SE Arizona News

There were 2,134 American Indian or Alaskan Native students enrolled in Gila County schools in the 2022-23 school year, a 2.5% increase over from the 2,081 American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the previous school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Gila County welcomed 7,281 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian or Alaskan Native students made up 29.3% of the student body making them the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 21 schools in Gila County, Rice Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 638 students, making up 99.5% of the school's total student body.

In 2022 Arizona had roughly one teacher for every 19 students, compared to the national average of one teacher for 16 students. Teachers handling a higher number of students was found to have negative consequences for students' school performance.

WalletHub claimed Arizona's school system ranked among the worst across U.S. for class size, performance, funding, safety, and instructors' credentials.

Some data provided by the Arizona Department of Education may be incomplete due to the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

School name	% of American Indian or Alaskan Native Students	Total Enrollment
Payson High School	2.3%	790
Copper Rim Elementary School	20.2%	763
Rice Elementary School	99.5%	641
Julia Randall Elementary School	4%	574
Globe High School	31.7%	498
Miami Junior Senior High School	7.1%	495
Rim Country Middle School	3.2%	493
High Desert Middle School	29.6%	405
Destiny School	39.6%	338
San Carlos Middle School	99.1%	321
Dr. Charles A. Bejarano Elementary School	6.3%	238
Lee Kornegay Intermediate School	5.5%	200
Liberty High School	26.6%	64
Biyaagozhoo Center	93.3%	15