Editor’s Note (Updated: Dec. 21, 2025): This version tightens AP-style phrasing and adds more primary-source detail, with sources linked in-line.
- Grounded the incident timeline and initial district assessment in local reporting that published district statements.
- Added superintendent comments on affected devices and restoration expectations.
- Added district scope and enrollment context from district and federal sources.
- Added brief context on the district’s earlier ransomware disruptions in 2019 and 2020.
- Clarified that public reporting reviewed did not name an attacker or cite a public ransomware group claim tied to the August 2024 incident.
Gadsden Independent School District in southern New Mexico said a ransomware attack discovered in mid-August 2024 prompted staff to power down and disconnect district computers while officials investigated, and early checks found no sign student or employee data had been compromised.
The district became aware of the attack around 2 p.m. on Aug. 13, 2024, according to a district spokesperson quoted by KVIA. The spokesperson said student devices were not affected and the district expected students to regain network access quickly.
In a statement published by KFOX14/CBS4, the district said it used its messaging platform to tell teachers and staff to shut down computers and disconnect from the network while technology teams worked to contain the incident and restore operations.
Superintendent Travis Dempsey told KFOX14/CBS4 the attack targeted district PCs and did not affect student Chromebooks, iPads and other Apple devices. He said law enforcement was looking into where the attack came from and the district was taking a cautious approach as systems were brought back online.
The district serves communities in southern Doña Ana County and southern Otero County near the Texas border, and it says it educates about 14,200 students across 24 educational facilities, according to its district profile. Federal education data lists 12,130 students for the 2023–2024 school year in the district’s NCES profile.
The district has faced ransomware-related disruptions before. A 2019 KFOX14/CBS4 report said a ransomware incident encrypted district servers and domain controllers and coincided with an email shutdown as the district rebuilt its email system. In 2020, EdScoop reported the district took systems offline after a Ryuk ransomware incident that disrupted communications.
Public reporting reviewed for this update did not identify the attackers behind the August 2024 incident, and the district’s public statements carried by local outlets did not cite a ransomware group claiming responsibility.
