Pinal Today

There were 43 African American students enrolled in Apache Junction Unified District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 26.5% more than the previous year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Apache Junction Unified District welcomed 3,007 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 1.4% of the student body to be the least represented ethnicity in the district.

Apache Junction Unified District roughly covers schools within Pinal County and has a main office in Apache Junction.

Among the five schools in Apache Junction Unified District, Desert Vista Elementary School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 14 students.

A 2023 study from Scholaroo.com ranked Arizona last out of all U.S. states in terms of educational success, giving the state poor markets for school quality, student success, and teacher-to-student ratio.

In 2022 Arizona had roughly one teacher for every 19 students, compared to the national average of one teacher for 16 students. Teachers handling a higher number of students was found to have negative consequences for students’ school performance.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total African American Students	African American %
2021	2,904	29	1%
2022	3,064	34	1.1%
2023	3,007	43	1.4%