Hayden-Winkelman Unified District

The Hayden-Winkelman Unified District in Arizona is home to two schools: Leonor Hambly K-8 and Hayden High School. Both schools face significant academic challenges, with consistently low proficiency rates in core subjects compared to state averages.

Leonor Hambly K-8 ranks in the bottom 10% of Arizona elementary schools, with very low proficiency rates in science, English language arts, and mathematics across all grade levels. Hayden High School fares even worse, with only 6% of students proficient in English language arts and 12% proficient in mathematics, placing it in the bottom 15% of Arizona high schools. The district-wide proficiency rates are also significantly lower than the state averages, indicating a systemic issue in academic achievement.

While Hayden High School has a relatively high four-year graduation rate of 95.4%, Leonor Hambly K-8 has a concerning 2.3% dropout rate, which is higher than the state average. Both schools serve a high proportion of economically disadvantaged and minority students, suggesting potential equity challenges that may be contributing to the low academic outcomes. Additionally, the significant difference in per-student spending between the two schools, with Hayden High School spending nearly twice as much as Leonor Hambly K-8, raises questions about resource allocation and whether the higher spending is translating into improved results.