Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

STAR Academic High School

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

STAR Academic High School is a public high school in Tucson, Arizona, serving grades 6-12 with a total enrollment of 280 students. The school is part of the Sunnyside Unified District, which is ranked 451 out of 540 districts in Arizona and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

STAR Academic High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Arizona high schools over the past decade, with rankings ranging from 380 to 475 out of 400-500 schools. It has maintained a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period, indicating very poor performance compared to other schools in the state. The student population is predominantly Hispanic, making up around 88-91% of the student body, significantly higher than the state average and nearby schools like Alta Vista High School and Pueblo High School, which have Hispanic student populations ranging from 78% to 94%.

STAR Academic High School has struggled with extremely low graduation rates, ranging from 19.5% to 40% over the past five years, and correspondingly high dropout rates, reaching as high as 28.1% in 2020-2021. The school's academic performance is significantly below state and district averages across all tested subjects and grade levels, with proficiency rates of only 3-5% in science, English language arts, and mathematics for 11th-grade students, compared to state averages of 22-40%. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 73.93% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the nearby schools, which range from 64.94% to 86.86% free/reduced-price lunch recipients.

265

Students ?

21.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,955

Per pupil spending ?

73.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5093 S Liberty Ave
Tucson, AZ 85706-1329

(520) 545-2300

District: Sunnyside Unified District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

83.8%

American Indian:

7.5%

African American:

3.4%

See top rated Arizona public schools

Compare STAR Academic High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2010 → 5th in 2023

Worth a look

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

!Graduation rate below the Arizona average (32% vs 80%)

!Dropout rate above the Arizona average (14% vs 5%)

Students meeting standards (2022-2023) ?

This school4%

District avg12%

Arizona avg31%

Not ranked this year

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

267^th of 289Sunnyside 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2013	0.9	783 of 787	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.7	768 of 772	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.8	690 of 692	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	13.0	447 of 469	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	415 of 464	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	439 of 509	13.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	414 of 420	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	9.6	412 of 416	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	12.3	389 of 406	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.8	475 of 491	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	10.6	442 of 471	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.7	381 of 397	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	8.7	380 of 403	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	12.1	365 of 395	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	41.7	53 of 258	79.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	10.9	396 of 406	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	14.5	390 of 456	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.6	407 of 492	17.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.4	369 of 379	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	16.8	376 of 441	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	374 of 479	21.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.5	301 of 311	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	11.9	333 of 347	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.4	245 of 253	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	11.9	411 of 429	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	402 of 455	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	408 of 492	17.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	356 of 370	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

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

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	44.3	210 of 371	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

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)

High school

English Language Learner (2022)79th percentile+69 vs school

White (2023)43rd percentile+39 vs school

Native American (2022)41st percentile+31 vs school

Male (2023)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2023)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2022-2023) ?

English Language Arts5%-35 vs state

Mathematics5%-27 vs state

Science3%-19 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate STAR Academic High School and help other families decide.

Rate STAR Academic High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near STAR Academic 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
STAR Academic High School	Public	6-12	5093 S Liberty Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2300	265	12	21.7		7 (2.6%)	9 (3.4%)	222 (83.8%)	1 (0.4%)	20 (7.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)								(n/a)				$6,955	$592	$00	$1,184	$6,051	$312	$6,363
PJCTED - Star Academic High School	Public	9-12	5093 S Liberty Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(520) 545-2300	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Toltecali High School	Public, Charter	9-12	251 W Irvington Rd	Tucson	85714	Pima County	CPLC Community Schools dba Toltecalli High School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 807-7923	126	10	13.1		0 (0.0%)	2 (1.6%)	119 (94.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	1 (0.8%)	1 (0.8%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
PCJTED - Aztec Middle College Desert Vista	Public	9-12	5901 S Calle Santa Cruz	Tucson	85709	Pima County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 745-4588	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Alta Vista High School	Public, Charter	9-12	5040 S Campbell Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	American Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Alta Vi	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 294-4922	495	23	22.0		14 (2.8%)	5 (1.0%)	466 (94.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	15.3	238^th of 271 public high schools	12.2%		15.5	238^th of 270 public high schools	11.9%		21.0	17.0			$00			$00
PCJTED - Pueblo High School	Public	9-12	3500 S 12th Ave	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 225-4300	1				0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Pueblo High School	Public	8-12	3500 S 12th Ave	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-4300	1,821	99	18.4		51 (2.8%)	31 (1.7%)	1,626 (89.3%)	9 (0.5%)	92 (5.1%)	2 (0.1%)	10 (0.5%)	13.2	255^th of 271 public high schools	5.9%		9.9	265^th of 270 public high schools	1.9%	10	22.0	11.0	6.0		$00			$00
PPEP TEC - Celestino Fernandez Learning Center	Public, Charter	9-12	1840 E Benson Hwy	Tucson	85714	Pima County	Portable Practical Educational Preparation Inc. (	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 741-4388	116	15	7.7		6 (5.2%)	7 (6.0%)	96 (82.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Pima Rose Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	1690 W Irvington Rd	Tucson	85746	Pima County	Pima Rose Academy Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 797-4884	442	24	18.8		21 (4.8%)	5 (1.1%)	391 (88.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.5%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
PCJTED - Sunnyside High School	Public	9-12	1725 E Bilby Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Pima County JTED	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 545-5300	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about STAR Academic High School

What district is STAR Academic High School in?

Sunnyside Unified District

How many students attend STAR Academic High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 265 students attended STAR Academic High School.

What is the racial makeup of STAR Academic High School?

Students at STAR Academic High School are 84% Hispanic, 8% American Indian, 3% African American, 3% White, 2% Two or more races.

Rate STAR Academic High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona High School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Tucson, AZ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for STAR Academic High School!

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.