Original Research by School Decision on Tolleson Union High School
Tolleson Union High School is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve in the city of Tolleson, Arizona, and is part of the Tolleson Union High School District. It is a large school by its grade band, drawing students from a city that functions primarily as an industrial and distribution hub in the Phoenix West Valley.
The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black, white, Asian, and students of two or more races. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not reported in the available data, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners. Given the community’s economic profile—a small, working-class city where housing values are somewhat below the state average and where major employers are in food processing, distribution, and logistics—a substantial number of families may face economic pressures, but the data does not confirm this.
State assessment results from the most recent school year show low proficiency rates in both English language arts and mathematics. The English language arts proficiency rate was in the low twenty-percent range, and the mathematics rate was below that. Only a single year of testing data is available, so no trend can be assessed. These figures place academic performance well below typical state and national benchmarks. Parents should be aware that this school’s test scores are a weak point and may want to investigate further with the school about how it supports students who are not yet proficient and what steps are being taken to improve outcomes.
The data does not include a graduation rate, chronic absenteeism figures, discipline records, or staffing details. The school’s program offerings—such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education, or extracurriculars—are also absent from the available information. For a high school, these are critical indicators of the academic pathway and student support environment. Families should contact the school directly to learn about course options, postsecondary preparation, and graduation requirements.
The community context is shaped by Tolleson’s identity as a compact industrial employment center. The city covers a small area, is bisected by Interstate 10, State Route 85, and Union Pacific Railroad, and hosts over a dozen major distribution and food-processing employers. Its daytime population swells well beyond its resident count, giving it one of the highest jobs-to-residents ratios in the country. The residential population has grown modestly over recent decades, but the city remains small relative to neighboring West Valley communities. Housing values and rents in the area are below the state average but close to national figures, and the ratio of home prices to local incomes is relatively high, suggesting affordability challenges for some households.
No recent district-level changes—curriculum shifts, bond measures, or boundary adjustments—were reported in publicly available sources, so the district’s current operations appear stable based on what could be found.
Because proficiency, graduation, and attendance metrics were missing or not applicable for comparison, it is not possible to position this school relative to other districts in Maricopa County. That comparison set exists in the data framework, but the required measures are not filled in.
Tolleson Union High School offers a large, diverse student population in an industrial suburb with strong employment but low measured academic performance on state tests. Families considering this school should prioritize gathering additional information on graduation rates, program breadth, and student support systems to determine whether it fits their student’s needs.
See more original research from School Decision →