New Mexico Corrections Department Tops Adult Education Target for Fourth Consecutive Year

A graduation ceremony was held for incarcerated adults who completed high school equivalency programming at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas, N.M. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of NMCD

• The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) reported 272 high school equivalency completions in fiscal year 2026, representing 76% of eligible students and the highest annual total in department history.
• The department said it exceeded the Legislative Finance Committee’s performance goals for a fourth consecutive fiscal year.
• Daily classes are delivered by 26 Reentry Division educators and 95 peer education tutors at all state prisons and the privately owned Otero County Prison Facility.
• The program operates with the New Mexico Higher Education Department, while NMCD’s broader reentry work also includes postsecondary, career and technical, and tablet-based programming.

SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) recently announced that 272 incarcerated students earned high school equivalency credentials in fiscal year 2026, the highest annual total in agency history and the fourth consecutive year the department exceeded the Legislative Finance Committee’s performance target.

The completions represented 76% of eligible students in the state prison system, according to a release from the NMCD. The department operates the program with the New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Daily classes are offered at all state prisons and at the privately owned Otero County Prison Facility. NMCD said the program is staffed by 26 Reentry Division educators and 95 peer education tutors.

“We are incredibly proud of our students, educators and facility staff for helping our department reach this milestone,” Corrections Cabinet Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero said, according to a press release from the NMCD.

Tafoya Lucero said many incarcerated people return to their communities without a high school education, which can limit employment prospects. She said the department’s focus on education is intended to provide a foundation for productive lives after release.

The Reentry Division also offers postsecondary degree pathways and career and technical certifications aimed at preparing participants for in-demand work after release.

“Education has the power to transform lives, and we believe every New Mexican deserves the opportunity to build a brighter future—no matter where their journey begins,” Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez said, according to the NMCD’s press release.

Rodriguez said the partnership helps students earn credentials and develop skills intended to support a successful future.

The 2026 total follows a broader expansion of reentry programming within the NMCD. Correctional News reported in May that NMCD deployed the Atlas digital behavioral health platform across eight facilities, allowing more than 5,500 incarcerated people to access more than 23 curricula through secure tablets. The platform covers job readiness, financial literacy, family reunification and other behavioral health and reentry topics.

In a June Correctional News article, Tafoya Lucero identified education as a cornerstone of the department’s reentry strategy and also highlighted progress the department has made in improving healthcare outcomes, public outreach efforts and staff equity.

This article is based on a press release published by the New Mexico Corrections Department on July 29, 2026.