Sunnyside Unified School District covers 93.6 square miles in the southern part of the City of Tucson and areas adjacent in Pima County, including the northern two miles of the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. Sunnyside is a growing, dynamic school district, serving more than 16,000 students. Established in 1921, it is the third largest district in Pima County, Arizona. New home construction is booming in the district, which is home to Raytheon, Tucson International Airport, Texas Instruments and Intuit.

The District operates 14 elementary schools (grades preschool-5), five middle schools (grades 6-8), and three high schools (grades 9-12), including one alternative education school.

The district serves families with children from birth to 5 years of age as well as preschool-grade 12 students. The percentage of students who are identified as minority is 94.4%. Specifically, the ethnic make-up of the student body is 87.7% Hispanic (14,804), 5.6% Anglo, (952), 4.1% Native American (687), 2.1% (353) African American, and 0.5% (91) Asian American.

During the 2006-2007 school year 14,434 students (83.62%) qualified for free or reduced-price meals.

Of the district’s 8,642 elementary students, 32% are classified as English language learners (ELL). Recent reclassification affected an additional 28% of elementary students who were previously classified as ELL students.

During the 2003-04 school year, the district’s graduation rate was 69% and the dropout rate for students in grades 9 – 12 was 9.1%.

Approximately 14% of the district’s student population receives Special Education services.

There are 2,246 District employees, including teachers, administrators, and classified staff both full-time and part-time. In addition, the District employs approximately 150 substitute teachers and 80 classified substitute employees.

The District operates on an annual budget of over $106 million. Approximately $82.7 million of the total budget is for Maintenance and Operations, $5.8 million is for capital needs, and $18 million for federal programs.

Facilities:
High Schools, including alternative education 3
Middle Schools 5
Elementary Schools 14
Alternative Education 1

Staff:
Certified 1,135
School Site Administrators 32
Central Administrators 20
Support Staff 1,057

Teachers Salary:
Beginning Teacher Salary
$32,225 with BA Degree
$34,475 with MA Degree

Certified Racial/Ethnicity 2005-06
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.7%
Black 1.1%
Hispanic 37.4%
Native American 0.4%
White/Non-Hispanic 58.5%

Support Staff Racial/Ethnicity 2005-06
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5%
Black 0.9%
Hispanic 76.3%
Native American 1.2%
White/Non-Hispanic 21.1%

District Student Enrollment 2007-2008
Total District Enrollment 17,854
Hispanic 87.7%
Anglo 5.6%
Native American 4.1%
African American 2.1%
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5%

English Language Learners
Grades K-5 42.1%
Grades 6-8 23.4%
Grades 9-12 16.2%
K-12 31.6%

All elementary and middle schools are Title 1 schoolwide programs. The high schools are targeted assistance, with the focus on freshmen.

Languages Spoken:
English
Navajo
Spanish
Hopi
Tohono O’Odham
Yaqui
Vietnamese
Pueblo
Cantonese
Sioux
French
Apache