The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) consistently receives outstanding support from city voters. Its high school students rate highest in the state on the SAT and ACT tests. The district offers special education services for all handicapped children, including programs for those that are moderately and severely handicapped, that are strategically located throughout the district. An English-as-a-Second Language program is available to help children who are limited in their ability to speak English. All of the district's elementary schools offer some type of on-campus after-school program. Elementary and middle school students with high academic ability are tested for participation in the district's gifted program. Desert Mountain High School offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program to qualified students. The accelerated courses across all content areas allow students to complete pre-university work for college credit. Sierra Vista Academy, opened in 2003, is a transitional school for grades 4 through 12 that offers a non-traditional curriculum to students who have not experienced academic success in the traditional learning environment. As of 2005, the SUSD had more excelling schools than any other Arizona school district.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Scottsdale Unified School District as of the 2004–2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 26,360
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 20
junior high/middle schools: 7
senior high schools: 5
alternative schools: 1
Student/teacher ratio: between 17:1 and 20:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $31,160
maximum: $60,933
Funding per pupil: $5,402
The Scottsdale/Paradise Valley area has a number of private academies, college prep, charter day, and child-care schools, including the nationally known Judson School and P.A.L.S. Play and Learn Schools.
Public Schools Information: Scottsdale Public Schools, 3811 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018; telephone (480)952-6100
Scottsdale Community College is part of the Maricopa Community College system, the second largest such system in the country. It offers an extensive selection of educational programs including associate's degrees and technical degrees. The college provides training classes for local businesses, continuing education courses, and community service programs. Ottawa University, based in Kansas, has one of several satellite campuses in Scottsdale; it is designed to meet the higher educational needs of adults with jobs and/or family responsibilities. Also located in Scottsdale are Phoenix Seminary, the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Scottsdale Artists School, and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture/Taliesin West.
Students in Scottsdale also have access to nearby institutions: Arizona State University, located in adjacent Tempe; Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences; and the University of Phoenix.
The Scottsdale Public Library System, established in 1960, includes one main library and three branch libraries, two of which are shared-use facilities located on the campuses of Desert Mountain Schools and Desert Mountain High School. The library has more than 800,000 items and 700 periodical subscriptions. The library system has a computer network of more than 200 terminals, 150 of which provide direct access to the Internet. The libraries within the system are the Civic Center Library, Mustang Library, Palomino Library (at Desert Mountain High School), and Arabian Library (on the campus of Desert Canyon Schools). In 2005, construction was expected to begin on the new Arabian Library, an $8.7 million stand-alone facility that will replace the current Arabian Library upon its completion in 2007.
At the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research Building on the grounds of Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, scientists study molecular genetics, molecular immunology and chemistry, and molecular and cell biology. Construction began in 2004 for the Mayo Clinic Collaborative Research Building, a 100,000 square foot biomedical research facility.
Public Library Information: Civic Center Library (Main Library), 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85251-4405; telephone (480)312-2474