Mesa Public Schools

Last updated

Mesa Unified School District No. 4
Mesa Public Schools logo.png
Location
63 E. Main Street, #101
Mesa, AZ 85201
United States
District information
Type Public
Motto"Unprecedented Excellence in Education"
GradesPK–12 [1]
Established1946
SuperintendentAndi Fourlis
Budget$790,837,000 (2021–22) [1]
NCES District ID 0404970 [1]
Students and staff
Students57,204 (2023–24) [1]
Teachers3,282.88 ((on an FTE basis)) [1]
Student–teacher ratio17.42 [1]
Other information
Website http://www.mpsaz.org/

Mesa Public Schools (incorporated as Mesa Unified School District #4) is the largest public school district in the US state of Arizona, headquartered in Mesa. It has approximately 57,000 students. [1] The district has, in addition to regular programs, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, dual-language immersion, honors, and Advanced Placement courses.

Contents

MPS serves most of the city of Mesa, plus small portions of Tempe and Chandler. [2] It also takes students from the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community. [3]

The district has 82 schools, which includes 55 elementary schools, 9 junior high schools, six comprehensive high schools, and several alternative schools.

Enrollment

Mesa Public Schools has seen a decline in enrollment in the 21st Century. [4] Much of the decline can be attributed to the decline in affordability of housing.

As families become cost-burdened by rental and home ownership costs, they have been relocating to less expensive cities. In Mesa, rents increased by an average of 60% from 2017 to 2023. In Arizona, "the monthly cost of homeownership (excluding the 2022-23 increase in interest rates) for the average home in Arizona increased by 73%, from $1,750 in August 2017 to $3,032 in August 2023." The average house price in the state has increased 216% since 2000, while wages have only increased by an average of 48% in the same time period.

The difficulty of building more housing has contributed to the rising rental and home ownership costs. Average family sizes have decreased, meaning that many more single family homes, as compared to multifamily homes, would be needed to house the rapidly growing population in the state. Current zoning laws make building more single family and especially multifamily housing more difficult. [5]

Schools

High schools

High schools (9–12) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: [6]

School Dobson Mesa Mountain View Red Mountain Skyline Westwood
Opened19831898,
1909 ("Old Main")
1972 (current building)		1976198820001962
ColorsBlue,
Silver		Purple,
Gold		Blue,
Red		Cardinal Red,
Black		Gold,
Green		Orange,
Blue
MascotMustangsJackrabbitsTorosMountain LionsCoyotesWarriors
PrincipalGabrielle BuckleyKirk ThomasMike OliverSteven TannenbaumGreg MendezChris Gilmore
Athletic
conference [7] 		6A6A6A6A6A6A
Enrollment (2020–2021)2,286 [8] 3,460 [9] 3,272 [10] 3,340 [11] 2,389 [12] 3,355 [13]

Junior high schools

Junior high schools (7–8) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: [14]

SchoolCarsonJohn C. FremontKinoPostonRhodesShepherdSmithStapleyTaylor
ColorsRed,
black,
white		Purple,
white		Forest green,
gold		Teal,
black,
white		Maroon,
gold		Gray,
blue		Navy,
gold		Vegas gold,
maroon		Gold,
black
MascotCougarsFalconsKoltsPanthersRoadrunnersStallionsSidewindersSabercatsTrojans
PrincipalTony ElmerBruce CosseboomKeiko DilbeckMichael RapierJoan WilsonJill BenzaAdam UnreinJames FisherGina Piraino

Mesa Public Schools operated two other junior high schools until 2009–2010 school year.

Hendrix Junior High School consolidated with the adjoining Frost Elementary School as the K-8 Summit Academy with an International Baccalaureate Program. Hendrix had the husky as its mascot and used the colors red and gray. [15]

Powell Junior High School (colors red, white, and blue, mascot the Patriots) [16] closed in May 2010. The former campus serves as the Mesa Educational Center, home to the district's Community Education Department, East Valley Academy and Crossroads. [17]

Mesa Jr High closed at the end of the 2011–2012 school year and was demolished in January 2014. Post demolition, the site was converted into a community center. [18]

