Graham County Schools & Education
Graham County, Arizona
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataSchool Score
20/100
Percentile-style score
Score Band
Lower Signal
Graduation Rate
85.6%
National avg 87.5%
Education Statistics
Graduation Rate
85.6%
National avg 87.5%
State avg 81.0%
Per-Pupil Spending
$5,973
National avg $13,239
State avg $5,607
School Score
20/100
Percentile-style score
State avg 14/100
State Score Position
#5
of 15 counties by score
Education Data Brief: Graham County
Measured School Summary
Graham County faces educational challenges with a school score of 20/100 and a graduation rate of 85.6%, falling below typical benchmarks.
Funding Context
At $5,973 per pupil, Graham County operates with limited funding, which may constrain staffing, materials, and extracurricular offerings.
Neighbor Context
Its school score is 42% above the Arizona average, and its graduation rate exceeds the state average by 4.6 percentage points, while per-pupil spending is 7% higher than the state norm.
School Data Brief
How to read Graham County before comparing districts
County-level education data is best used as a screening layer. It summarizes the local school environment, then points you toward the district and school records that matter for local review.
Local context that changes the interpretation
32 public schools and 10 districts are represented below. Use those school and district records to confirm whether the county-level context fits the neighborhoods you are actually considering.
Overall screen
20/100
Lower measured signal. Ranks #5 of 15 Arizona counties with school score data.
Completion
85.6%
4.6 pts above the state average
Funding context
$5,973
$366 above the state average
School coverage
32
10 districts represented in the county school list.
Start with measured county context
The county-level signal is lower, so review individual schools and local records before interpreting the score. Compare the score, graduation rate, and spending together rather than treating any single metric as final.
Check the local school mix
Graham County has 32 public schools across 10 districts, so school-level fit can vary inside the county.
Verify local rules
Use this page as county-level context, then confirm attendance zones, transportation, special programs, and current school boundaries with local districts.
What Graham County school data means before you move
County averages are useful for screening, but parents choose addresses, grade pathways, and district rules. This brief turns the public data into the checks that matter before you sign a lease or mortgage.
Review-carefully county
Graham County has a lower measured county-level school signal. Use the school table to look for specific districts or grade bands that may differ from the county average.
State position
#5
of 15 Arizona counties with school score data. The county score is 6 points above the state average.
Data confidence
Usable
3 of 5 county signals are present, and 100% of listed schools report enrollment. Compare schools, then verify missing fields locally.
K-12 continuity check
These are the largest visible district slices in the county data. They show whether elementary, middle, and high school records appear together or whether a family needs to investigate transition points.
Safford Unified District (4218)
Elementary to high school visible
2,943 students
7 listed schools in this county slice.
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
Elementary to high school visible
1,849 students
5 listed schools in this county slice.
Pima Unified District (4220)
Elementary to high school visible
1,096 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
Elementary and high visible
620 students
4 listed schools in this county slice.
District reality check
Gila Institute for Technology (79387) is the largest listed district slice, with 9 schools. County pages do not prove address assignment, so verify boundaries with local district tools.
What the data cannot tell you
NCES records do not confirm current attendance zones, private-school options, transfer approvals, program capacity, transportation, or whether a listed school is available to a specific address.
Questions to ask before choosing an address
Which district actually serves the addresses we are considering in Graham County?
Do the neighborhoods we like fall inside the same district, or are we comparing different Graham County district systems?
What changes at the elementary-to-middle and middle-to-high transitions in the district pathway we would likely use?
Which charter, magnet, or virtual options require a lottery, application window, separate transportation plan, or address eligibility check?
Are the largest listed schools the ones our address can actually attend, or are they only county-level context?
Data Story
Graham County School Score Leads State Norms by Five Points
Education data brief for Graham County, Arizona.
Graham County's composite school score of 19.9 is notably higher than the Arizona state average of 14.0, though it still falls below the national median score of 50.0. The county maintains 32 public schools serving a total of 7,128 students, with the Safford Unified District being the largest, enrolling 2,943 students across 7 schools. Safford High School has the highest individual enrollment at 836 students. The graduation rate for the county is 85.6%, which is higher than the state average of 81.0% and nearly aligns with the national average of 87.0%. Funding for students is $5,973 per pupil, which is above the state average of $5,607 but represents less than half of the national average of $13,000. Charter schools are less common here, representing 6.3% of the total public school count. Consult the NCES Common Core of Data for school-level records.
Sources
- NCES Common Core of Data
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS
School Overview
Total Schools
32
in Graham County
Reported Enrollment
7,128
32 schools reporting
School Districts
10
districts
Charter Schools
2
6% of total
School Level Breakdown
10 School Districts in Graham County
Safford Unified District (4218)
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
Pima Unified District (4220)
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
Solomon Elementary District (4222)
Discovery Plus Academy (6357)
Bonita Elementary District (4224)
Triumphant Learning Center (4225)
Graham County Special Services (4217)
Gila Institute for Technology (79387)
32 Public Schools in Graham County
Sorted by reported enrollment. Every NCES public school remains listed here; no school-level profile pages are included in the current generated coverage for this county.
NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance dataLevel
Showing 20 of 32 matching schools
| School Name | Profile | District | Location | Grades | Type / Flags | Reported Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safford High School | Record | Safford Unified District (4218) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 836 |
| Dorothy Stinson School | Record | Safford Unified District (4218) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 583 |
| Thatcher High School | Record | Thatcher Unified District (4219) | THATCHER, 85552Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 558 |
| Thatcher Elementary School | Record | Thatcher Unified District (4219) | THATCHER, 85552Town: Remote | 3–6 | Primary | 541 |
| Pima Elementary School | Record | Pima Unified District (4220) | PIMA, 85543Town: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 539 |
| Ruth Powell Elementary School | Record | Safford Unified District (4218) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 529 |
| Lafe Nelson School | Record | Safford Unified District (4218) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | KG–6 | Primary | 455 |
| Safford Middle School | Record | Safford Unified District (4218) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 449 |
| Jack Daley Primary School | Record | Thatcher Unified District (4219) | THATCHER, 85552Town: Remote | KG–2 | Primary | 433 |
| Pima High School | Record | Pima Unified District (4220) | PIMA, 85543Town: Remote | 9–12 | High | 352 |
| Thatcher Middle School | Record | Thatcher Unified District (4219) | THATCHER, 85552Town: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 290 |
| Fort Thomas High School | Record | Fort Thomas Unified District (4221) | Fort Thomas, 85536Rural: Remote | 7–12 | High | 252 |
| Fort Thomas Elementary School | Record | Fort Thomas Unified District (4221) | FORT THOMAS, 85536Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 221 |
| Solomon Elementary School | Record | Solomon Elementary District (4222) | SOLOMON, 85551Town: Remote | PK–8 | Primary | 197 |
| Pima Junior High School | Record | Pima Unified District (4220) | PIMA, 85543Town: Remote | 7–8 | Middle | 194 |
| Mt. Turnbull Elementary School | Record | Fort Thomas Unified District (4221) | BYLAS, 85530Rural: Remote | PK–6 | Primary | 119 |
| Discovery Plus Academy | Record | Discovery Plus Academy (6357) | PIMA, 85543Rural: Fringe | KG–5 | Charter | 106 |
| Bonita Elementary School | Record | Bonita Elementary District (4224) | WILLCOX, 85643Rural: Remote | KG–8 | Primary | 103 |
| Triumphant Learning Center | Record | Triumphant Learning Center (4225) | SAFFORD, 85546Town: Remote | KG–8 | Charter | 99 |
| Dan Hinton Accommodation School | Record | Graham County Special Services (4217) | PIMA, 85543Town: Remote | PK–12 | Other | 95 |
Safford High School
Safford Unified District (4218)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Dorothy Stinson School
Safford Unified District (4218)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Thatcher High School
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
THATCHER, 85552 / Town: Remote
Thatcher Elementary School
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
THATCHER, 85552 / Town: Remote
Pima Elementary School
Pima Unified District (4220)
PIMA, 85543 / Town: Remote
Ruth Powell Elementary School
Safford Unified District (4218)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Lafe Nelson School
Safford Unified District (4218)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Safford Middle School
Safford Unified District (4218)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Jack Daley Primary School
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
THATCHER, 85552 / Town: Remote
Thatcher Middle School
Thatcher Unified District (4219)
THATCHER, 85552 / Town: Remote
Fort Thomas High School
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
Fort Thomas, 85536 / Rural: Remote
Fort Thomas Elementary School
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
FORT THOMAS, 85536 / Rural: Remote
Solomon Elementary School
Solomon Elementary District (4222)
SOLOMON, 85551 / Town: Remote
Pima Junior High School
Pima Unified District (4220)
PIMA, 85543 / Town: Remote
Mt. Turnbull Elementary School
Fort Thomas Unified District (4221)
BYLAS, 85530 / Rural: Remote
Discovery Plus Academy
Discovery Plus Academy (6357)
PIMA, 85543 / Rural: Fringe
Bonita Elementary School
Bonita Elementary District (4224)
WILLCOX, 85643 / Rural: Remote
Triumphant Learning Center
Triumphant Learning Center (4225)
SAFFORD, 85546 / Town: Remote
Dan Hinton Accommodation School
Graham County Special Services (4217)
PIMA, 85543 / Town: Remote
Education Funding Detail
Annual Per-Pupil Expenditure
$5,973
State avg $5,607
Compare Nearby Counties
Review Graham County against other counties using the same NCES-backed metrics.
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Data Sources
Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.
Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.