State officials say about 70 percent of New Mexico's public schools improved or maintained their letter grade this year, and that more than a third of schools received an A or B.
Gov. Susana Martinez and Public Education Secretary Hanna Skandera released the grades Thursday for 839 elementary, middle and high schools.
The grades depend heavily on student performance on tests but also reflect other factors, such as graduation rates for high schools. The system has come under fire from some educators.
Statewide, 82 schools earned an A, up from 40 last year. There were 224 B schools, compared with 203 last year. Schools with a C dropped to 230 from 274 last year. The number of D schools declined to 218 from 250 last year, and schools getting an F increased to 85 from 64 last year.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.