SE Arizona News

There were 2,151 American Indian or Alaskan Native students enrolled in Gila County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 0.8% increase over the 2,134 American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the previous school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Gila County welcomed 7,286 students at the time. Among them, American Indian or Alaskan Native students made up 29.5% of the student body making them the third most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 22 schools in Gila County, San Carlos Middle School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 418 students, making up 100% 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.

A 2023 study from Scholaroo ranked Arizona last out of all U.S. states in terms of educational success, giving the state poor markets for school quality, student success, and teacher-to-student ratio.

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	2.9%	749
Copper Rim Elementary School	20.1%	746
Julia Randall Elementary School	3.5%	571
Globe High School	30.7%	508
Rim Country Middle School	2.5%	487
Miami Junior Senior High School	8.7%	424
San Carlos Middle School	100%	418
High Desert Middle School	25.4%	402
Destiny School	46.8%	370
San Carlos Middle School	98.1%	311
Lee Kornegay Intermediate School	5.7%	262
Dr. Charles A. Bejarano Elementary School	6.7%	239
Liberty High School	26.4%	72
San Carlos Alternative High School	100%	27