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Welcome to PXU
Phoenix Union High School District
Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) is one of the largest and most progressive high school districts in the United States. With 24 schools, tens of thousands of students, and over 3,500 employees, PXU covers 220-square miles of Arizona's capital city. If the K-8 students in its 13 elementary partner school districts were included, it would be among the 25 largest unified school districts in the country.PXU is a portfolio district with eleven comprehensive high schools, six small specialty schools, three micro schools, three support schools, and a digital academy. Several programs make Phoenix Union unique. Among those are:
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Academically, there are over 500 courses to choose from. The District offers more honors, Advanced Placement, and high-level courses than ever before. Students can earn college credit and accelerate their academics through community college dual enrollment. Phoenix Union has drastically improved graduation rates, reduced dropout rates, and continues to close the "Achievement Gap" so often cited between high-minority, low-income districts, and national averages. PXU's four-year graduation rate surpasses the state average, and its dropout rate is lower than the state average.
Diversity is a hallmark at Phoenix Union, with a population including 86% Latino, a large refugee population, and students who speak over 100 languages. More than half of the students come from a home where English is not the primary language spoken.
Student support is essential at PXU. Every comprehensive high school has a nurse, social worker, psychologist, security staff, student and community liaisons, student prevention interventionist specialists, behavior intervention specialist, freshman house coordinator, student success coordinators, and a team of academic counselors with the best counselor-to-student ratio in Arizona. The Exceptional Student Services Department in PXU offers a robust and inclusive continuum of services to students who are eligible as Gifted, protected under Section 504, as well as those students eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). We focus on transition planning beginning at the time of enrollment and continuing throughout their educational journey so that individualized, specialized supports and services are provided to help students reach their postsecondary goals. The English Language Development (ELD) program works alongside the Exceptional Student Services department when students are dually identified and is as comprehensive as any in the state, from placement to testing to reclassification.
PXU schools offer a full array of activities and opportunities for students—Student Government, Yearbook and Newspaper, Academic Decathlon, Speech and Debate, DECA, National Honor Society, and more. There are 11 Army Junior ROTC programs. Performing and visual arts are a staple in PXU. Bands, ensembles, choirs, dance troupes, and theatre offer extracurricular opportunities for all students. There are 21 interscholastic sports available, and over 6,000 boys and girls participate. Almost 700 clubs, with 50 or more on most campuses, cover everything from robotics to recycling, step teams to chess teams.
Partnerships with government, colleges, universities, nonprofits, and businesses abound, affording innovative programming, grants, student internships, and scholarships to students across the valley. The Maricopa Community Colleges and Grand Canyon University offer dual enrollment courses. The District has several programs with Arizona State University. The Science Foundation Arizona gave its largest school grant ever to Metro Tech to integrate sustainability into its curriculum and project learning. Helios Foundation has funded free ACT tests. A cross-sector of business, education, and nonprofits formed a collective action initiative called Thriving Together, focusing on student success from birth to career within the PXU boundaries. In 2020, in partnership with the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, ElevateEd was launched to provide internship and workforce opportunities for students.
Unlike many urban school districts, PXU is fiscally sound and attracts highly qualified teachers whose experience, educational attainment, and compensation are well above the state average. PXU's facilities are spacious, modern, technologically advanced, well-maintained, and safe, thanks to the community supporting multiple bonds and overrides for construction, renovation, and maintenance.
Phoenix Union's schools of opportunity welcome, love, and inspire all to go places and do things that matter while preparing Every Student for Success in College, Career, and Life.
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