Public schools in Arizona

The NCES directory lists 2,432 public schools operating in Arizona in 2024-25; 2,183 of them reported 1,102,151 students, averaging 17.5 students per teacher, the 6th highest of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Mesa Public Schools, with 55,890 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,1831,211 elementary, 215 middle, 580 high, 177 other
Students1,102,1512.3% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher17.5U.S. 15.3

Arizona has more students per teacher than the U.S. average

Arizona ranks 6th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Nevada19.2
  2. Florida17.9
  3. Washington17.8
  4. Arizona17.5
  5. Ohio17.4
  6. Oregon17.3
  7. Alabama17.2

Eight in ten larger Arizona districts spent between $8,423 and $13,594 per student

Among the 157 Arizona districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $8,423 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $13,594; the median was $10,493. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Arizona districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23157 values from $6,934 to $22,666; ; state median $10,493.$8,423$13,594the middle eight in ten← 1 below $5,000$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $10,493
Current spending per student, Arizona districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23157 values from $6,934 to $22,666; ; state median $10,493.$8,423$13,594the middle eight in ten← 1 below $5,000$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $10,493
Current spending per student, Arizona districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23157 values from $6,934 to $22,666; ; state median $10,493.$8,423$13,594the middle eight in ten← 1 below $5,000$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $10,493
Current spending per student, Arizona districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23157 values from $6,934 to $22,666; ; state median $10,493.$8,423$13,594the middle eight in ten← 1 below $5,000$5k$10k$15k$20k$25kcurrent spending per studentstate median $10,493

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 40.3% of the Arizona students tested met the state's reading standard and 34% its math standard. Arizona writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Arizona's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 77.8% of 93,470 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Arizona almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Primavera - Online, 6,378 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: EVIT - East Campus, 3.1 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Arizona Autism Charter Schools Inc. (91958), $31,388 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Safford Unified School District 1, $99,366 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Inspiration Mountain School, 0.2% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Franklin Junior High School, 63 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Arizona Education Solutions (90758), 50 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Arizona

  1. Mesa Public Schools55,890
  2. Chandler Unified School District41,097
  3. Tucson Unified School District40,316
  4. Peoria Unified School District34,436
  5. Deer Valley Unified School District32,265
  6. Gilbert Public Schools31,660
  7. Paradise Valley Unified School District27,307
  8. Phoenix Union High School District (4286)25,733

Every Arizona school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Phoenix219,043 students441 schools
  2. Tucson114,973 students274 schools
  3. Mesa83,922 students137 schools
  4. Glendale57,841 students95 schools
  5. Gilbert53,155 students70 schools
  6. Chandler51,964 students64 schools
  7. Scottsdale30,170 students54 schools
  8. Tempe26,698 students49 schools
  9. Yuma25,353 students46 schools
  10. Peoria33,491 students46 schools
  11. Buckeye23,557 students34 schools
  12. Surprise28,127 students33 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Arizona's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Arizona?
    The NCES directory lists 2,432 operating in 2024-25; 2,183 of them reported students: 1,211 elementary, 215 middle, 580 high and 177 other, enrolling 1,102,151 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Arizona?
    17.5 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Arizona?
    Mesa Public Schools, with 55,890 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Arizona spend per public-school student?
    $11,249 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .