Public education in Arizona

in Arizona

Fiscal Budgets Arizona state budget and finances Tax policy in Arizona Finance Financial regulation in Arizona Pensions Public pensions in Arizona Pension health in Arizona Civil liberties Affirmative action in Arizona Campaign finance requirements in Arizona Campaign finance requirements for Arizona ballot measures Nonprofit regulation in Arizona Education Charter schools in Arizona Higher education in Arizona Public education in Arizona School choice in Arizona Elections Ballot access Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Arizona Ballot access requirements for political parties in Arizona Political parties in Arizona Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Arizona Redistricting in Arizona Voting in Arizona Energy and Environment Energy policy in Arizona Fracking in Arizona Oil and gas extraction on federal land in Arizona Endangered species in Arizona Environmental policy in Arizona Healthcare Healthcare policy in Arizona Medicaid spending in Arizona Effect of the Affordable Care Act in Arizona Immigration Immigration in Arizona

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K-12 education in Arizona

Education facts

State superintendent: Kathy Hoffman

Number of students: 1,089,384

Number of teachers: 48,866

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:22

Number of school districts: 230

Number of schools: 2,267

Graduation rate: 75.1%

Per-pupil spending: $7,208

See also

Arizona Department of Education • List of school districts in Arizona • Arizona • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Arizona Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given are the most recent as of June 2015, with school years noted in the text or footnotes.

The Arizona public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2013 Arizona had 1,089,384 students enrolled in a total of 2,267 schools in 666 school districts. There were 48,866 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 22 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. There was roughly one administrator for every 436 students, compared to the national average of one administrator for every 295 students. On average Arizona spent $7,208 per pupil in 2013, which ranked it 49th highest in the nation. The state's graduation rate was 75.1 percent in 2013.^[1][2][3]

Common Core[edit]

Common Core, or the Common Core State Standards Initiative, is an American education initiative that outlines quantifiable benchmarks in English and mathematics at each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The Arizona State Board of Education adopted the standards on June 28, 2010. Full implementation was set to be achieved in the 2013-2014 academic year.^[4][5]

On May 20, 2014, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) announced that Arizona intended to withdraw from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, which developed Common Core-aligned examinations. The state officially withdrew from the group on June 8, 2014.^[6]

As of July 2015, Arizona continued to implement the Common Core. Several bills were introduced in the Arizona State Legislature that would either give school districts the option to develop their own standards instead of the Common Core, allow students and their parents to opt out of the Common Core tests, or repeal the Common Core in the state of Arizona entirely. One bill allowing parents to opt their students out of Common Core testing passed in the Arizona House of Representatives but not in the Senate. In addition, the Board of Education voted to create a committee that would oversee implementation and progress of Common Core standards in April 2015. The board consisted of 17 members, including the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction. None of the bills repealing or restricting the influence of the Common Core standards were passed as of July 2015.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

General information[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Arizona compared to three neighboring states with respect to number of students, schools, the number of teachers per pupil, and the number of administrators per pupil during the 2012-2013 school year. The chart also displays that information at the national level. Further comparisons between these states with respect to performance and financial information are given in other sections of this page. In the 2012-2013 academic year, Arizona enrolled 1,089,384 students, more than any surrounding state.

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School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

Schools by type[edit]

See also: Number of schools by school type in the United States

Of the 98,454 schools in the United States, 89,031 were classified as regular schools. After regular schools, magnet schools and charter schools were the most prevalent non-traditional schools in the country, at 6,079 and 5,986, respectively.

The table below breaks down each of the different types of schools in Arizona and nearby states. Also listed are the numbers of schools in each state that are classified as "Title I" schools. These are public schools that have been specially targeted to correct achievement gaps in public schools.^[12]

In Arizona, there were 1,955 regular schools as of 2013. Charter schools were the second most prevalent type of school, with 542 schools classified as such.

Demographics[edit]

See also: Demographic information for all students in all 50 states

The following table displays the ethnic distribution of students in Arizona as reported in the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data for 2012-2013.^[13]

During the 2012-2013 school year, just over half of all students in K-12 public schools nationwide were white. About a quarter of the students in the country were Hispanic, with black students making up about 16 percent of the student population.

In Arizona, a plurality of students were Hispanic. Hispanic students totaled 471,424, which was about 43.3 percent of the student population in the state. There were 452,811 white students in Arizona, which accounted for about 41.6 percent of the student population.

Enrollments by region type[edit]

See also: Student distribution by region type in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 30 percent of all public school students in the country attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. About 40 percent attended suburban schools. Approximately 11.5 percent of all students attended schools in towns, while about 18.7 percent attended rural schools.^[14]

A plurality of students in Arizona attended city schools during the 2012-2013 school year. Approximately 80 percent of the state's students attended city or suburban schools, compared to approximately 20 percent who attended rural or town schools.

