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B

Payson Unified District

Public school districtGrades K–12Regional · 2 towns

Serves Payson and Star Valley.

Payson’s School Grade B better than 61% of Arizona school districts

Students
2,144
Schools
4
Spent per student
$12,001
AZ $12,318
Students per teacher
16:1
Debt
$12.3M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Payson Unified District

  • Its letter, B: results better than 61% of Arizona districts
  • Math proficiency 9 pts below the state
  • Graduation rate 9 pts above the state
  • 16 students per teacher
  • Debt of $12.3M, about $5,735 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

B: better than 61% of the 577 Arizona school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
B−
GraduationFour-year graduation well above the state, class of 2023
B
The towns it serves, and their School Grades
BPayson 16,693BStar Valley 2,538

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Payson. Grade by grade →

K–2Payson Elementary SchoolThis district
3–5Julia Randall Elementary SchoolThis district
6–8Rim Country Middle SchoolThis district
9–12Payson High SchoolThis district

Test scores vs. AZ

2021–22 · class of 2023
Math proficiency26%
State average 34.8% · 1,163 students tested
Reading / language arts36%
State average 40.4% · 1,136 students tested
Graduation rate (4-year)85–89%
State average 77.8% · 165 in the class

97% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$12,001 per student · 3% below AZ
Spending
Classroom instruction 50%Support & administration 47%Other 4%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 46%State 41%Federal 14%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,143’20
2,339’21
2,291’22
2,218’23
2,144’24

About steady since 2020–21.

Students
White 64%Hispanic 28%Two or more races 4%American Indian/Alaska Native 3%Black <1%Asian <1%

Schools in the district

4 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Arizona’s other public schools.

Payson Elementary School
Elementary · Grades K–2 · Payson
430 students15:1
Julia Randall Elementary School
Elementary · Grades 2–5 · Payson
B−
503 students16:1
Rim Country Middle School
Middle · Grades 6–8 · Payson
B−
478 students16:1
Payson High School
High · Grades 9–12 · Payson
B−
733 students17:1

Left off: 2 schools reporting no students for 2024–25.

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Arizona.