New Mexico Adult Literacy FAQs

Adult Literacy programs typically offer tutoring and classes in reading, writing, basic math, and ESL. Many programs also support pre-HSE (High School Equivalency) testing HSE, workplace literacy, and digital literacy skills. Programs typically offer both in-person and online services.

Services are available to adults ages 16 or older who are not currently enrolled in high school and want to improve their reading, writing, and other basic skills. 

Adult literacy programs primarily serve students NRS levels one and two, while adult education programs primarily serve levels three and above and include HSE and IET programming. It is possible to be co-enrolled in a literacy and an adult education program. 

Various factors go into measuring adult literacy programs, including quantitative data on student enrollment, hours completed, goals achieved, and retention. See New Mexico’s Data Dashboards here. There are also qualitative measures such as surveys, interviews, and internal program improvement processes. 

NM adult literacy programs served 1,417 students in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The data for the current year is available here. Many more adults could be served: statewide, 29% of adults scored at the lowest level on reading, and 40% scored at the lowest level on math on an internationally normed test called the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). 

Adult literacy programs in New Mexico are free for students. These programs are funded by grants from the State of New Mexico and typically other government funding, along with funding grants and donations from other sources, including individual donors, foundations, and fundraisers.

Adult literacy programs are available in public libraries, community colleges, nonprofit organizations, and community centers throughout New Mexico. Some programs also offer online learning options for flexibility. A list of the adult literacy programs funded by the state of New Mexico is available here.

According to the PIACC (Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies), 29 percent of adults in New Mexico have literacy skills at the lowest level, meaning they struggle with basic reading, writing, and comprehension tasks. 60% of adults function at level two or below in literacy. In numeracy, 40% of New Mexican adults are at level one, while 70% function at level two and below.

About 14% of adults in New Mexico over the age of 25 do not have a high school diploma or equivalent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data.

• 21% of the U.S. population has low literacy skills, or about 43 million adults. U.S.-born people make up two-thirds of those with low English literacy skills. 

• 54% of adults in the nation read below a 6th-grade level. See NCES for more on these statistics.

• New Mexico ranks lowest in the 50 states in literacy among adults, with 29% of adults in the state having very low literacy skills.

• New Mexico’s literacy rates are lower than the national average. Factors such as poverty, educational access, and rural geography contribute to this gap. 

• It is well known that improved literacy creates better health, income, equality, and general quality of life. 

• However, according to PIACC, between 2017 and 2023, American adults at level 1 or below increased nationally across the educational spectrum: 40-55% for adults without high school equivalency (HSE); 24-32% for adults with HSE; and 6-13% for adults with more than their HSE.

• ProLiteracy estimates that between $106-$238 billion in healthcare costs are tied to low literacy rates. 

• One-third of adults with the lowest literacy rate are unemployed. 

• While a high percentage of American adults in prisons have low literacy skills, studies show that participating in adult education programs in prison lowers recidivism rates by 43%. 

• Improving the basic literacy skills of the American population would generate roughly an estimated $2.2 trillion in income for the government per year.