As Arizona schools close doors due to enrollment drop, Tempe district sees uptick in students

At a time when many Arizona school districts are closing schools due to declines in enrollment, the Tempe Union High School District is seeing a slight uptick in students.

Districts across the state have seen a drop in students in recent years and fewer kids means less money. Some have even had to cut jobs to make up for budget shortfalls.

"Tempe Union experiences the challenges just like all of the districts that you’re seeing in the news," Superintendent Stacia Wilson said. "It’s not that we are exempt or anyone is exempt for that matter, but we are working hard to kind of defy those odds."

She said the district has been making an effort to attract families, in part, by surveying them to identify their priorities.

“[Like] preparing students with critical thinking," Wilson said. "They want real-world hands-on experiences, some project based learning, financial literacy, things like that.”

Wilson said her district has slightly exceeded a demographer’s projection for this school year. They hit 11,625 students on the 40th school day, about 100 more than expected.

“We have our strategic plan working and we’re looking at innovative, instructional models," Wilson said. "Last year we really incorporated student voice into our marketing and having our students share why they love their schools.”