Public Education
Among the top priorities of the Payson area are education and workforce development. Payson is fortunate to have three public and three private elementary schools, a middle school, a high school and a charter high school, as well as a recently formulated community college. Pine/Strawberry also has an elementary school, while middle and high school students receive their instruction in Payson.
Voters had the foresight to invest in the region’s educational needs by approving the formation of a provisional college district, Gila County Community College. The college provides a full range of educational services through a cooperative educational-services agreement with Eastern Arizona College. (The Payson campus is but one of three GCCC campuses.) The electorate also sanctioned enhanced vocational training when a joint agreement between the college district and Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) was approved. Other undergraduate and graduate offerings and programs are provided by Northern Arizona University, in partnership with Gila County Community College.
Payson Unified School District
Payson Unified School District is one of eight public school districts in Gila County, Arizona. It provides a program of public education from preschool through grade twelve. The District has six schools: Julia Randall Elementary, Payson Elementary, Frontier Elementary, Rim Country Middle School, Payson High School and the Payson Center for Success (a Charter High School). Recently, a bond issue of over $33 million was approved to add a new Julia Randall Elementary School, remodel the middle school and improve other existing facilities in the district.
With the state’s increasing emphasis on academic accountability, the district-wide personnel (faculty and staff) of over 400 employees are looking forward to the challenges and opportunities of public education in the new millennium.
Report on School Performance
You can learn more about the performance of educational institutions in the Payson region by viewing the institution's official "Report Card" filed with the Arizona Department of Education. (It requires an Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download and install for free.)
If you wish to view School Report Cards for the Payson area, please do the following:
- Select - School Report Cards.
- At the website, “search by” the “zip code” (then enter 85541) and “year” of your choice, then select “Go” to view “Report Cards” for individual schools and/or the school district.
Gila County Community College
GCCC’s 56-acre Payson Campus is nestled in an idyllic setting among the pines at the northeast corner of Mud Springs Road and East Highway 260. Couple this setting with modern educational facilities and the college presents a very desirable environment for learning. The community college includes four buildings totaling 20,000 square feet, which provide students with a variety of opportunities to enhance educational and personal growth.
The campus has a comprehensive science lab, two computer labs, a wellness center, an art lab, six classrooms, a learning resource center and administrative and student services offices. The campus is capable of utilizing distance learning through online courses and interactive television and frequently accommodates various community events and forums. The school's community room seats up to 120 people.
The college is eager to work with individual businesses and tailor specific training and educational programs to meet their needs, while continuing to offer the traditional university transfer or general education courses. These offerings satisfy the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) requirements for associate degrees and for transfer to Arizona’s four-year institutions. The college is also committed to numerous certificate programs, as well as associate degrees of arts, science, applied science and business in a variety of disciplines. NAVIT-related programs in such areas as fire science, health-related preparation and certified nursing assistant are quite popular. Recently, the institution implemented programs in registered nursing, gaming management and culinary arts, while increasing its focus on workforce development.
The desirable student-to-faculty ratio helps students establish lasting relationships with faculty, staff and fellow students and provides them with the individual attention that enhances learning and success. Learn more by visiting the campus online at http://www.gilaccc.org/.
Northern Arizona University
A satellite branch of NAU, located on the Payson Campus of GCCC, offers bachelor degrees in several different disciplines.