Sunnyside Unified School District

Sunnyside Unified School District is the second largest school district in Tucson, Arizona with approximately 16,813 students in the 2015-2016 school year. Sunnyside covers 93.6 square miles and serves the southern part of the City of Tucson and areas adjacent in Pima County, including the San Xavier Reservation. During the 2013-2014 school year, 14,280 (84%) students qualify to receive free and reduced-price meals, 6,772 (40%) students classified as English Language Learners and approximately 1397 (8.3%) of Sunnyside’s students are identified as homeless. Approximately 14% of the District student population receives Special Education services. Sunnyside was established in 1921 and serves families with children from birth to grade 12. The nationally recognized Ocotillo Early Learning Center is the District’s high quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood center serving children ages birth to five of all abilities in an inclusive, nurturing, stimulating environment. Programs include Title One preschool, early childhood special education, Parents As Teachers, Family Literacy and a fee-based pre-school program. The Sunnyside District has a technology-rich digital learning environment where every student grades 4 through 12 have laptops assigned for use daily in classes and throughout the school year. Instructional content is primarily online which includes unique and innovative curriculum that is current with today’s learning needs. There are 1803 District employees which includes teachers, administrators, and classified staff both full-time and part-time. In addition, the District employs approximately 170 substitute teachers and 32 classified substitute employees.