Manzano, eCademy added to state struggling schools list over graduation rates

Manzano High School and eCADEMY Magnet High School were added to New Mexico’s struggling schools list after graduation rates fell below the mark the state uses to trigger extra help and scrutiny. Both Albuquerque Public Schools campuses now have to submit improvement plans and report back to the New Mexico Public Education Department, a move that signals more than a label and puts Bernalillo County families on notice that the state wants measurable change.

Manzano’s most recent four-year graduation rate was 67.69% for the Class of 2025. eCADEMY’s graduation rate was 55.78%, and it dropped more than 8 percentage points between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 school years. State accountability rules say the graduation-rate category applies to public high schools with a four-year rate below 66.67% for at least two of the past three years, which explains why weak performance at either campus can now draw formal intervention.

The designation lands in a district that has more than 65,000 students in over 140 schools and a combined Class of 2025 graduation rate of 76.8%, up 0.9 percentage points from the prior class. APS said 12 of its 20 high schools posted gains, making Manzano and eCADEMY stand out as pockets of concern inside a district that was otherwise inching upward. APS also said the districtwide rate excludes charter schools because it has limited academic control over them.

For families, the practical question is what changes next. APS offers high school credit recovery for students in grades 9 through 12, one of the clearest tools schools can use when students are missing credits needed to graduate. The state’s accountability system also tracks attendance, academic growth, English language proficiency and other school quality indicators, which means schools under this label are expected to look beyond test scores and address the daily barriers that keep students from finishing.

That matters at two campuses with very different missions. Manzano, founded in 1961, is a community high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Southeast Albuquerque, and its own site points to supports such as a Title I-funded family center and Monty’s Closet. eCADEMY, established in 2010, is an online magnet high school for grades 9 through 12. A school built around flexible online learning can still struggle if students are falling behind on attendance, coursework or credit recovery, and the low graduation rate shows that flexibility alone is not enough.

The state’s warning also carries an off-ramp. APS said nine schools were removed from state oversight in 2025 after improving academically, showing that campuses can leave the list if graduation and other indicators move in the right direction. For Manzano and eCADEMY, the next year will test whether new plans bring enough staffing, attendance support and academic catch-up help to turn those numbers around.