Pinal Today

There were 78 American Indian or Alaskan Native students enrolled in J O Combs Unified School District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 23.8% more than the previous year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that J O Combs Unified School District welcomed 4,395 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian or Alaskan Native students comprised 1.8% of the student body to be the third least represented ethnicity in the district.

J O Combs Unified School District roughly covers schools within Pinal County and has a main office in San Tan Valley.

Among the nine schools in J O Combs Unified School District, Combs High School recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian or Alaskan Native students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 19 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 American Indian or Alaskan Native Students	American Indian or Alaskan Native %
2021	4,151	46	1.1%
2022	4,588	63	1.4%
2023	4,395	78	1.8%