Education
Elementary Schools
The Santa Fe Public Schools system has a total enrollment of 13,775 students, making it the third largest district in the state.
The district comprises 20 elementary schools, 4 junior high schools, 3 senior high schools and three charter schools. Average teacher salary in the district is $40,512.
In addition to public schools, the city is home to over thirty private schools, from pre-school through 12th grade. Prominent high schools include Santa Fe Preparatory School, St Michael’s High School, Santa Fe Waldorf, Santa Fe Girls School and Desert Academy.
Colleges and Universities
The College of Santa Fe has emphasis on performing, visual, moving image, and creative writing arts. Recently the College has developed a strong film program, responding to the growing New Mexico film industry.
St. John’s College, which has a sister campus in Annapolis MD, has a curriculum based around the “Great Books”. St. John’s College is a co-educational, four year liberal arts college known for its distinctive “great books” curriculum. The course of study is based on the reading, study, and discussion of the most important books of the Western tradition. Students study from the classics of literature, philosophy, theology, psychology, political science, economics, history, mathematics, laboratory sciences, and music. St. John’s College is a community dedicated to liberal education. Such education seeks to free men and women from the tyrannies of unexamined opinions and inherited prejudices.
The Institute of American Indian Arts serves the Native American community across the US, with representation from over 140 different tribes. It offers associates and bachelor’s degree programs. IAIA Museum in downtown Santa Fe is home to the 7,000-piece National Collection of Contemporary Indian Art.
Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) provides the region with affordable high quality education and training. President Sheila Ortego and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) are eager to work with companies to develop any specialized workforce training and education programs they require. SFCC is home to the statewide New Mexico Small Business Development Centers network.
Presented through a variety of delivery methods and time formats, this includes basic skill programs; certificates and technical degrees; associate degrees with four year transfer potential, and personal enrichment courses both for credit and not for credit. These offerings are designed to add value to the lives of our community members by broadening opportunities; enhancing personal income; improving working and living conditions; and fostering richer, healthier lives.
Each semester SFCC has around 5,400 students enrolled in the various associate degree programs or certificate or professional credential programs.
This includes an Environmental Technology Program which includes both an associates degree and a certificate program. The curriculum is both theoretical and practical.
Students get project-based learning and assessment in simulated work environments. The program helps develop critical thinking and problem solving skills by emphasizing teamwork on group projects. Students get a strong foundation that allows them to adapt to a wide range of employment opportunities in this diverse emerging industry.
President Sheila Ortego and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) are eager to work with companies to develop any specialized workforce training and education programs they require. SFCC is home to the state-wide New Mexico Small Business Development Centers network.
SFCC is also home to the Center for Community Sustainability, which delivers education in sustainability, renewable energies technologies, environmental technologies, and certifications for energy raters. The college is developing curriculum to add sustainability across all our educational programs including science, math, English, and history. The college is also developing the Sustainable Technologies Center, which is part of the national Advanced Technology Center network to develop and deliver curriculum in smart grid technology and green building construction.
Southwestern College, devoted to the study of mental health, offers master’s degrees in counseling, counseling with a concentration in grief and loss, and art therapy.
Southwest Acupuncture College offers a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine.
Although not a college per se, the Santa Fe Institute “is devoted to creating a new kind of scientific research community, one emphasizing multi-disciplinary collaboration in pursuit of understanding the common themes that arise in natural, artificial, and social systems.” It has an active campus and faculty, building on its worldwide reputation as the home of complexity science.
