Phoenix Union High School District votes to change name of Cesar Chavez High School

PHOENIX – Cesar Chavez High School will officially be renamed following sexual abuse allegations against the late labor leader.

The Phoenix Union High School District voted to change the high school’s name Thursday night, with governing board members condemning any abuse and standing with victims of abuse.

The board approved temporarily changing the school’s name to Champion Circle High School to keep the CCHS acronym amid the upcoming graduation season.

In addition, the district approved a plan for permanently renaming the school in the future, including creating a facility naming committee and gathering community feedback before presenting the top three names to the governing board for a vote. 

Community members asked the board to allow students to have a say in a potential new name for their school.

The total cost of renaming the school will come out to $2,372,051, with uniforms, signs, painting and the turf needing to be replaced.

In December 2025, Phoenix Union eliminated 167 positions due to a $20 million budget shortfall tied to declining enrollment.

During the meeting, the district also decided to rename the March 30 holiday, previously Cesar Chavez Day, to Farmworkers Appreciation Day.

This comes after the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to strip local parks, libraries, streets and public buildings of Chavez’s name.

In addition, the state of Arizona will not be recognizing Cesar Chavez Day this year, Gov. Katie Hobbs confirmed on March 17.

The district’s vote follows a New York Times investigation detailing allegations that Chavez sexually abused multiple women, including United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta and the minor daughters of fellow organizers.

Chavez, who was born in Yuma and died in 1993, was long celebrated for improving conditions for farmworkers.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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