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Payson High School

Q: Is Payson High School a good school?

Payson High School ranks 155 th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 43% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Payson High School is a public high school in Payson, Arizona, serving 748 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Payson Unified District, which is ranked 211 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Payson High School's performance has been inconsistent, with its statewide ranking fluctuating between 144 and 211 out of hundreds of high schools in recent years, and its SchoolDigger rating ranging from 1 to 3 stars. The school's academic achievement, as measured by proficiency rates on state assessments, is generally below the state average in core subjects like English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. Additionally, the school's graduation rate is lower than the state average, and its dropout rate is higher, suggesting a need for interventions to improve student retention and success.

While the school performs relatively well for Hispanic and Multi-racial students, it struggles with the performance of White, Male, and Low Socioeconomic Status students, ranking in the bottom half or bottom quarter of Arizona high schools for these subgroups. The school's per-student spending and student-teacher ratio indicate that it has access to adequate resources, but the effectiveness of how those resources are utilized could be an area for improvement.

733

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,085

Per pupil spending ?

39.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 S McLane Rd
Payson, AZ 85541

(928) 472-5788

District: Payson Unified District

Feeder schools for Payson High School:

Elementary:	Julia Randall Elementary School
	Payson Elementary School
Middle:	Rim Country Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

64.9%

Hispanic:

27.1%

Two or more races:

4.1%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Payson High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 39th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school29%

District avg29%

Arizona avg30%

155^th of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 39% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

211^th of 289Payson 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
2025	37.4	155 of 271	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	21.4	203 of 270	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	62.7	144 of 469	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	39.5	211 of 464	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.2	154 of 509	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.2	162 of 285	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.1	165 of 420	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	40.6	193 of 416	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	28.9	246 of 406	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	31.7	160 of 261	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.7	217 of 394	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	71.5	148 of 491	69.9%	★★★★☆
2012	64.0	174 of 471	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	70.6	122 of 397	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.0	145 of 403	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.4	137 of 395	65.3%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	34.4	172 of 301	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

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
2025	35.0	128 of 207	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.8	148 of 406	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.6	230 of 456	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.1	154 of 492	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	30.9	157 of 247	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.3	188 of 354	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	30.5	48 of 116	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.6	38 of 130	70.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	69.1	82 of 379	78.4%	★★★★☆
2022	40.8	195 of 441	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.8	177 of 479	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	61.1	50 of 183	72.7%	★★★★☆
2018	45.1	130 of 311	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	41.2	31 of 60	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	23.8	149 of 150	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	52.2	51 of 168	69.6%	★★★★☆
2018	66.8	5 of 26	80.8%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	121 of 180	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	68.2	77 of 347	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	44.0	119 of 253	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	34.1	136 of 223	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.8	171 of 219	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	63.3	132 of 429	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.5	209 of 455	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.1	167 of 492	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.0	134 of 238	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	176 of 370	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	53.9	37 of 74	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	89.9	1 of 125	99.2%	★★★★☆
2021	19.8	64 of 102	37.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	64.5	54 of 199	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	26.6	197 of 282	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.9	158 of 374	57.8%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	47.6	51 of 128	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	25.1	150 of 255	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.3	115 of 256	55.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	68.1	41 of 380	89.2%	★★★★☆
2021	40.4	189 of 422	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.0	82 of 155	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	141 of 178	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	6.3	181 of 184	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	44.6	204 of 371	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.2	298 of 409	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.7	197 of 448	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	20.6	178 of 217	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.2	208 of 291	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2022)89th percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)79th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2023)78th percentile+9 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)73rd percentile+4 vs school

Native American (2023)60th percentile-9 vs school

Foster Care (2022)59th percentile+4 vs school

Military Connected (2023)50th percentile-19 vs school

Homeless (2023)48th percentile-21 vs school

African American (2022)43rd percentile-12 vs school

Male (2025)39th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)38th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)21st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts40%~ state avg

Mathematics26%-4 vs state

Science22%+3 vs state

5.0

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Schools Near Payson High School

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
Payson High School	Public	9-12	301 S McLane Rd	Payson	85541	Gila County	Payson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(928) 472-5788	733	42	17.3		476 (64.9%)	3 (0.4%)	199 (27.1%)	3 (0.4%)	22 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.1%)	37.4	155^th of 271 public high schools	42.8%		21.4	203^rd of 270 public high schools	24.8%	48	40.0	26.0	22.0	$8,085	$155	$62	$371	$6,458	$1,410	$7,868
NAVIT - Payson High School	Public	9-12	301 S McLane Rd	Payson	85937	Gila County	Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technolog	No	(n/a)	No	No	(928) 536-6232	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)				$468	$00			$161	$307	$468
Payson Center for Success - Online	Public, Virtual	7-12	902 W Main St	Payson	85541	Gila County	Payson Unified District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(928) 472-5891	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
NAVIT - Gila Community College	Public	9-12	201 N Mud Springs Rd	Payson	85541	Gila County	Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technolog	No	(n/a)	No	No	(928) 536-6100	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)				$3,660	$00			$00	$3,660	$3,660

Frequently Asked Questions about Payson High School

What district is Payson High School in?

Payson Unified District

Is Payson High School a good school?

Payson High School ranks 155^th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Payson High School?

Students at Payson High School are 65% White, 27% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% American Indian.

What schools feed into Payson High School?

Payson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Julia Randall Elementary School
Elementary : Payson Elementary School
Middle : Rim Country Middle School

How many students attend Payson High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 733 students attended Payson High School.

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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.