Enrollment Analysis: Hispanic or Latino students comprised 96.7% of Santa Cruz County's student body in 2023-24 school year

Tom Horne Superintendent of Public Instruction at Arizona Department of Education | Wikipedia

By SE Arizona News

Nov 13, 2024

There were 10,110 Hispanic or Latino students enrolled in Santa Cruz County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 2.7% increase over the 9,840 Hispanic or Latino students in the previous school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Santa Cruz County welcomed 10,451 students at the time. Among them, Hispanic or Latino students made up 96.7% of the student body making them the most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 24 schools in Santa Cruz County, Nogales High School recorded the highest enrollment of Hispanic or Latino students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 1,779 students, making up 99.1% 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.

Enrollment in Santa Cruz County Schools During 2023-24 School Year

School name	% of Hispanic or Latino Students	Total Enrollment
Nogales High School	99.1%	1,795
Rio Rico High School	96.4%	1,403
Calabasas School	99.3%	981
Desert Shadows Middle School	99.1%	765
Francisco Vasquez De Coronado Elementary School	98.4%	497
Coatimundi Middle School	96%	447
San Cayetano Elementary School	96.5%	404
Mountain View School	96.4%	387
Mary L. Welty Elementary School	100%	380
A. J. Mitchell Elementary School	100%	306
Robert Bracker Elementary	98.9%	271
PVHS AOI Program	100%	187
Mexicayotl Charter School	100%	165
Pierson High School	100%	153
Elgin Elementary School	31.9%	135
Patagonia Elementary School	74.6%	114
Patagonia Union High School	72%	82
Montessori De Santa Cruz - St. Ann's Hall	62.7%	75
Pinnacle Charter High School	100%	58