Mesa Public Schools (incorporated as Mesa Unified School District #44) is the largest public school district in the U.S. state of Arizona, headquartered in Mesa. It has approximately 56,000 students. The district has, in addition to regular programs, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, dual-language immersion, honors, and Advanced Placement courses.

MPS serves most of the city of Mesa, plus small portions of Tempe and Chandler. It also takes students from the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community. - Clipping from Newspapers.com.

The district has 82 schools, which includes 55 elementary schools, nine junior high schools, six comprehensive high schools, and several alternative schools.

Enrollment

Mesa Public Schools has seen a decline in enrollment in the 21st century, much of which can be attributed to the decline in affordability of housing. As families become cost-burdened by rental and home ownership costs, they have been relocating to less expensive cities. In Mesa, rents increased by an average of 60% from 2017 to 2023. In Arizona, "the monthly cost of homeownership (excluding the 2022-23 increase in interest rates) for the average home in Arizona increased by 73%, from $1,750 in August 2017 to $3,032 in August 2023." The average house price in the state has increased 216% since 2000, while wages have only increased by an average of 48% in the same time period.

The difficulty of building more housing has contributed to the rising rental and home ownership costs. Average family sizes have decreased, meaning that many more single-family homes, as compared to multifamily homes, would be needed to house the rapidly growing population in the state. Current zoning laws make building more single-family and especially multifamily housing more difficult.

Schools

High schools High schools (9–12) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: School Dobson Franklin Mesa Mountain View Red Mountain Skyline Westwood Opened 1983 2026 1898,1909 ("Old Main")1972 (current building) 1976 1988 2000 1962 Colors Blue,silver Red, Gold Purple,gold Blue,red Cardinal red,black Gold,green Orange,blue Mascot Mustangs Firebirds Jackrabbits Toros Mountain Lions Coyotes Warriors Principal Gabrielle Buckley Jeffrey Abrams Kirk Thomas Mike Oliver Bruce Cosseboom Greg Mendez Chris Gilmore Athleticconference2011‐2012 2012‐2013 Conference Placement , Arizona Interscholastic Association, 2010-10-1 6A 6A 6A 6A 6A 6A Enrollment (2020–2021) 2,286 3,460 3,272 3,340 2,389 3,355

Junior high schools Junior high schools (7–8) as listed by Mesa Public Schools: School Carson Fremont Franklin Kino Poston Rhodes Smith Stapley Taylor Colors Red,black,white Purple,white Blue,Silver Forest green,gold Teal,black,white Maroon,gold Navy,gold Vegas gold,maroon Gold,black Mascot Cougars Falcons Firebirds Kolts Panthers Roadrunners Sidewinders Sabercats Trojans Principal Esteban Ruiz Michelle Hall Jeffrey Abrams Keiko Dilbeck Michael Rapier Joan Wilson Adam Unrein James Fisher Gina Piraino

Mesa Public Schools operated two other junior high schools until the 2009–2010 school year.

Hendrix Junior High School consolidated with the adjoining Frost Elementary School as the K-8 Summit Academy with an International Baccalaureate Program. Hendrix had the husky as its mascot, and used the colors red and gray.Because the Mesa high schools also were involved with 9th grade athletics, they are in the AIA system: Hendrix's entry

Powell Junior High School (colors red, white, and blue; mascot Patriot) closed in May 2010. The former campus serves as the Mesa Educational Center, home to the district's Community Education Department, East Valley Academy and Crossroads.

Mesa Jr. High closed at the end of the 2011–2012 school year and was demolished in January 2014. After demolition, the site was converted into a community center.

Brimhall Jr. High closed at the end of the 2011–2012 school year. It was converted into Franklin Accelerated School, which would house students from two Franklin elementary schools, Franklin South and Franklin Northeast, and the only Franklin Junior High. The move was made in order to save money due to a variety of converging factors: the declining enrollment during the previous five years, the budget reduction of $110 million in the same period (mostly due to declining enrollment), and the need to economize by reducing the amount of buildings to be maintained. The approximately 1,300 students who attended Brimhall Jr. High would then be moved into other junior high schools; the district reported about 4,353 empty seats at junior high schools that year, allowing for the redistribution of students.

Name notes Fremont — John C. Fremont Kino — Eusebio Kino Poston — Charles D. Poston, referred to as the "father of Arizona" due to his efforts lobbying for creation of the territory Shepherd — Rulon T. Shepherd, 30-year Mesa superintendent who built the first junior high in Mesa Stapley — Orley. S. Stapley, at one time the largest International Harvester farm equipment dealer in the United States, as well as the owner of the largest mercantile business in Arizona during the 1940s and 1950s; also the namesake of Stapley Drive Taylor — Harvey L. Taylor, former Mesa superintendent and principal 7-12 Shepherd College Prep ( It is grade 7-9 in its first year but meant by one more grade level each new school year till it is fully 7-12).

Elementary schools Elementary schools (K–6) as listed by Mesa Public Schools:

Adams Anne M. Lindbergh Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin Elementary - West Campus Barbara Bush Crismon Elementary Dilworth Brinton Edison Eisenhower Center For Innovation Entz Falcon Hill Field Franklin Accelerated Academy - Brimhall Franklin Accelerated Academy - Downtown Franklin Accelerated Academy - East Franklin Accelerated Academy - Jordan Franklin Accelerated Academy - Wilson Hale Hermosa Vista Highland Holmes Hughes Irving James Madison Jefferson John K. Kerr, M. D. Center for Agriscience John Philip Sousa Keller Las Sendas Lehi Lincoln Longfellow Lowell MacArthur Nathan Hale Patterson Pedro Guerrero Elementary Pomeroy Porter Ralph Waldo Emerson Ramón S. Mendoza Red Mountain Ranch STEM Academy (K-8) Redbird Robson Roosevelt Salk Sandra Day O’Connor Sirrine Montessori Stevenson

Taft Veora E. Johnson Washington Webster Whitman Whittier Zaharis Zedo Ishikawa

Frost Elementary consolidated with the adjoining Hendrix Junior High in 2010–11 to become the K–8 Summit Academy.

Alternative schools Alternative schools (named "focus schools" by the district) as listed by Mesa Public Schools:

NameGradesDetails Crossroads 7–12 Small school environment Eagleridge Enrichment Program K - 12 Home schooling enrichment program East Valley Academy 9–12 Small school environment with more flexible hours and a credit recovery programJordan Center for Early EducationPreschoolPreschool with Montessori option available Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies 4–8 Rigorous IB curriculum program preparing for advanced courses in high school; top performing school in Arizona Mesa Distance Learning Program 6–12 Computer-based online learning program Red Mountain Center for Early Education Preschool Preschool campus Riverview High School 7–12 Referral-only school for students with discipline issues SHARP SchoolK–12 Alternative needs program for students with qualifying disabilities Summit Academy K–6International Baccalaureate primary years program Summit Academy 7–8International Baccalaureate middle years program Superstition High School 7–12 Small school environment

See also Chandler Unified School District Gilbert Public Schools Tempe Elementary School District Tempe Union High School District Mesa Distance Learning Program

References

External links