The Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) system, 34th largest in the nation as of the 2001–2002 school year, is administered by a nonpartisan, seven-member school board and a superintendency team.
The following is a summary of data regarding Albuquerque's public schools.
Total enrollment: 86,557
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 80
middle schools: 26
senior high schools: 11
other: 10
Student/teacher ratio: ranges from 17:1 in kindergarten to 27:1 in high school
Teacher salaries
average: $36,038 (2002-2003)
Funding per pupil: $5,695 (2000–2001)
About 13 percent of the city's children attend the more than 70 private or parochial schools in the Albuquerque area.
Among these schools, Albuquerque Academy is regarded as one of the top private schools in the nation.
Public Schools Information: Albuquerque Public Schools, 725 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106; telephone (505)842-8211
The University of New Mexico (UNM), the state's largest institution of higher learning and part of the Rio Grande Research Corridor complex, is based in Albuquerque, with branch campuses in Gallup, Los Alamos, Taos, Los Lunas, and west Albuquerque. The main campus has an annual enrollment of more than 24,000 students. UNM is particularly strong in Latin American studies, flamenco dance, anthropology, and medicine—its rural medicine, primary care, and family medicine programs rank among the top 10 in the U.S. Other four-year institutions in Albuquerque include the New Mexico campus of the University of Phoenix, offering bachelor's and advanced degrees in business and nursing; the Metropolitan College of Court Reporting; a campus of ITT Technical Institute, which offers degrees in information technology, electronics technology, drafting and design, business, and criminal justice; and National American University, which offers degrees in accounting, business administration and management, and computer and information sciences. The city is also home to Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (TVI), the largest community college in New Mexico. TVI offers associate's degrees in occupational fields as well as liberal arts.
The Rio Grande Valley Library System, the largest public library system in New Mexico, is a Consortium of the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and the City of Rio Rancho. Public library service is available through a large Main Library and 16 branches throughout the Albuquerque area (including a Special Collections Library specializing in genealogy and regional history, and the Erne Pyle Branch, former home of the famed World War II correspondent, displaying a collection of his memorabilia), and the nearby Rio Rancho Public Library. The library system has a collection of more than 1.4 million items, including periodicals and audio-visual materials.
The University of New Mexico General Libraries maintains more than 2 million volumes and nearly 11,000 periodical subscriptions. Its collection includes that of the Center for Southwest Research, UNM's resource center for the study of New Mexico and the Southwest. Branch libraries on campus provide subject collections in business, fine arts, and science and engineering. Collection strengths include Latin American history, regional photography, music and architecture, American Indian affairs, and maps. The Health Sciences Library serves the Medical School and the health professions statewide. The Law School Library is the primary legal library in the state and has special collections in American Indian and Latin American Law.
Research activities in such fields as water resources, Southwestern biology, power systems, alternative energy, artificial intelligence, robotics, anthropology, satellite data analysis, business and economics, Native American law, aging and health policy issues, Latin America, and Hispanic and Chicano studies are conducted at centers in the Albuquerque area. The University of New Mexico is the state's primary research university. Among its research units are the Center for Advanced Studies (quantum optics, laser physics, etc.), the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence, the New Mexico Engineering Research Institute, the Center for High Technology Materials, the High Performance Computing Education & Research Center, the Center for Micro-Engineered Materials, and the Latin American Institute. Other research centers based in Albuquerque include the Behavioral Health Research Center of the Southwest, which conducts research on substance abuse and other behavioral health issues, and the Air Force Research Lab at Kirtland Air Force Base, where space- and missile-related research is performed. Sandia National Laboratories, based in nearby Sandia, performs national security research.
Public Library Information: Main Library, 501 Copper Avenue NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102; telephone (505)768-5141