Scottsdale Unified School District weighs more closures as enrollment declines

The Scottsdale Unified School District could close more schools after the 2026-27 school year due to declining enrollment.

District leadership began the discussions at a governing board meeting Tuesday night, presenting current enrollment data and three potential closure plans to the community.

Options A and B each include combinations of mergers, closures and repurposing that could affect the following schools:

• Copper Ridge School
• Cheyenne Traditional School
• Laguna Prep Elementary
• Desert Canyon Middle
• Desert Canyon Elementary
• Redfield Elementary

Option C is more concise, calling for the closure of Copper Ridge School, which serves K-8 students, and Laguna Prep.

What could Scottsdale Unified gain by closing schools?

Any of the options would save the district more than $2.5 million.

District officials presented data on the capacity and enrollment at the previously mentioned schools along with Anasazi Elementary during Tuesday’s meeting. Anasazi is being considered as a potential destination for students forced to relocate due to closures.

The total capacity for the seven schools is 7,194 students, but only 3,296 are currently enrolled there.

At Copper Ridge alone, there was a 66.3% decline in enrollment over the past 10 years.

Scottsdale Unified Superintendent Scott Menzel said the district will be able to make other improvements, including boosting teacher salaries, if some schools are closed or consolidated.

“With those underutilized facilities, there’s a cost that comes with that. And every dollar that’s spent on an underutilized facility is money that can’t be spent to pay our teachers more. And I fundamentally believe that our teachers deserve more. I believe that our staff who work hard every day deserve more,” he said.

The district will hold a special session on Sept. 22 to hear from the community before it moves forward.

Scottsdale Unified closed two schools, Pima Elementary and Echo Canyon, due to declining enrollment earlier this year.

Multiple other Valley districts have been closing schools in recent years as a way to address declining enrollment trends and budget shortages.

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

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