2 Peoria Union elementary schools could close, leaving parents and students in limbo

PEORIA, Ariz. — Declining enrollment across Arizona’s public schools is forcing districts to make difficult decisions, and Peoria Unified may soon be added to the growing list of communities facing school closures.

RELATED: Peoria Unified School District considering closing schools due to decline in enrollment

On Thursday, the Peoria Unified School District governing board met to discuss the future of two high-performing elementary schools—Kachina Elementary and Pioneer Elementary—and other changes as the district grapples with a significant budget shortfall.

Kachina Elementary, a B-rated school, is one of the campuses under consideration. 

Anne Picariello, who lives nearby, said the news hit close to home.

“It’s a little sad,” Picariello said. “My niece just came to stay with us, so we’re starting kindergarten here. It’s really close, and I would’ve been able to walk her to and from school.”

Parents and teachers say the potential closures are especially painful because of the strong sense of community within the schools.

Ben Tropiano said his children are struggling with the uncertainty.

“They don’t want to lose their friends,” Tropiano said. “That’s important to them. And they don’t want to lose their teachers.”

Just a mile and a half away is Pioneer Elementary, an A-rated school that is also on the chopping block. 

According to district documents, Peoria Unified is facing a $21 million budget deficit, prompting leaders to consider not only closing schools but also repurposing campuses and adjusting attendance boundaries.

• Kachina and Pioneer elementary schools closed, and the buildings will be repurposed.
• Cactus High School to be repurposed into a 7-12th-grade school.
• Kachina and Pioneer boundaries adjusted so that K-6th students are split between Canyon and Foothills elementary schools.
• Kachina, Pioneer, Canyon, and Foothills elementary school’s 7th-8th graders moved to Cactus High School, which will become a 7-12th-grade model.
• 7th and 8th-grade students currently attending Oakwood Elementary will have the choice to move to Cactus High School at the start of the 2026-27 school year. At the start of the 2028-29 school year, Oakwood 7th and 8th graders will move to Cactus High School. At that time, Oakwood will become a preK-6th-grade school.
• Peoria eCampus will be closed to K-8 students. Peoria eCampus will continue to operate as a 9-12th model.
• Peoria Flex Academy will move from Peoria High School to a repurposed location where they will have a space of their own to expand the grade levels served and to expand S.O.A.R., our dropout recovery program.
• The MET Professional Academy will have space to expand in Old Main at Peoria High School

District officials said the Cactus High School Cluster has seen the sharpest decline in enrollment. They argue the proposal will have the least impact on students.

If Kachina and Pioneer close, they would join more than two dozen public schools across nine Arizona districts slated to shut down.

Paul Tighe, executive director of the Arizona School Administrators, said the closures reflect broader statewide challenges.

“The system is creating a bit of a problem where we have more classrooms than we have students,” Tighe said.

Districts are being impacted by declining birth rates, increased competition from charter schools, and the state’s expanding school voucher program. Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program now serves nearly 100,000 students and costs more than $1 billion annually.

Arizona also ranks among the worst states in the nation for public school funding, further straining traditional districts.

Peoria officials declined to comment in person, but Superintendent KC Somers addressed the issue in an email, emphasizing the importance of community input, which will include a future public hearing.

“The public hearing is not only part of the legal process,” Somers wrote, “but hearing from the community is the right thing to do before any governing board decision.”

The governing board spent the day in a planning session discussing closures and budget concerns, but no final decisions were made. 

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