Academic performance[edit]

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The chart below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah), Arizona students fared worse across the board than those in Nevada and Utah, but better than those in New Mexico.^[15]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Arizona and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[15][16][17]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[18]

Arizona schools reported a graduation rate of 75.1 percent, ranking in the bottom 20 percent nationwide.

In Arizona, more students took the ACT than the SAT, earning an average ACT score of 19.6.

Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Arizona was higher than the national average at 5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 5.9 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[19]

Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in Arizona

School choice options in Arizona included charter schools, tax credits (individual and corporate), online learning programs and inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies. In addition, about 4.60 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[20]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[21]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Arizona is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: Arizona state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[22][23]

Arizona spent approximately 18.6 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from local funds. When compared to its neighboring states, Arizona was the only state to receive the majority of its revenue from local funds.

Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[23]

In Arizona, the primary source of school system revenue came from local funding, at nearly $4 billion. Overall, Arizona school systems generated more revenue than those of any of its neighboring states.

Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[24]

Public education expenditures in Arizona totaled approximately $9.2 billion in fiscal year 2012. Arizona reported significantly greater total public education expenditures than its neighboring states.

Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Arizona, the average salary decreased by 1.1 percent.^[26]

Organizations[edit]

State agencies[edit]

See also: Arizona Department of Education

The Arizona Department of Education is responsible for "providing for the students of Arizona a uniform public school system kindergarten schools, common schools, high schools and normal schools."^[27]

The Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected state official tasked with the following responsibilities:^[27]

• "Superintend the schools of this state."
• "Request the auditor general to investigate when necessary the accounts of school monies kept by any state, county or district officer."
• "Subject to supervision by the state board of education, apportion to the several counties the monies to which each county is entitled for the year. Apportionment shall be made as provided in chapter 9 of this title."
• "Direct the work of all employees of the board who shall be employees of the department of education."
• "Execute, under the direction of the state board of education, the policies which have been decided upon by the state board."
• "Direct the performance of executive, administrative or ministerial functions by the department of education or divisions or employees thereof."

The Arizona State Board of Education is responsible for "regulating the conduct of the public school system." The board is composed of 11 members, including the following:^[28]

• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• The president of a state university or college
• The president or chancellor of a community college
• Four lay members
• The owner or administrator of a charter school
• A high school superintendent
• A classroom teacher
• A county school superintendent

Members are appointed by the governor to four-year terms (with the exception of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is elected by the state's citizens).^[28]

Unions[edit]

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Arizona ranked 51st overall for union power and influence, or "weakest," which was in the fifth of five tiers.^[29]

Taxpayer-funded lobbying[edit]

See also: Arizona government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Arizona School Boards Association.

Other taxpayer-funded lobbyists for state public schools included

• Arizona Association of County School Superintendents
• Arizona School Boards Association
• Arizona School Administrators Association

Transparency[edit]

On June 25, 2009, an Arizona Senate committee approved SB 1172, which would have allowed the state education department to collect data on students who could not prove that they were U.S. citizens. According to the bill, schools or districts that did not provide the information would be denied funding. The American Civil Liberties Union, however, said that they would file suit if the bill became law. The ACLU argued that the bill violated federal law (which bans collecting data with the intent of denying enrollment). Sen. Russell Pearce said that the bill was merely an effort to increase transparency. "All this is asking for is data. We passed a lot of bills out of here about transparency and disclosure this year. This is along the same line as that -- it says simply that the taxpayer has a right to know," he said.^[30]

The bill did not become law in the 2009 legislative session, though some lobbyists said that they expected the bill would return for debate in the next session.^[31]

Studies and reports[edit]

State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

Quality Counts 2014[edit]

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 used six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Arizona received a score of 70.2, or a C- average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "standards, assessments and accountability" at 87.6, or a B+ average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 62.4, or a D- average. With the exception of the standards, assessments and accountability category, Arizona performed below the country's average in every category. The chart below displays the scores of Arizona and its surrounding states.^[32]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

School districts[edit]

See also: School board elections portal

District types[edit]

Arizona contains multiple types of school districts, including: common school districts, joint common school districts, joint technological education districts, joint unified school districts, unified school districts and union high school districts.^[33]

School board composition[edit]

School board members are generally elected by residents of the school district. If there is a vacancy on the school board, the county school superintendent has the right to appoint a member to the school board. The term of the appointment will be until the next regular election for school board members, and then a member will be elected by residents of the school district.^[34] School boards must have at least three members, but school districts can increase the school board to five members. School board members serve four-year terms.^[35]

Term limits[edit]

Arizona does not limit the number of terms a school board member may serve.^[36]

Elections[edit]

See also: Arizona school board elections, 2021

No Arizona school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2021.

