Gallup School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (New Mexico)

Are Gallup schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

Live status monitored for Gallup-McKinley County Schools, Central Consolidated School District, Grants-Cibola County Schools, Window Rock Unified School District, and Zuni Public School District.

How Gallup-Area School Closures Are Announced

Gallup-McKinley County Schools (GMCS) posts closure and delay decisions on its official website at gmcs.org, along with the district’s Facebook and X (Twitter) pages. Because GMCS is the largest school district by land area in New Mexico — nearly 5,000 square miles stretching from Gallup itself out to Crownpoint, Thoreau, Tohatchi, Navajo, and Ramah — closure decisions typically depend on road and weather conditions across several distant communities at once, so announcements are usually finalized and posted by early morning rather than the night before.

Families can also find GMCS closing information on Albuquerque television stations KOB Channel 4 (which maintains a dedicated closings page at kob.com/closings), KRQE News 13, and KOAT Action 7 News — all three cover the statewide Albuquerque-Santa Fe media market that includes McKinley County and run closing tickers during winter storm events. Since Gallup sits roughly 140 miles west of Albuquerque, TV coverage can occasionally lag behind the district’s own website, so checking gmcs.org directly remains the most reliable first step. Neighboring districts covered on this page — Central Consolidated Schools (Shiprock), Grants-Cibola County Schools (Grants), Window Rock Unified (Fort Defiance, AZ), and Zuni Public Schools — each announce independently through their own websites, since a closure at one district does not automatically apply to the others.

Weather Risks That Affect Gallup-Area School Closures

• Winter storms and snow: Sitting at roughly 6,500 feet elevation, the Gallup area is far more snow-prone than lower-elevation New Mexico cities, and accumulating snow on rural highways connecting Gallup to Crownpoint, Thoreau, and other outlying communities is the most common reason for closures and delays from November through March.
• Icy roads: Overnight lows well below freezing are routine in winter, and black ice on two-lane highways and unpaved reservation roads used by school buses is a frequent hazard even after snow has stopped falling.
• High wind and blowing dust: Strong spring wind events can reduce visibility on open highway stretches between communities and occasionally down power lines, prompting delays even without snow.
• Wildfire smoke: Wildfires in the nearby Zuni Mountains and Cibola National Forest can degrade air quality enough to affect outdoor activities and, in more serious cases, prompt early dismissals.
• Flash flooding: Summer monsoon thunderstorms (July–September) can send fast-moving water through normally dry arroyos and low-water crossings, temporarily cutting off bus routes in rural parts of the district.
• Extreme cold: Sub-zero wind chills during winter cold snaps can affect bus reliability and outdoor supervision, occasionally triggering delayed starts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early does Gallup-McKinley County Schools announce school closures?

Gallup-McKinley County Schools typically confirms closures or delays by early morning, once conditions across its many communities — from Gallup to Crownpoint, Thoreau, Tohatchi, Navajo, and Ramah — can be assessed. Because the district covers nearly 5,000 square miles, a decision made the night before for one area may not hold for another, so GMCS generally waits for morning road reports before posting a district-wide update to gmcs.org.

What’s the difference between a closure and a delay for GMCS?

A closure means all GMCS schools are shut for the entire day and no classes or activities are held. A delayed start pushes the morning bell back — often by one to two hours — to allow more time for roads to clear or ice to melt, with the rest of the school day proceeding on a compressed schedule. Bus pickup times shift to match the delayed start.

Do all Gallup-area schools close at the same time?

Not necessarily. Gallup-McKinley County Schools spans several distinct communities across a huge rural area, so a storm affecting Crownpoint or Thoreau may not affect Gallup itself, and vice versa. In addition, the neighboring districts shown on this page — Central Consolidated, Grants-Cibola County, Window Rock Unified, and Zuni Public Schools — each make their own independent decisions, so it’s worth checking your specific district’s status rather than assuming a closure elsewhere applies to your school.

Which TV stations report Gallup school closings?

KOB Channel 4 (NBC), KRQE News 13 (CBS), and KOAT Action 7 News (ABC) — all based in Albuquerque and covering the statewide Albuquerque-Santa Fe media market — are the primary television stations reporting closures for Gallup-area school districts. KOB maintains a dedicated closings and delays page at kob.com/closings that is updated throughout winter storm events.

How often is this page updated?

Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes, or every 5 minutes during active weather alerts, pulling directly from official district and TV station sources. The page also displays the exact time of the last successful check so you can see how current the information is.

Does a closure in one GMCS community affect the whole district?

Not always. Because Gallup-McKinley County Schools serves communities spread across nearly 5,000 square miles, the district sometimes issues community-specific guidance — for example, a closure limited to Crownpoint-area schools due to a localized storm, while Gallup schools remain open. This page shows district-wide status; families in outlying communities should also check for any school-specific notices from GMCS directly.

School Roster

Gallup-McKinley County Schools

High Schools

• Gallup High School
• Hiroshi Miyamura High School
• Gallup Central High School
• Crownpoint High School
• Thoreau High School
• Tohatchi High School
• Navajo Pine High School
• Tse Yi Gai High School
• Ramah Middle/High School

Middle Schools

• Chief Manuelito Middle School
• Gallup Middle School
• John F. Kennedy Middle School
• Crownpoint Middle School
• Navajo Middle School
• Thoreau Middle School
• Tohatchi Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Catherine A. Miller Elementary School
• Chee Dodge Elementary School
• Crownpoint Elementary School
• David Skeet Elementary School
• Del Norte Elementary School
• Indian Hills Elementary School
• Jefferson Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Navajo Elementary School
• Ramah Elementary School
• Red Rock Elementary School
• Stagecoach Elementary School
• Thoreau Elementary School
• Tobe Turpen Elementary School
• Tohatchi Elementary School
• Twin Lakes Elementary School

Career & Alternative

• Destinations Career Academy of New Mexico
• Middle College High School Charter — Gallup
• McKinley Academy

Central Consolidated School District (Shiprock)

High Schools

• Shiprock High School
• Kirtland Central High School
• Newcomb High School
• Career Prep Alternative High School

Middle Schools

• Kirtland Middle School
• Tse’ Bit’Ai Middle School
• Newcomb Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Kirtland Elementary School
• Ojo Amarillo Elementary School
• Naschitti Elementary School
• Newcomb Elementary School
• Mesa Elementary School
• Eva B. Stokely Elementary School
• Nizhoni Elementary School
• Judy Nelson Elementary School

Early Childhood

• Kirtland Early Childhood Center

Grants-Cibola County Schools

High Schools

• Grants High School
• Laguna-Acoma Jr./Sr. High School
• Early College High School

Middle Schools

• Los Alamitos Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Bluewater Elementary School
• Cubero Elementary School
• Mesa View Elementary School
• Milan Elementary School
• Mount Taylor Elementary School
• San Rafael Elementary School
• Seboyeta Elementary School

Window Rock Unified School District (Fort Defiance, AZ)

High Schools

• Window Rock High School

Middle Schools

• Tsé Ho Tso Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Window Rock Elementary School
• Tsé Ho Tso Primary Learning Center
• Tsé Ho Tso Intermediate Learning Center
• Sawmill Primary Learning Center
• Tséhootsooí Diné Bi’Ólta’

Zuni Public School District

High Schools

• Zuni High School

Middle Schools

• Zuni Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Shiwi Ts’ana Elementary School

Alternative & Online

• Twin Buttes Cyber Academy