The Arizona Department of Education (ADE), in coordination with the State Board of Education, announced its A-F School Accountability grades for schools across the state, including Yuma Union High School District. 

This is the first release of letter grades since the 2018-19 school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. YUHSD schools showed vast improvement from previous years, including Vista High School reaching a ‘B’ grade for the first time in its history, Yuma High School earning a grade just seven points short of a ‘B’, and Gila Ridge High School moving 1.32 points away from the ‘A’ grade cutline.

The grades for YUHSD campuses are as follows: 

Cibola High School                 B
Gila Ridge High School          B
Kofa High School                    B
San Luis High School             B
Vista High School                   B
Yuma High School                  C

“While the A-F accountability system is one of many tools we have to make sure our campuses are providing the most effective classroom experience for our students, we are incredibly proud that the grades for the new school year reflect the hard work of our teachers and campus and district leaders,” YUHSD Superintendent Gina Thompson said. “The grades consist of five parts, and are informative for the continued improvement of our schools. Our district-wide graduation rate remains one of our proudest data points. We were trending in the right direction four years ago when the grades were last released, and we continue to show that improvement was more than a trend. Of course, our work is never done. We will continue to do the ‘right’ work as we prepare EVERY YUHSD student for college, career, and community upon graduation.”

A total of 365 traditional and alternative public schools were evaluated in the letter grade system. Overall, all six YUHSD schools secured more letter grade “points” than in past years. The five comprehensive schools ranked within the top 200 in the state and Vista ranked in the top 40 percent of alternative schools.

According to ADE, A-F letter grades are based on student academic growth from year to year, scores on the ACT exam (for the Arizona schools who selected it from the menu of assessments), high school graduation rates and indicators that a student is ready for success at the next level, also known as a College and Career Readiness Indicator (CCRI).

Developed by a broad cross-section of stakeholders, the letter grades give school leaders a snapshot of where they are doing well and where they need to improve. It creates an incentive for the constant improvement that parents, taxpayers and state leaders expect from Arizona public schools.

To assist with additional questions from the general public or school stakeholders, the State Board of Education provided a Frequently Asked Questions document on its website.

To learn more about YUHSD schools, the district welcomes community members to sign up for a patron tour online (https://bit.ly/YUHSDClassTours) and select the campus of their choice.