EDUCATION
Report finds 32,000 young people in New Mexico are not working or in school
Trend is falling, but still above the national average
Published
Modified
New Mexico has about 32,000 young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who do not work or go to school, according to a new from the state Legislative Finance Committee.
These 鈥渄isconnected鈥� young people account for 13% of their age group in the state 鈥� the lowest number reported since 2008, according to the report, but still 2% higher than the national average.
Young people who don鈥檛 work or go to school report higher risks of drug use and mental health issues, lower educational attainment and increased involvement in the criminal justice system, the study found.
The LFC estimates disconnected youth cost New Mexico $623 million annually in lost tax revenue.
By their 30s, disconnected youth earn $38,400 less than their peers and are 52% less likely to report good health, the report said.
Reaching them can be difficult 鈥� young people become disconnected because of mental health or substance abuse issues, family conflict, low employment and educational outcomes, safety issues and housing instability, according to the report.
Of participants in the LFC survey, 82% said they would work or go to school if provided adequate support.
Youth Development Inc., a New Mexico nonprofit, offers job training, housing assistance, and mental and behavioral health services to young people and families. Despite falling numbers of disconnected youth state- and nationwide, the organization reports a growing number of people looking for services, said Concha Cordova, vice president of education, employment and training.
鈥淲e are definitely seeing more than what we can provide for,鈥� Cordova said. 鈥淲e go anywhere we feel disconnected youth are going to be 鈥� community centers, skate parks. We go out to them. We get a lot that come to our offices seeking guidance.鈥�
YDI offers job training 鈥� students often go into careers in healthcare or trades, Cordova said.
鈥淥ur end goal is really to address barriers, help them complete their education, secondary and post secondary, gain credentials and certifications so that they can start a career,鈥� she said.
The legislative report found a lack of education is one of the biggest indicators a young person will become disconnected. Almost half of the participants in the survey did not attend or complete high school.
Youth slipping through the cracks is a 鈥渉uge problem nationally,鈥� said Martha Ross, a senior fellow at Brookings who studies young people and the labor market.
鈥淲e just do not have good policy to ensure that everyone has some sort of guidance and capacity to make the transition from school to further school or to a career,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really easy for young people to get lost.鈥�
Though New Mexico鈥檚 high school graduation rate is at its highest in more than a decade 鈥� 80.6% of students graduate in four years 鈥� it still trails behind most other states.
Many demographics fell below the state number. Native American students in New Mexico graduated high school in four years 78% of the time, while Black students graduated in four years 76.4% of the time, according to data from the Public Education Department.
Graduation rates worsened for students who were housing insecure. Homeless students graduated in four years 63.2% of the time, while students in foster care graduated in four years only about 40% of the time.
These demographics show similarly disproportionate rates of disconnection in New Mexico.
The report found 29.2% of Native Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 were not employed or in school, the highest of any ethnic group, though the survey acknowledges that the data may not capture the realities of living in Native communities, where education, work, caregiving and cultural responsibilities often fall outside of formal school and employment systems.
Almost 23% of Black youth were disconnected, compared with 16.4% of Hispanic youth and 12.7% of white youth.
Young women were almost 2% more likely to be unemployed and not in school than young men. The report attributes this to pregnancy, early parenthood and unpaid caregiving responsibilities rather than lower attachment to education or work.
In some rural areas, opportunities may not be in abundance, contributing to a higher level of disconnection. The highest concentration of disconnected youth is in western New Mexico, particularly around Gallup and Shiprock, where 30% of young people are not employed or in school.
Eastern New Mexico and Albuquerque鈥檚 South Valley also reported high rates of youth disconnection 鈥� more than half of the state鈥檚 disconnected youth live in Bernalillo, Do帽a Ana, San Juan and McKinley counties.
If New Mexico reduces its population of disconnected youth by 10% over the next three years, it will be in line with the national average. State officials hope to reach young people before they drop out of high school via support programs at the PED and flexible, alternative schools.
The state also hopes to expand its workforce training programs, including Integrated Education and Training, which combines basic education with job training.
At YDI in Albuquerque, many of the staff come from homelessness, addiction and incarceration, Cordova said. The organization uses a peer model to help steer young people out of the system.
鈥淲e teach a lot of resiliency skills,鈥� she said.鈥漈hey're not moving forward, because they don't have the confidence, they don't have the skills, they don't have the guidance to do it.鈥�
Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.
