New Mexico K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 194 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team

Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series

April 22, 2026

research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 194 K-12 LEAs in New Mexico, of which 147 have active domains (75.8% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). New Mexico K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 47.6/100, with 23.8% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 27.9% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 45.6% have any DMARC record, and just 26.5% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 54.4% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 147 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: New Mexico, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. New Mexico K-12 Dataset Summary
Metric	Value
Total K-12 LEAs in state	194
Regular school districts	130
Charter LEAs	58
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)	6
LEAs with active internet domain	147 (75.8%)
Domains DNS-profiled	147
Data freshness (NCES CCD)	2024-2025 school year
DNS scan date	April 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. New Mexico K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 877 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — New Mexico
Population	Total in Dataset	At Risk (No DMARC, 54.4%)	Critically Exposed (Grade F, 27.9%)
Students	334,137	181,770	93,224
Parents and guardians	668,274	363,541	186,448
Staff and educators	44,727	24,331	12,478
Total people	1,047,138	569,643	292,151

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — New Mexico K-12
Protocol	New Mexico	National K-12 (ESI)	vs. National
SPF (any configuration)	76.9%	79.7%	-2.8pp
DKIM (key published)	53.7%	59.6%	-5.9pp
DMARC (any policy)	45.6%	55.5%	-9.9pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)	26.5%	~21.0%	+5.5pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)	6.8%	~12.2%	-5.4pp
No MX records (not receiving email)	11.6%	~10.0%	+1.6pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — New Mexico K-12
Grade	Score	Districts	Share	Interpretation
A	90–100	12	8.2%	Full enforcement
B	70–89	23	15.6%	Strong posture
C	50–69	47	32.0%	Partial protection
D	30–49	24	16.3%	Weak configuration
F	0–29	41	27.9%	Minimal/no authentication
Average score		47.6 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — New Mexico K-12 (top providers)
Provider	Districts	Share
Google Workspace	76	51.7%
Microsoft 365	33	22.4%
Barracuda	6	4.1%
Mimecast	2	1.4%
Securence	2	1.4%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 New Mexico K-12 Districts by ESI Score
District	Domain	County	Provider	SPF	DKIM	DMARC Policy	Score	Grade
RIO RANCHO PUBLIC SCHOOLS	`rrps.net`	Sandoval County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
WALATOWA CHARTER HIGH	`walatowahcs.org`	Sandoval County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
CHAMA VALLEY INDEP. SCHOOLS	`chamaschools.org`	Rio Arriba County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
PORTALES MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	`portalesschools.com`	Roosevelt County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
RUIDOSO MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	`ruidososchools.org`	Lincoln County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
SANTA FE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	`sfps.info`	Santa Fe County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
SILVER CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS	`silverschools.org`	Grant County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	reject	95	A
NM CORRECTIONS	`cd.nm.gov`	Santa Fe County	Microsoft 365	✓	✓	reject	90	A
HOZHO ACADEMY	`hozhoacademy.org`	McKinley County	Microsoft 365	✓	✓	quarantine	90	A
FLOYD MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	`floydbroncos.com`	Roosevelt County	Microsoft 365	✓	✓	quarantine	90	A
LAS CRUCES PUBLIC SCHOOLS	`lcps.net`	Doña Ana County	Microsoft 365	✓	✓	quarantine	90	A
SAN JON MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	`sanjonschools.com`	Quay County	Microsoft 365	✓	✓	quarantine	90	A
ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	`aps.edu`	Bernalillo County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	quarantine	88	B
HORIZON ACADEMY WEST	`hawest.net`	Bernalillo County	Google Workspace	✓	✓	quarantine	85	B
THE ASK ACADEMY	`theaskacademy.org`	Sandoval County	—	✓	✓	quarantine	85	B

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 New Mexico K-12 Districts by ESI Score
District	Domain	County	Provider	SPF	DKIM	DMARC Policy	Grade
UNM MIMBRES SCHOOL	`hsc.unm.edu`	Bernalillo County	—	✗	✗	—	F
VAUGHN MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS	`vaughnschools.org`	Guadalupe County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
SEQUOYAH	`nmsatc.org`	Bernalillo County	—	✗	✗	—	F
SCHOOL OF DREAMS ACADEMY	`sodacharter.net`	Valencia County	—	✗	✗	—	F
NEW MEXICO ACADEMY FOR THE MEDIA ARTS CHARTER	`nmmediaarts.org`	Bernalillo County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
SOUTH VALLEY PREP	`southvalleyprep.org`	Bernalillo County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
AMY BIEHL CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL	`amybiehlhighschool.org`	Bernalillo County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
MISSION ACHIEVEMENT AND SUCCESS	`missionachievementandsuccess.com`	Bernalillo County	—	✗	✗	—	F
RED RIVER VALLEY CHARTER SCHOOL	`redrivervalleycs.org`	Taos County	—	✗	✗	—	F
TURQUOISE TRAIL CHARTER SCHOOL	`turquoisetrailcharterschool.org`	Santa Fe County	—	✗	✗	—	F
SIX DIRECTIONS INDIGENOUS SCHOOL	`sixdirectionsschool.org`	McKinley County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
ROOTS AND WINGS COMMUNITY	`rootsandwingscommunityschool.org`	Taos County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
RAICES DEL SABER XINACHTLI COMMUNITY SCHOOL	`raicesdelsaber.org`	Doña Ana County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL CHARTER - GALLUP	`mchsgallup.com`	McKinley County	Google Workspace	✗	✗	—	F
BERNALILLO PUBLIC SCHOOLS	`bernalillo-schools.org`	Sandoval County	—	✗	✗	—	F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. New Mexico County Distribution
County	Districts	Website Coverage
Bernalillo County	30	90.0%
McKinley County	18	33.3%
Santa Fe County	17	76.5%
San Juan County	15	26.7%
Sandoval County	12	66.7%
Doña Ana County	10	100.0%
Taos County	10	80.0%
Rio Arriba County	8	62.5%
Otero County	5	80.0%
Lincoln County	5	100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in New Mexico's K-12 email security posture. The 54.4% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

Immediate risk: 41 districts (27.9%) have Grade F scores, indicating minimal or no email authentication. These represent the highest-priority remediation targets.
Mid-tier stagnation: 47 districts (32.0%) are in the C range — typically have SPF but no DMARC or weak DMARC (p=none). Upgrading to p=quarantine would move them to B without infrastructure changes.
Provider leverage: Google Workspace (used by 51.7% of scored districts) provides automated SPF/DKIM configuration. Districts on Google Workspace with Grade F scores have misconfigured or missing DMARC — a free and simple fix.

6. Data Availability

The full New Mexico K-12 dataset — 194 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
Tier	Scope	Suggested Use
State Pack: New Mexico	All 194 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichment	Regional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 National	All 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAs	National K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry	801,359+ entities across all sectors	Comprehensive multi-sector research
API + Updates	Quarterly re-scan, REST API	Longitudinal studies, live dashboards

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Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). New Mexico K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 194 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/nm-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.

New Mexico K-12 Email Security Intelligence:DNS Authentication Profiling of 194 School District LEAs