Tucson Unified District

The Tucson Unified District lists 88 schools—61 elementary, 12 middle, 13 high and 2 alternative—serving students from kindergarten through grade 12 across Tucson; the results here cover a selection of schools. The most important takeaway for families is that outcomes vary widely: exceptional results sit alongside scores far below state proficiency, so district averages can conceal very different school experiences.

University High School is the clearest high-school standout, with 96% proficient in 11th-grade ELA and 97% in math, compared with 38% and 31% statewide; SchoolDigger ranks it 2nd of 256 Arizona high schools, in the 99th percentile, with five stars. Carrillo Intermediate Magnet School also stands out: fourth-graders reached 86% in ELA and 83% in math, 39 and 43 percentage points above state rates. In science, Sam Hughes Elementary had 75% proficiency among fifth-graders, versus 34% statewide. At the lower end, Pistor Middle School had 9% proficiency in eighth-grade science, compared with 30% statewide, while Pueblo High School had 6% in 11th-grade science versus 19% statewide.

SchoolDigger ranking histories show no common direction: from 2023–24 to 2025–26, Sahuaro High School rose 16 percentile points, while Lineweaver Elementary School fell 17 points. The reported high-school graduation-rate average was 86%—above the 80% state rate—even as the group’s 11th-grade proficiency averages were 34% in ELA and 26% in math, both below state rates. Enrollment and student–teacher ratios do not by themselves predict results: University High School has a 23.1 ratio and high proficiency, while Catalina High School has a 9.9 ratio and much lower 11th-grade scores. Free/reduced-lunch figures are blank, and results are available for only a selection of schools.