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Payson High School

Summary:

Payson High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Payson, Arizona, with a total enrollment of 790 students. The school is part of the Payson Unified District, which is ranked 229 out of 288 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Payson High School's performance has been relatively consistent, with a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past four school years. The school's four-year graduation rate has improved over the years, from 75.3% in 2018-2019 to 87.7% in 2022-2023. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics, has been below the state average in recent years. Payson High School has a significant population of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 39.87% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023.

While Payson High School has performed well for Hispanic students, it has struggled with the performance of white students, ranking near the bottom of Arizona high schools in this category. Addressing the needs of the school's diverse student body, including those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and ensuring consistent funding and staffing levels could be key priorities for the school and district moving forward.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 301 S McLane Rd
       Payson, AZ  85541

(928) 472-5788

District: Payson Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
203rd of 270 Arizona High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,085 Help


Feeder schools for Payson High School:

Elementary:    Julia Randall Elementary School
    Payson Elementary School
Middle:    Rim Country Middle School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.6 Help
Number of students:  790

Racial breakdown:

White:
66.7%
Hispanic:
26.3%
Two or more races:
3.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  39.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Payson High School ranks worse than 75.2% of high schools in Arizona. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 21.41. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Payson High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (66.7%), Hispanic (26.3%), two or more races (3.3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 39.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Payson High School is 17.6. (See more...)
Help
Compare Payson High School employs 44.6 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Payson High School is $8,085.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Payson High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Payson High School 203rd of 270 Arizona public high schools. (See Payson High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Male students:
White students:


Payson Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Payson Unified District 229th of 297 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Payson High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 68.44 137th 395 65.3%
2010 65.99 145th 403 64.0%
2011 70.58 122nd 397 69.3%
2012 63.96 174th 471 63.1%
2013 71.53 148th 491 69.9%
2014 48.69 217th 394 44.9%
2015 31.65 160th 261 38.7%
2016 28.95 246th 406 39.4%
2017 40.58 193rd 416 53.6%
2018 46.09 165th 420 60.7%
2019 35.24 162nd 285 43.2%
2021 60.15 154th 509 69.7%
2022 39.47 211th 464 54.5%
2023 62.70 144th 469 69.3%
2024 21.41 203rd 270 24.8%
See the entire list of Arizona High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 51.91 158th 374 57.8%
2022 26.63 197th 282 30.1%
2023 64.46 54th 199 72.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 44.58 29th 312 90.7%
2022 41.67 53rd 258 79.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.98 82nd 155 47.1%
2021 40.43 189th 422 55.2%
2022 68.10 41st 380 89.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 44.01 119th 253 53.0%
2023 68.25 77th 347 77.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 66.80 5th 26 80.8%
2021 52.17 51st 168 69.6%
2022 23.79 149th 150 0.7%
2023 41.23 31st 60 48.3%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.33 188th 354 46.9%
2019 30.94 157th 247 36.4%
2021 60.14 154th 492 68.7%
2022 36.60 230th 456 49.6%
2023 56.80 148th 406 63.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 34.65 38th 130 70.8%
2022 30.47 48th 116 58.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 19.81 64th 102 37.3%
2022 89.90 1st 125 99.2%
2023 53.92 37th 74 50.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 39.64 176th 370 52.4%
2019 37.97 134th 238 43.7%
2021 56.12 167th 492 66.1%
2022 38.54 209th 455 54.1%
2023 63.30 132nd 429 69.2%
2024 19.76 171st 219 21.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 34.35 172nd 301 42.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.06 130th 311 58.2%
2019 61.10 50th 183 72.7%
2021 51.78 177th 479 63.0%
2022 40.76 195th 441 55.8%
2023 69.07 82nd 379 78.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 30.29 115th 256 55.1%
2022 25.05 150th 255 41.2%
2023 47.60 51st 128 60.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Payson High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.21 208th 291 28.5%
2019 20.60 178th 217 18.0%
2021 53.68 197th 448 56.0%
2022 25.24 298th 409 27.1%
2023 44.57 204th 371 45.0%
2024 6.26 181st 184 1.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Payson High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 
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Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Payson High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 860 0 3 19 9 n/a n/a 45 936
1989 945 2 1 34 17 n/a n/a -484 515
1990 506 n/a n/a 23 16 n/a n/a -51 494
1991 501 1 0 10 17 n/a n/a -17 512
1992 497 0 0 30 23 n/a n/a 0 550
1993 462 2 2 31 30 n/a n/a 0 527
1994 684 1 3 21 9 n/a n/a 0 718
1995 725 1 6 23 19 n/a n/a 0 774
1996 725 1 6 23 19 n/a n/a 0 774
1997 789 1 8 37 22 n/a n/a 0 857
1998 787 4 6 48 23 n/a n/a 0 868
1999 808 3 6 58 22 n/a n/a 0 897
2000 817 4 3 66 23 n/a n/a 0 913
2001 786 3 5 65 20 n/a n/a 0 879
2002 802 6 6 69 22 n/a n/a 0 905
2003 802 6 6 69 22 n/a n/a 0 905
2004 803 4 7 73 17 n/a n/a 0 904
2005 770 8 7 78 16 n/a n/a 0 879
2006 775 11 10 81 16 n/a n/a 0 893
2007 708 4 11 78 21 n/a n/a 0 822
2008 693 8 11 93 28 n/a n/a 0 833
2009 632 4 15 101 36 n/a n/a 0 788
2010 640 3 12 105 34 n/a n/a 0 794
2011 643 4 6 76 27 0 21 0 777
2012 580 4 9 91 19 0 15 0 718
2013 573 2 8 111 15 1 16 0 726
2014 565 0 6 119 12 5 15 0 722
2015 517 1 8 136 16 3 20 0 701
2016 549 3 10 148 19 6 24 0 759
2017 491 3 9 135 13 3 19 0 673
2018 473 4 9 130 13 3 22 0 654
2019 475 8 11 145 23 3 16 0 681
2020 487 4 2 167 12 1 25 0 698
2021 370 3 2 159 15 1 11 0 561
2022 546 4 5 199 17 0 26 0 797
2023 527 6 5 208 18 0 26 0 790