Path to the ballot[edit]

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate, an individual must be:^[37]

• A resident of the school district for at least one year
• A registered voter in Arizona

Candidates cannot be employed by the school district they are running to represent, cannot be a current member of another school board and cannot be related to a member of the school board who has served in the last four years.^[37]

Campaign finance[edit]

Before accepting contributions, making expenditures, distributing campaign literature or circulating petitions, candidates must file a Statement of Organization form or a $500 Threshold Exemption Statement with the county elections department. The $500 Threshold Exemption Statement can only be filed if a candidate does not intend on spending or accepting contributions in excess of $500, including the candidate's own money. If funds are received or spent in excess of $500 after filing the $500 Threshold Exemption Statement, the candidate must file a Statement of Organization within 10 days. If a candidate files a Statement of Organization, he or she must file regular campaign finance reports with the county elections department.^[38][39][40]

Recent legislation[edit]

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Arizona state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures[edit]

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Arizona ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Arizona Department of Public Schools, Proposition 3 (September 1953)
2. Arizona Education Board Composition Amendment, Proposition 101 (1964)
3. Arizona Election of State Board of Education, Proposition 3 (1950)
4. Arizona English Language Education for Children in Public Schools, Proposition 203 (2000)
5. Arizona Establishing Classroom Improvement Program, Proposition 103 (1990)
6. Arizona Excise Tax for School Maintenance, Proposition 7 (1950)
7. Arizona Expenditure Limitations for School Districts, Proposition 101 (1986)
8. Arizona First Things First for Children, Proposition 203 (2006)
9. Arizona In-State Tuition for Non-Citizen Residents Measure (2022)
10. Arizona Increased Salaries of Teachers and Public Officials, Proposition 3 (1920)
11. Arizona International Teachers' Exchange Program, Proposition 1 (1956)
12. Arizona Name of Arizona State University, Proposition 1 (1958)
13. Arizona Physical Education in Public Schools, Proposition 5 (1928)
14. Arizona Proceeds from Sale of State Lands for Schools, Proposition 104 (2002)
15. Arizona Prohibition of Racially Segregated Schools, Proposition 13 (1950)
16. Arizona Proposition 208, Tax on Incomes Exceeding $250,000 for Teacher Salaries and Schools Initiative (2020)
17. Arizona Proposition 300, Prohibit Education Financial Assistance and In-State Tuition for Non-Citizens Measure (2006)
18. Arizona Public Debt, Revenue and Taxation, Proposition 102 (2004)
19. Arizona Public University Tuition Limits Initiative (2022)
20. Arizona Regents of the Universities Amendment, Proposition 103 (1976)
21. Arizona Removal of School Attendance Requirement for State Money, Proposition 4 (September 1953)
22. Arizona Sales Tax Renewal Amendment, Proposition 204 (2012)
23. Arizona Sales Tax for Education, Proposition 301 (2000)
24. Arizona School District Debt Amendment, Proposition 106 (1992)
25. Arizona School District Debt Limit Amendment, Proposition 103 (1974)
26. Arizona State Aid for Public Education, Proposition 10 (1940)
27. Arizona State Board of Education, Proposition 105 (2004)
28. Arizona State Board of Education Amendment, Proposition 102 (1976)
29. Arizona State Board of Education Formation Amendment, Proposition 104 (1982)
30. Arizona State Lands, Proposition 100 (2000)
31. Arizona State Maintenance of Public Schools, Proposition 2 (1950)
32. Arizona State School Fund, Amendment 103 (1964)
33. Arizona State School Trust Land Revenues, Proposition 300 (2002)
34. Arizona Uniform Public School System, Proposition 2 (1922)
35. Arizona University Faculty Exemptions Amendment, Proposition 100 (1960)
36. Arizona Vote on School District Consolidation Act (2008)

In the news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arizona education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also[edit]

• Historical public education information in Arizona
• Arizona state budget and finances
• Arizona Department of Education
• List of school districts in Arizona
• School choice in Arizona
• Charter schools in Arizona
• Arizona
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External links[edit]

• Arizona Department of Education
• Arizona State Board of Education
• Arizona School District Websites
• Arizona Academic Standards
• Arizona School Report Cards
• Arizona School Finance
• Arizona State Board for Charter Schools

Additional reading[edit]

• Education Commission of the States, "Open Enrollment: 50-State Report," accessed July 8, 2009
• Arizona Capitol Times, "Supreme Court: School strip search unconstitutional," June 25, 2009
• Arizona Central, "Law tracking illegal students fails, but could return," July 1, 2009

Footnotes[edit]

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