SW Arizona News

There were 302 African American students enrolled in Yuma County schools in the 2023-24 school year, a 5.3% decrease from the 319 African American students in the previous school year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Yuma County welcomed 37,966 students at the time. Among them, African American students made up 0.8% of the student body making them the fourth most represented ethnicity in the county.

Among the 62 schools in Yuma County, Gila Ridge High School recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2023-24 school year, with a total of 32 students, making up 1.4% of the school's total student body.

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.

A 2023 study from Scholaroo 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.

Some data provided by the Arizona Department of Education may be incomplete due to the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

School name	% of African American Students	Total Enrollment
Cibola High School	1%	2,417
Kofa High School	1%	2,352
Gila Ridge High School	1.4%	2,340
Yuma High School	1.5%	1,142
Desert View Academy	1.5%	931
Mary A. Otondo Elementary School	1.7%	825
Ron Watson Middle School	2%	558
Palmcroft Elementary School	3%	432