Frequently Asked Questions

Charter Schools are public schools of choice. Charter schools provide education through a "charter," which is a type of contract granted by a chartering entity such as the NM Public Education Department.

Albuquerque School of Excellence is a state charter school. 

The purposes of charter schools are to:

• Improve student learning.
• Increase the choice of learning opportunities within the public school system.
• Create professional opportunities that will attract new teachers to the public school system.
• Establish a new form of accountability for public schools.
• Encourage different and innovative learning methods.

No, there is no tuition cost to attend Albuquerque School of Excellence.
We are a tuition-free, public charter school.

Yes, like all the other public schools ASE is a New Mexico Public Education Department accredited school.

• 2018-2019 school year, ASE received labeled of an "A-Rated" NMPED school! 
• 2019-2020 school year, NMPED switched to the NM Dashboard evaluation system. ASE received the highest honor of being designated a Spotlight School!

Like independent school districts, charter schools receive state funds. Charter schools may also receive funds from private sources and grants. 

Albuquerque School of Excellence is an independent charter school.
We are not connected to Albuquerque Public Schools.

Charter schools are public schools of choice. Any student, regardless of the school that they are zoned to, may attend Albuquerque School of Excellence.

There is no testing required to attend Albuquerque School of Excellence.
Timely application, a lottery, and availability of space are the determining factors for enrollment.
Enrollment applications are open for a designated annual period in spring. Our Enrollment Lottery takes place following the application period. 

Albuquerque School of Excellence is not able to provide transportation at this time. That's because the school is not zoned like traditional public schools, which makes a large number of transportation zones. The number of students from the same transportation zone is not yet sufficient to make the transportation available to our parents at a reasonable cost.

Elementary (Grades K-5): 
8:05 am - 2:40 pm Monday/Tuesday & Thursday/Friday
8:05 am - 12:30 pm Wednesday

Middle/High (Grades 6-12):
7:45 am - 3:10 pm Monday/Tuesday & Thursday/Friday
7:45 am - 12:10 pm Wednesday

Bell Schedule
Academic Calendar

Albuquerque School of Excellence has partnered with the YMCA of Central NM for after school care services. 
Y Club Hybrid Program Fees: (Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday) 
$25/week for members, $45/week for non-members

Please visit the YMCA of Central NM website for further details and registration information.  


Albuquerque School of Excellence also offers tutoring sessions, sports, and after school clubs for all grade levels. 

• Teacher-sponsored clubs include Sign Language, Spanish, Turkish, Robotics, Journalism, Student Council, Film/Drama, Book Club, and Art/Drawing. 
• Available sports include Basketball and Volleyball. We are looking to expand into Soccer and Cross-Country.