Twelve Arizona schools are failing, which means they could potentially be shut down if they don’t improve.
The Arizona State Board of Education issued F grades to schools that had received three-consecutive D grades — including three schools whose appeals were denied by the board in mid-December, according to data on the board’s website.
Traditional public schools with failing grades will work closely with the Arizona Department of Education’s school improvement team, and also could qualify for federal funding to help get them back into shape, said Stefan Swiat, public information officer for the Arizona Department of Education.
“We try to nurse them back into shape,” he said.
Meanwhile, charter schools — which also receive state funding but are run by private individuals or corporations — answer to the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools, which can decide whether to close down a failing school.
The chance of closing down a school is more likely for a charter school than a traditional school operated by a school district, Swiat said.
“Charters close all the time,” he said. “Districts rarely close.”
Of the 12 schools with F letter grades, five are in the Phoenix area, while the rest are in rural counties scattered throughout the state.
Arizona has 2,748 public schools, with 2,028 being part of traditional school districts and another 720 charter schools within 555 charter districts, according to the Arizona Department of Education.
Here’s a look at which schools currently have F letter grades:
Traditional 9-12 schools-
Red Valley Cove High School, part of Red Mesa Unified District, serving Navajo students in Apache County
Catalina High School, within the Tucson Unified District in Tucson
Traditional K-8 schools-
Rhodes Junior High School, within the Mesa Unified District in Mesa
Loma Linda Elementary School, within the Creighton Elementary District in Phoenix
Bullhead City Middle School, within Bullhead City School District in Bullhead City
Fox Creek Jr. High School, within Bullhead City School District in Bullhead City
Traditional hybrid schools-
Salt River High School, within the Maricopa County/Salt River High School District serving the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale
Beaver Dam High School, within the Littlefield Unified District in Beaver Dam, which is in Mohave County
Alternative schools-
City View High School, a charter school part of Arizona Center for Youth Resources in Phoenix
Aztec High School, a school for at-risk and juvenile probation students within the Yuma County Juvenile Court in Yuma
Summit School, within the Florence Unified School District in Florence
RSD High School, part of RSD Charter School Inc. in Phoenix
Is your child’s school on the list?
Click here to learn more.
