Gormley Elementary299KG-6


About school boards

Education legislation in New Mexico

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics New Mexico
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External links

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    2. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
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