PHX Reporter

There were 282 African American students enrolled in Union Elementary District schools in the 2022-23 school year, 8% more than the previous year, according to the Arizona Department of Education.

Data showed that Union Elementary District welcomed 1,684 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, African American students comprised 16.7% of the student body to be the second most represented ethnicity in the district.

Union Elementary District roughly covers schools within Maricopa County and has a main office in Tolleson.

Among the three schools in Union Elementary District, Hurley Ranch Elementary recorded the highest enrollment of African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 143 students.

WalletHub claimed Arizona’s school system ranked among the worst across U.S. for class size, performance, funding, safety, and instructors’ credentials.

A 2023 study from Scholaroo.com ranked Arizona last out of all U.S. states in terms of educational success, giving the state poor markets for school quality, student success, and teacher-to-student ratio.

Year	Total District Enrollment	Total African American Students	African American %
2021	1,638	218	13.3%
2022	1,698	261	15.4%
2023	1,684	282	16.7%