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Payson High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 936 42.0 22.2 n/a
1989 515 24.2 21.2 n/a
1990 494 25.7 19.2 n/a
1991 512 24.2 21.1 n/a
1992 550 24.5 22.4 n/a
1993 527 26.9 19.6 n/a
1994 718 38.7 18.6 n/a
1995 774 39.0 19.8 n/a
1996 774 39.0 19.8 n/a
1997 857 39.0 22.0 n/a
1998 868 41.5 20.9 n/a
1999 897 45.5 19.7 n/a
2000 913 47.5 19.2 n/a
2001 879 45.0 19.5 n/a
2002 905 50.0 18.1 20.6
2003 905 50.0 18.1 20.6
2004 904 47.0 19.2 22
2005 879 47.0 18.7 36.4
2006 893 46.0 19.4 34.4
2007 822 45.5 18.1 30.9
2008 833 40.5 20.6 44.5
2009 788 40.0 19.7 39.1
2010 794 38.5 20.6 42.2
2011 777 38.0 20.4 45.7
2012 718 39.0 18.4 53.8
2013 726 33.4 21.7 53.7
2014 722 34.3 21.0 45.8
2015 701 34.0 20.6 54.5
2016 759 34.0 22.3 49.3
2017 673 35.4 19.0 44.3
2018 654 32.6 20.0 43.9
2019 681 30.6 22.2 37.9
2020 698 31.1 22.4 42.8
2021 561 34.1 16.4 n/a
2022 797 42.2 18.8 16.4
2023 790 44.6 17.6 39.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Payson High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 936 42.0 22.2 n/a
1989 515 24.2 21.2 n/a
1990 494 25.7 19.2 n/a
1991 512 24.2 21.1 n/a
1992 550 24.5 22.4 n/a
1993 527 26.9 19.6 n/a
1994 718 38.7 18.6 n/a
1995 774 39.0 19.8 n/a
1996 774 39.0 19.8 n/a
1997 857 39.0 22.0 n/a
1998 868 41.5 20.9 n/a
1999 897 45.5 19.7 n/a
2000 913 47.5 19.2 n/a
2001 879 45.0 19.5 n/a
2002 905 50.0 18.1 20.6
2003 905 50.0 18.1 20.6
2004 904 47.0 19.2 22
2005 879 47.0 18.7 36.4
2006 893 46.0 19.4 34.4
2007 822 45.5 18.1 30.9
2008 833 40.5 20.6 44.5
2009 788 40.0 19.7 39.1
2010 794 38.5 20.6 42.2
2011 777 38.0 20.4 45.7
2012 718 39.0 18.4 53.8
2013 726 33.4 21.7 53.7
2014 722 34.3 21.0 45.8
2015 701 34.0 20.6 54.5
2016 759 34.0 22.3 49.3
2017 673 35.4 19.0 44.3
2018 654 32.6 20.0 43.9
2019 681 30.6 22.2 37.9
2020 698 31.1 22.4 42.8
2021 561 34.1 16.4 n/a
2022 797 42.2 18.8 16.4
2023 790 44.6 17.6 39.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Payson High School

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $221 (2.4%) $446 (4.9%) $888 (9.7%) $6,672 (72.8%) $1,831 (20.0%) $8,503 (92.7%) $9,170
2020 $245 (3.6%) $82 (1.2%) $572 (8.5%) $5,727 (84.8%) $699 (10.4%) $6,426 (95.2%) $6,753
2021 $574 (6.2%) $235 (2.5%) $1,383 (14.9%) $7,306 (78.8%) $1,158 (12.5%) $8,464 (91.3%) $9,273
2022 $155 (1.9%) $62 (0.8%) $371 (4.6%) $6,458 (79.9%) $1,410 (17.4%) $7,868 (97.3%) $8,085

Data source: Arizona Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Payson High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 162nd of 285 High schoolsRanks 144th of 469 High schools
 26.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students681790
 16%
African American86
 25%
American Indian2318
 21.7%
Asian115
 54.5%
Hispanic145208
 43.4%
Pacific Islander30
 100%
White475527
 10.9%
Two or More Races1626
 62.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients37.9%39.9%
 2%

Schools Near Payson High School








Frequently Asked Questions about Payson High School

Payson High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Julia Randall Elementary School
Elementary : Payson Elementary School
Middle : Rim Country Middle School

Payson High School ranks in the bottom 24.8% of Arizona high schools.

Students at Payson High School are 67% White, 26% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 790 students attended Payson High School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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