Best Public Schools in Yuma, AZ

Yuma has 42 schools—25 elementary, seven middle, nine high schools and one alternative school—serving students across a range of grade spans. The latest reported test results show that some schools are well above Arizona’s proficiency rates, while others are far below; among the traditional high and middle schools, math results are especially weak compared with state rates. The most important takeaway is that school results vary widely, so a citywide average would hide major differences between schools.

Gowan Science Academy leads reported all-grades ELA at 64% and is also strong in math at 53%; both exceed state rates of 41% and 33%. Desert View Academy also exceeds state rates, with 55% in ELA and 54% in math. James D Price School has the highest reported math result, 57%, though it serves just 63 students. At the other end, Yuma High School reports 10% in ELA and 5% in math, while Fourth Avenue Junior High School has 20% in ELA and 7% in math. Gowan also stands out in science: 59% in fifth grade and 54% in eighth grade, compared with state rates of 34% and 30%.

SchoolDigger ranking histories show mixed movement, not broad improvement: Palmcroft Elementary School rose 21 percentile points from 2023–24 to 2025–26, while R Pete Woodard Junior High School fell 13 points; the four traditional high schools’ average ranking was essentially unchanged. Graduation offers a different picture: those high schools averaged 94% in 2024–25, 14 points above the state rate, despite low test proficiency. Enrollment and student–teacher ratio alone do not distinguish results: Desert View Academy and Mary A Otondo Elementary School have similar enrollments but different results, and free/reduced-lunch figures are unavailable.