The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 49%.
Original Research by School Decision on New Mexico Academy for the Media Arts
New Mexico Academy for the Media Arts is a single-school charter district serving grades six through twelve in New Mexico. It operates under a charter that was renewed in 2023 with a contract term running through 2028, which gives families a degree of enrollment stability for the coming years. The school recently rebranded from its earlier name, Media Arts Collaborative Charter School, so parents and students will see the new identity in enrollment materials and communications.
The enrollment is small for a school spanning seven grade levels, and the grade distribution is fairly even across the middle and high school years. The student body reflects a mix of backgrounds, with Hispanic students forming the largest group and white students the second largest. American Indian and Alaska Native students, Black students, and a small number of Asian and multiracial students round out the population. We looked for free-or-reduced-price lunch counts, individualized education program rates, and English learner data, but none were available, so we left them out rather than guess.
On state assessments for the most recent reported year, the academic picture is mixed. In English language arts, roughly half of tested students in grades three through eight reached proficiency, a result that stands out as a relative strength for a school of this size and type. Math results for the same grade band were markedly lower, with only a small fraction of students scoring proficient or above. This is a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school, especially if a student needs stronger math support. Science results were suppressed, which often reflects a very small number of tested students rather than a performance judgment. Average scale scores and participation rates were not available in the data provided.
Several categories of information that parents often weigh were absent entirely. No graduation rate was reported, though the school does serve high school grades, so that gap is one to ask about directly. We found no state testing trend data across multiple years, so it is hard to say whether these results represent a pattern or a single-year snapshot. No data on advanced coursework, dual credit, career pathways, or other program offerings was available, and given the school's media arts focus those details would be valuable to request from the school directly.
Information about the school's physical location, locale classification, community and economic context, and housing market was not provided. The district brief did not include locale information, and no neighbor comparison fact-set was available to position this school against others in the area. Staffing ratios, discipline data, attendance figures, and Title I status were also missing.
What the available evidence does show is a small, recently rebranded charter school with a stable charter through 2028, a diverse student body, solid English language arts outcomes, and a clear need for attention in mathematics. For a family drawn to a media arts orientation and a smaller school setting, the English results and the charter stability are encouraging starting points. The gaps in math, the missing graduation data, and the absence of program and staffing detail are the questions worth bringing to the school before making a decision.
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