Higley Unified School District
Encyclopedia
The Higley Unified School District #60 is a school district
in Arizona, with its headquarters in unincorporated
Maricopa County
, near Gilbert
. The school district operates schools in Gilbert and Queen Creek, Arizona
. It is one of Arizona's fastest growing school districts, with modest continued growth despite the downturn in the economy at the end of the 2000s.
was carved out of the Higley district in 1947. Higley Elementary School was the only school in the district for the next 53 years. The district's high school students went to Gilbert Public Schools
' high schools. As the Valley expanded, Larry Likes, then-superintendent of the district, brought it through an era of suburbia swallowing the local farmland. It was not long before the growth of the 1990s and 2000s caught up to the district's 24 square miles (62.2 km²) service area. In 1999, the district legally unified; in 2000, it opened Coronado Elementary School, its first new school in decades; in 2001, Higley High School
opened its doors; six years later, further growth induced the opening of Williams Field High School
. In the spring of 2008, Higley became the first district in Arizona to receive K-12 accreditation by the AdvancED/North Central Accreditation Team. Graduating Higley seniors were offered $2.7 million in academic and athletic scholarships.
In early 2011, for the first time, Higley grew to larger than 10,000 students as a school district.
The district is considering opening middle schools to better prepare 7th and 8th grade students for high school and to alleviate projected capacity issues at its elementary schools. The school sites could also be built as K-8 schools.
School district
School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...
in Arizona, with its headquarters in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Maricopa County
Maricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, near Gilbert
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
. The school district operates schools in Gilbert and Queen Creek, Arizona
Queen Creek, Arizona
Queen Creek is a town in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 26,361 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Queen Creek is located at ....
. It is one of Arizona's fastest growing school districts, with modest continued growth despite the downturn in the economy at the end of the 2000s.
History
The Higley district was incorporated in 1909 with a territory far larger than its current size, but most of the land was transferred to other Valley school districts over the years. For instance, the Queen Creek Unified School DistrictQueen Creek Unified School District
Queen Creek Unified School District is a school district based in Queen Creek, Arizona, United States. It was formed in 1947 from land once part of the Higley Unified School District .-Elementary schools:*Frances Brandon Pickett*Desert Mountain*Jack Barnes*Queen Creek-External...
was carved out of the Higley district in 1947. Higley Elementary School was the only school in the district for the next 53 years. The district's high school students went to Gilbert Public Schools
Gilbert Public Schools
Gilbert Public Schools , previously known as Gilbert Unified School District , is a school district based in Gilbert, Arizona, United States...
' high schools. As the Valley expanded, Larry Likes, then-superintendent of the district, brought it through an era of suburbia swallowing the local farmland. It was not long before the growth of the 1990s and 2000s caught up to the district's 24 square miles (62.2 km²) service area. In 1999, the district legally unified; in 2000, it opened Coronado Elementary School, its first new school in decades; in 2001, Higley High School
Higley High School
Higley High School is a high school in Gilbert, Arizona, USA. It is one of two high schools run by the Higley Unified School District....
opened its doors; six years later, further growth induced the opening of Williams Field High School
Williams Field High School
Williams Field High School is a high school in Gilbert, Arizona. It is the second high school formed by the Higley Unified School District, opened in August 2007. Its first students graduated in 2010. The school is named after Williams Air Force Base...
. In the spring of 2008, Higley became the first district in Arizona to receive K-12 accreditation by the AdvancED/North Central Accreditation Team. Graduating Higley seniors were offered $2.7 million in academic and athletic scholarships.
In early 2011, for the first time, Higley grew to larger than 10,000 students as a school district.
The district is considering opening middle schools to better prepare 7th and 8th grade students for high school and to alleviate projected capacity issues at its elementary schools. The school sites could also be built as K-8 schools.
External links
- Higley Unified School District Official site.