Brimhall Jr. High closed at the end of the 2011–2012 school year and was converted into Franklin Accelerated School, which would house students from two Franklin elementary schools, Franklin South and Franklin Northeast, and the only Franklin Junior High. The move was made in order to save money due to a variety of converging factors: the declining enrollment during the previous five years, the budget reduction of $110 million in the same time period (mostly due to declining enrollment), and the need to economize by reducing the amount of buildings to be maintained. The approximately 1,300 students who attended Brimhall Jr. High would then be moved into other junior high schools; the district reported about 4,353 empty seats at junior high schools that year, leaving room for the redistribution of students. [19]

Name notes

Elementary schools

Elementary schools (K–6) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: [20]

  • Adams
  • Anne M. Lindbergh
  • Benjamin Franklin
  • Benjamin Franklin Elementary - West Campus
  • Barbara Bush
  • Crismon Elementary
  • Dilworth Brinton
  • Edison
  • Eisenhower Center For Innovation
  • Entz
  • Falcon Hill
  • Field
  • Franklin at Alma
  • Franklin at Brimhall
  • Franklin East
  • Franklin West
  • Pedro Guerrero Elementary
  • Hermosa Vista
  • Highland Arts
  • Holmes
  • Hughes
  • Irving
  • James Madison
  • Jefferson
  • John K. Kerr, M. D.
  • John Philip Sousa
  • Keller
  • Las Sendas
  • Lehi
  • Lincoln
  • Longfellow
  • Lowell
  • MacArthur
  • Nathan Hale
  • Patterson
  • Pedro Guerrero
  • Pomeroy
  • Porter
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson
  • Ramón S. Mendoza
  • Red Mountain Ranch
  • Redbird
  • Robson
  • Roosevelt
  • Salk
  • Sandra Day O’Connor
  • Sirrine
  • Stevenson
  • Taft
  • Veora E. Johnson
  • Washington
  • Webster
  • Whitman
  • Whittier
  • Wilson
  • Zaharis
  • Zedo Ishikawa

Frost Elementary consolidated with the adjoining Hendrix Junior High in 2010–11 to become the K–8 Summit Academy.

Alternative school

Alternative schools (named "Focus Schools" by the district) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: [21]

NameGradesDetails
Crossroads7–12Small school environment
Eagleridge Enrichment ProgramK - 8Home schooling enrichment program
East Valley Academy9–12Small school environment with more flexible hours and a credit recovery program
Jordan Center for Early EducationPreschoolPreschool with Montessori option available
Red Mountain Center for Early EducationPreschoolPreschool campus
Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies4–8Rigorous curriculum program preparing for advanced courses in high school the top performing school in Arizona.
Mesa Distance Learning Program6–12Computer-based online learning program
Riverview High School7–12Referral-only school for students with discipline issues
SHARP SchoolK–12Alternative needs program for students with qualifying disabilities
Summit AcademyK–6International Baccalaureate primary years program
Summit Academy7–8International Baccalaureate middle years program
Superstition High School7–12Small school environment

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Search for Public School Districts – District Detail for Mesa Unified District (4235)". National Center for Education Statistics . Institute of Education Sciences . Retrieved March 5, 2025.
  2. ↑ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Maricopa County, AZ" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 7 (PDF p. 8/11). Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  3. ↑ Cadeau, Chimene (April 5, 2000). "Salt River Community has school of its own". The Arizona Republic . Phoenix, Arizona. p. Schools 6. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Mesa Public Schools sees more job cuts as enrollment decline continues". East Valley Tribune. February 20, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Restrictive zoning is raising housing costs and homelessness in Arizona". Pew Trusts. December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Mesa Public Schools » Schools". Mpsaz.org. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  7. ↑ 2011‐2012 2012‐2013 Conference Placement Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , Arizona Interscholastic Association, 2010-10-1
  8. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Dobson High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Mesa High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Mountain View High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Red Mountain High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Skyline High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Search for Public Schools - School Detail for Westwood High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Mesa Public Schools » Schools". Mpsaz.org. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  15. ↑ Because the Mesa high schools also were involved with 9th grade athletics, they are in the AIA system: Hendrix's entry
  16. ↑ "Powell Junior High School". Aiaonline.org. March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Mesa's Powell Junior High to Close". Myfoxphoenix.com. January 13, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Eagles Community Center | Mesa Parks, Recreation & Community Facilities". www.mesaparks.com. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  19. ↑ "School board votes to close Mesa's Brimhall Junior High". East Valley Tribune. November 8, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Mesa Public Schools » Schools". Mpsaz.org. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Mesa Public Schools » Schools". Mpsaz.org. Archived from the original on September 19, 2012. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
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