ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico now has a rule requiring that students attend school for a minimum of 180 days. It will go into effect next school year.

The final rule will include the following:

• Four-day school week calendars. The revisions to the proposed rule allow for four-day school week calendars.  
• Exemptions for early college high schools. Early college high schools will be exempt from the minimum 180 instructional day requirement. 
• Exemptions for school districts and charter schools with growth in reading and language arts. Schools will be eligible for exemptions from the minimum 180 instructional day requirement under the revised rule based on reading, language arts proficiency, and growth as determined by the secretary.  
• Minimum daily attendance for high school students. High school students will be required to attend at least 3.5 instructional hours (not class periods) daily, unless they provide evidence of participating for an equivalent amount of time in an apprenticeship, a work-study program, a dual-credit program, employment, community service, or similar activities. 

The announcement Thursday did not come as a surprise. The New Mexico Public Education Department held meetings last year and got feedback on the plan. There was pushback, especially from rural school districts in the state that operate on a four-day week schedule.

State lawmakers even attempted to block the 180 rule with an amendment in the state budget. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham used her line-item veto powers to remove that amendment.

The final rule does try to address those concerns. Four-day week calendars are allowed, and there are some exceptions.

“We do have a waiver process in place that would allow districts to have a waiver that would not require them to meet the 180 rule,” NMPED Secretary Arsenio Romero said. “But they’d have to be able to show out positive outcomes when it comes to reading performance in their schools and in their districts.”

To be exempt from the minimum 180 instructional days in the 2024-2025 school year, a school district or charter school will meet one of the criteria below. 

• If a school district or charter school has an overall reading, language arts proficiency rate below 45 percent, then the school district or charter school must demonstrate at least 15 percentage points of growth in reading, language arts achievement. 
• If a school district or charter school has an overall reading, language arts proficiency rate greater than or equal to 45 percent and less than 65 percent, then the school district or charter school must demonstrate at least 10 percentage points of growth in reading, language arts achievement. 
• If a school district or charter school has an overall reading, language arts proficiency rate greater than or equal to 65 percent and less than 80 percent, then the school district or charter school must demonstrate at least 8 percentage points of growth in reading, language arts achievement. 
• If a school district or charter school has an overall reading, language arts proficiency rate greater than or equal to 80 percent, then the school district or charter school will be exempt from the 180 instructional-day requirement regardless of growth.