Enrollment Figures

High school attendance figures seem to be a hot topic every other September, as schools new and old are placed in one of five classifications established by the Arizona Interscholastic Association.

If you think the Mesa schools, or any East Valley school in Maricopa County for that matter, are the state's largest ever, guess again. Since statehood in 1912, no school housed more students than historic Phoenix Union, which closed its doors in 1982. The once mighty Coyotes, winners of over 100 state championships in team sports, reached an enrollment peak of 6,320 students during the 1963-64 school year. Phoenix Union was located at 7th Street and Van Buren. And the smallest school? Try East Fork Lutheran in 1950-51, whose student body numbered one.

Besides enrollment figures, the PDF file below includes dozens of photos of historic Arizona high schools, including famous landmarks which have closed, like the Phoenix Indian School, Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Phoenix Carver and the Jokake School for Girls, which housed 40 students every year it existed between 1932 and 1945.

Barry Sollenberger

For additional information contact:

Brian Bolitho

(602)385-3822
bbolitho@aiaonline.org

• Arizona High School Enrollment Figures 1912-2005