Gila County Districts: Payson Unified District schools welcomed most students in 2024-25 school year

Payson Unified District had the highest enrollment among Gila County districts, welcoming 2,199 students during the 2024-25 academic year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 52.3% were boys, and 47.7% were girls.

Data also showed that the majority of students in Payson Unified District were white, representing 63.6% of the total enrollment.

Among the eight districts in Gila County, Globe Unified District ranked second in enrollment numbers with 1,640 students, while San Carlos Unified District welcomed 1,433 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Payson Unified District roughly covers schools within Gila County and has a main office in Payson.

In the previous school year, Payson Unified District also had the highest number of students among Gila County districts.

Arizona ranks dead last in educational success among U.S. states, according to World Population Review, which graded states based on K–12 performance, funding, higher education, and safety.

Arizona’s K-12 enrollment is shifting amid a declining school-aged population, projected to drop by 40,000 by 2028, according to the Common Sense Institute.