School Information

Top 10 Tucson Public Schools

A sampling of Tucson’s Ten Best Public Schools is listed here. The information that was used to determine this “Top Ten List” was objective and based on indicators of strong performance such as attendance, graduation rates, standardized test scores administered by the State of Arizona, and quality of teaching staff. The list is as follows:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:

1. Manzanita School (Catalina Foothills School District)

2. Canyon View Elementary School (Catalina Foothills School District)

3. Ventana Vista Elementary School (Catalina Foothills School District)

MIDDLE SCHOOLS

1. Orange Grove Middle School (Catalina Foothills School District)

2. Esperero Canyon Middle School (Catalina Foothills School District)

3. Emily Gray Junior High School (Tanque Verde School District)

HIGH SCHOOLS

1. University High School (Tucson Unified School District)

2. Catalina Foothills High School (Catalina Foothills School District)

3. Sabino High School (Tucson Unified School District)

4. Ironwood Ridge High School (Amphitheater Unified School District)

Several resources are available to provide helpful information on evaluating schools and school districts. You may go to www.ade.state.az.us and click on the Report Card section to see how the Arizona Department of Education has rated a particular school or district. SchoolDigger.com provides test scores, rankings, student/teacher ratios, demographics, and other tools to help you “search, evaluate, and compare schools, districts, and cities.” SchoolMatters.com shows test scores, classroom profiles, district financial information, photos, and parent ratings and reviews. There is also a link at SchoolMatters.com showing the 2010 U.S. News and World Report List of America’s Best High Schools (University High School and Catalina Foothills High School both appear on this list). GreatSchools.org informs you as to how well your school is doing on standardized tests compared to a national average.

When families select a home in Tucson, an imprtant part of the process often involves selecting the school district and school they feel will provide a great education for their children. It’s helpful to be able to learn information about neighborhoods, school districts, and schools prior to selecting a home, so that you can be confident and comfortable with your choices.

There are a total of eight school districts in Tucson: Tucson Unified, Marana, Flowing Wells, Amphitheater, Tanque Verde, Catalina Foothills, Vail, and Sahuarita. A good first step is to be aware of the boundaries of these school districts to determine if your neighborhood is included there. A qualified realtor can assist you with this process–good luck!

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