Phoenix Relocation Guide

E D U C A T I O N I N A R I Z O N A

TUCSON There are 19 public school districts in Tucson and surrounding counties that include both large and small districts, as well as more than 85 private schools that serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are also a wide variety of trade, technical, private and parochial schools. Tucson also has a vibrant, active and growing charter school community, with more than 95 schools and counting. In Pima, Tucson’s main county, there are 18 major school districts – the largest of which is the Tucson Unified School District, with an enrollment of more than 50,000 students. Other counties near Tucson include Cochise, with 14 districts, and Santa Cruz, with 3 school districts. The Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind is also based in Tucson. Beyond the basics, Tucson-area school districts offer gifted, honors, advance placement courses as well as English-as- a-second-language, computer literacy, special education, extended school year, sports, music, theater, arts, and homebound programs. There are also vocational and business programs to prepare students for jobs or further occupational education. COMMITTED TO EDUCATION No matter where you’re moving – whether you have children or not – education is an

important consideration for anyone who is relocating. The quality of education in a community affects everything from resale value to the quality of life in your neighborhood. With the area’s tremendous growth over the last several years, school districts have increased accordingly to accommodate more students, and the city has adopted several initiatives to foster educational excellence. One of these is the Livable Tucson Vision Program whose job it is to define and track community goals – one of which is improving access to education from youth to adult, as well as vocational, life skills, cultural, and civic training. Special programs include the Tucson-Pima Public Library’s Homework Help program, which offers free drop-in homework assis- tance at forty-two locations (libraries, schools, and other youth-oriented agen- cies) throughout Pima County; and Project LIFT (Literacy Involves Families Together) – a family literacy program targeting teen parents who are enrolled in parenting or child development programs.

College of Business, and the University of Phoenix (Tucson).

In particular, the University of Arizona has more than 300 fields of study, including undergraduate, masters, doctoral and profes- sional programs, in 21 colleges and 20 schools. One of the largest research-heavy institutions in the U.S., the University of Arizona is ranked 19th in research and development expenditures among 11 cities of similar size and 30th in the nation. Pima Community College has eight campuses in southern Arizona that offer on-campus, alternative and online courses. SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE No matter what your education needs – public, private, charter, higher education or trade schools – there are a wealth of options for those who choose to make Arizona their home. We’ve included a list of Phoenix and Tucson’s largest school districts, both areas’ 20 largest private schools, and a listing of area colleges and universities. Browse through the Phoenix and Tucson Relocation Guide’s Education section for a listing of schools, rankings and much more – and welcome to Arizona! l SOURCES: www.greatschools.org/arizona/; www.asu.edu; www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/; www.schools.pima.gov/ schools/public-schools; www.cochise.az.gov/schools/home

HIGHER EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Tucson is also known for its higher educa- tion opportunities; area colleges and universities include the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Tucson

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