School Year 2024-2025:

Where the money goes in New Mexico's public schools

Each year New Mexico's public school system reports expenditures for each school, and cash reserves for their districts and charter schools. Explore how that spending breaks down by source — local, state, and federal — and where the reserves sit.

Sections

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Key Takeaways

Five patterns that emerge from one year of NM public school finance data.

Expenditures show how schools spend money.

This includes daily operations, specific student programs, construction, and payments on debt.

Districts and charter schools decide how to use their main state funding.

State Equalization Guarantee (SEG) funding is included in the Operational Fund. Schools can use it to meet local needs while following applicable laws and requirements. Money left over may be carried into the next fiscal year.

Schools need Operational Fund cash reserves to help cover expenses.

The amount needed varies. Keeping at least 5% of yearly operating expenses in reserve is generally a useful starting point, but schools must also consider when funding arrives, upcoming bills, and local needs.

Other funds have rules about how the money can be used.

For example, money designated for construction or transportation cannot be freely used for everyday school expenses.

Negative cash balances in funds other than the Operational Fund need context.

In reimbursement-based funds, a negative balance may mean the school has paid expenses and is waiting for repayment. In funds that are not reimbursement-based, a negative balance may signal a financial concern that needs attention.

📜About this dashboard

📜This explorer shows New Mexico public school finance data reported for school year 2024-25: per-pupil expenditures (broken out by local/state/federal × personnel/non-personnel) and year-end cash reserves (broken out by fund category).

📜Per-pupil expenditure figures are total reported spending per school. Cash reserves are tracked at the district or charter school level, not for each traditional school — so school-level rows show expenditure data only.

Source: New Mexico Public Education Department · NMVistas