Santa Cruz County has 2 unified school districts; 1 high school district; 3 elementary school districts, which include elementary and middle schools; and 1 accommodation school district providing alternative education. Within the school districts are 4 high schools, including 1 vocational high school; 4 middle schools; 12 elementary schools, some of which also offer preschool and some of which serve students through grade 8; and 1 alternative school serving grades 5-12.
In addition to the district schools, there are also 4 charter schools throughout the county, three of which serve students through grade 8 and one of which serves grades 9-12. Two of the K-8 charter schools are Montessori schools. There are also a number of private schools with religious affiliations.
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, 14.3 percent of district public schools in Santa Cruz County, or 3 of 21, failed to make adequate yearly progress in 2010. Of charter schools located in the county, 2 of 4 failed to make adequate yearly progress.
Under Arizona Learns for the 2010 school year, 2 schools (9.5 percent) were rated highly performing; 14 schools (66.7 percent) were rated performing plus; 4 schools (19 percent) were rated performing; and 1 school (4.8 percent) was rated underperforming. None was rated failing. Of Santa Cruz County‘s four charter schools, one was rated performing plus and the others were rated performing.
In fiscal year 2010, per pupil spending of public school districts in Santa Cruz County was $7,514, compared to $7,609 at the state level and $10,297 nationally (U.S. data are from 2008).
Per pupil spending in the classroom was $3,920 (52.2 percent of total spending) in Santa Cruz County compared to $4,253 (55.9 percent) at the state level and $6,262 (60.8 percent) nationally. In fiscal year 2010, the average student-to-teacher ratio in Santa Cruz County was 13.8, compared to 17.9 statewide.
Higher education
Cochise College, in neighboring Cochise County, offers classes in Santa Cruz County. Cochise College offers 2-year degrees in a variety of fields, including Administration of Justice, Early Childhood Care and Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education in several teaching fields, Economics, Journalism and Media Arts, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology, Social Work, Business Administration, Computer Information Systems, Allied Health, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Pre-Nursing, Agriculture, Automotive Technology, Avionics Technology, Building Construction Technology, Culinary Arts, Fire Science Technology, Hospitality Administration, Intelligence Operations, Interpretation and Translation (English/Spanish), Paramedicine, Professional Pilot Technology, Registered Nurse, Welding Technology, and several other arts and sciences fields. Cochise College also offers certificate programs in numerous fields, non-credit personal enrichment classes, GED, English Language Acquisition, workforce training, and numerous other learning opportunities through its Center for Lifelong Learning, Adult Education Center, and Small Business Development Center.
The college’s Center for Economic Research conducts community outreach activities and track trends in the local economy. Cochise College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. In 2006, Cochise College earned the maximum reaccreditation of 10 years as the result of an exceptional evaluation by the visiting accreditation team.
In addition to Cochise College, University of Arizona (UA) South has a campus in Nogales. UA South offers upper division courses for students to complete undergraduate degree programs in cooperation with Cochise College and other Arizona community colleges. Graduate degrees are also offered in select disciplines.
UA South is a commuter campus, with schedules designed to accommodate working adults and returning students. Students may also take advantage of UA South courses available online.
University of Phoenix also has learning center campus location in Nogales. The Southern Arizona Campus allows students to earn their college degree while maintaining their personal and professional commitments. University of Phoenix classes are scheduled in the evenings, and the university is committed to providing higher education to working professionals.
University of Phoenix offers professional level undergraduate degrees in business, accounting, administration, information systems, management, and nursing, along with graduate degrees in business, counseling, information systems, technology management, management, nursing, and education.
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