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Pierson High School

Public Grades 9-12

Summary

Pierson High School is a public high school in Nogales, Arizona, serving 142 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Nogales Unified District, which is ranked 360 out of 540 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Notably, Pierson High School has a 100% Hispanic student population.

Pierson High School faces significant academic challenges compared to nearby schools and state averages. The school consistently performs well below the district and state in proficiency, with only 2% of 11th-grade students proficient in science and 7% proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 12% and 30% in the district, respectively. Pierson High School also has low graduation rates, ranging from 47.8% to 73.3% over the past few years, significantly lower than the 93.9% graduation rate at Nogales High School. Additionally, the school has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 2.7% to 7.6%, compared to 2.8% at Nogales High School.

Despite its high per-student spending, ranging from $10,718 to $15,427 over the past few years, Pierson High School's performance on various student subgroups, such as female students, male students, Hispanic students, English Language Learners, and homeless students, is consistently lower than the state and district averages. The school's persistent low rankings and wide performance gaps suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to improve educational outcomes for its students.

119

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,718

Per pupil spending ?

85.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

451 N. Arroyo Blvd
Nogales, AZ 85621

(520) 287-0915

District: Nogales Unified District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

100.0%

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Compare Pierson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2011 → 3rd in 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (4% vs 31% meeting standards)

!Graduation rate below the Arizona average (57% vs 80%)

!English Language Arts scores 33 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school4%

District avg21%

Arizona avg31%

Not ranked this year

Pierson High School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

218^th of 289Nogales Unified District among Arizona districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.6	454 of 469	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.4	420 of 464	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.3	436 of 509	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	348 of 420	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	13.0	373 of 416	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.9	405 of 406	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.0	361 of 394	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	14.6	434 of 491	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	12.5	431 of 471	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	7.3	376 of 397	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.3	365 of 403	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	22.0	299 of 395	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	41.7	53 of 258	79.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.6	29 of 312	90.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	28.0	290 of 456	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	388 of 492	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	278 of 354	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.6	365 of 379	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	331 of 441	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.8	371 of 479	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.9	257 of 311	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	28.0	72 of 150	52.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.1	69 of 168	58.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	9.6	422 of 429	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	402 of 455	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	408 of 492	17.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.0	364 of 370	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	31.9	212 of 422	49.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2022)79th percentile+70 vs school

Homeless (2022)52nd percentile+43 vs school

Special Education (2021)50th percentile+35 vs school

Female (2022)36th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2023)4th percentile~ school

Male (2023)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2022-2023) ?

English Language Arts7%-33 vs state

Science2%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pierson High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)	AASA Mathematics (2025)	AzSCI Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Pierson High School	Public	9-12	451 N. Arroyo Blvd	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 287-0915	119	8	14.8		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	119 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$10,718	$2,156	$193	$4,506	$6,711	$1,658	$8,369
PCJTED - Pierson High School	Public	9-12	451 N. Arroyo Blvd.	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 352-5833	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
EdOptions Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	480 N Grand Ave	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Educational Options Foundation	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 281-9179	88	9	10.3		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$22,990	$3,597	$472	$7,667	$8,147	$10,774	$18,921
PCJTED - Nogales high School	Public	9-12	310 W Plum St	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 352-5833	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
Nogales High School	Public	9-12	1905 N Apache Blvd	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 377-2021	1,774	75	23.6		2 (0.1%)	2 (0.1%)	1,757 (99.0%)	10 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	25.9	193^rd of 271 public high schools	28.8%		36.3	158^th of 270 public high schools	41.5%	35	38.0	22.0	7.0	$6,013	$324	$61	$709	$4,874	$754	$5,628
Pinnacle Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	2055 N Grand Ave	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Pinnacle Education-Kino Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 281-5109	52	25	2.1		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Rio Rico High School	Public	9-12	590 N. Camino Galindo	Rio Rico	85648	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 375-8700	1,397	56	24.8		29 (2.1%)	2 (0.1%)	1,356 (97.1%)	4 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	18	224^th of 271 public high schools	17.3%		15.8	236^th of 270 public high schools	12.6%	12	29.0	13.0	9.0	$5,911	$356	$138	$850	$4,494	$923	$5,417
PCJTED - Rio Rico High School	Public	9-12	590 Camino Lito Galindo	Rio Rico	85648	Santa Cruz County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 375-8700	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
CTD - Patagonia High School	Public	9-12	200 Naugle Ave	Patagonia	85624	Santa Cruz County	Cochise Technology District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 394-3000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
Patagonia Union High School	Public	9-12	200 Naugle Avenue	Patagonia	85624	Santa Cruz County	Patagonia Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 394-3000	71	10	7.4		17 (23.9%)	1 (1.4%)	49 (69.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	3 (4.2%)								(n/a)					$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Pierson High School

What is the racial makeup of Pierson High School?

Students at Pierson High School are 100% Hispanic.

What district is Pierson High School in?

Nogales Unified District

How many students attend Pierson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 119 students attended Pierson High School.

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 2025

2024–25 AASA & AzSCI test scoresOct 10, 2025

2023–24 dropout ratesJun 30, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.