About the District

Phoenix Elementary School District #1 is Arizona’s first free public school district serving students in the City of Phoenix since 1871; and has been the city’s district of choice for 150 years! Expanding an area of approximately 15 square miles in downtown Phoenix, the district’s boundaries extend from 27th Avenue (on the west) to 20th Street (on the east), and from Osborn Road (on the north) to the Salt River (on the south).

About the Community

Phoenix Elementary School District is nestled within the downtown Phoenix corridor and historic neighborhoods. Our schools are the hubs of the community and continue to serve generations of families. Our community strongly supports their neighborhood schools and the district; and they continue to show their vote of confidence by overwhelmingly passing bond and override elections enabling the district to offer additional programs and services, upgrade facilities, and purchase state-of-the-art technology.

Enrollment/Demographics/Ethnicity

Phoenix #1 serves:

• More than 5,200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade
• Nearly 300 preschool children
• Nearly 39% of students come from outside of the school district
• 15 schools: 13 are Title 1 schools
• 88% of students receive free/reduced food services
• 18% of students are English Language Learners
• 13 different languages spoken by students
• Diverse student population:
• 78.7% Hispanic
• 10.1% Black or African American
• 5.8% White
• 2.4% Two or more
• 2.1% American Indian or Alaskan Native
• 0.8% Asian

Innovative Schools/Programs

Our 14 thematic signature school programs and neighborhood schools engage students in learning and provide learning environments that are fun, safe, and motivating during the preschool through 8th grade school years. We are the only public school district in Arizona to provide a free Montessori preschool through eighth-grade school; and other schools include a certified urban gardening school, a traditional college preparatory school, an early childhood learning center providing free preschool classes, and neighborhood schools meeting the specific needs of our unique communities.

Phoenix Elementary takes pride in offering a variety of opportunities including free full-day kindergarten, breakfast and lunch, sports, arts, and after-school programs. We offer extracurricular classes and clubs designed to enhance learning beyond the school day; and, are rich in supplemental programs and materials. Phoenix Elementary is a feeder district to the Phoenix Union High School District (PXU), and many of our eighth graders promote to a PXU specialty school including Bioscience High School, Franklin Police & Fire High School, Metro Tech, and Phoenix Coding Academy.

Student & Family Focused

The district puts students and families first:

• Students are treated equitably by embedding our equity plan into the culture of the district.
• Meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students
• Social workers, MTSS (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support) facilitators, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support) leads at every school
• Opening our first-ever Phoenix #1 Family Center
• Integrate technology in classrooms
• Serve healthy meals in our cafeterias
• Provide free transportation to students living within the district boundaries starting in preschool.

Financial Information

• Maintenance & Operations Budget: $52,986,874
• Capital Budget: $ 6,914,435
• Primary Tax Rate: $3.3836
• Secondary Tax Rate: $3.6025
• ASBO International Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (11 years)
• Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting (10 years)
• More information on Our Budget

2025 Strategic Plan Goals

• We will ensure every student we serve is achieving academic success.
• We will engage every student in a rigorous, relevant, research-based learning environment led by well-trained staff.
• We will ensure student enrollment is at capacity in effective and attractive signature and neighborhood schools accessible to all.
• We will ensure that we systemically address sustainable, equitable access and success for every student.
• We will ensure that our students are at the heart of every decision made.
• We will ensure that families, community members, staff and partners are engaged and highly satisfied with our actions and results.
• We will hire, retain, and develop highly motivated and effective staff.

Educational Equity

Educational Equity is a key component of the 2025 Strategic Plan. 

Phoenix #1’s definition of Educational Equity

Educational equity in Phoenix #1 exists when student academic and behavioral outcomes are not predictable or persistent based on student identity and when policies, programs, procedures and practices are in place to ensure this goal. Student identity includes but is not limited to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, national origin, language, socio-economic status and cognitive and physical abilities.

Phoenix #1’s commitment statement to Educational Equity

Phoenix #1 is a student-centered community. We share responsibility and are accountable for the equitable education of all children. Our community is committed to achieving educational equity by pursuing academic excellence and supporting the whole child. To do this, we will use multiple sources of data, including student voice, in order to equitably allocate resources to meet the greatest needs, personalize learning and evaluate programs.

Successes

• Coming Soon … Phoenix #1 Family Center (Spring 2022)
• Garden Project at Garfield School received the Arizona Department of Health Services Garden Certification (2021)
• Seven schools awarded PBIS AmAZing Awards (2021)
• 1 of 10 districts selected by the Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation, and Whole Kids Foundation to participate in a 2-year program to provide scratch-made meals (2021)
• Phoenix #1 celebrates its 150th Anniversary (2021-2022)
• Exemplary Principal Award – Adrian Walker, Magnet Traditional School (2020)
• Kenilworth (2020) and Emerson (2021) celebrated their 100th Anniversaries
• Garfield School received a five-year, $888,888 Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (2020)
• No Place for Hate designation: Garfield and Emerson Schools (2020)
• Strong relationship with the teacher and support staff associations