Gilbert Unified School District #41 (GUSD), also known as Gilbert Public Schools (GPS), is a

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

based in

Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in the

Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...

. The district is the 7th largest in Arizona, and serves over 34,000 students at 39 schools across Gilbert, Chandler, and

Mesa, Arizona Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the most populous city in the East Valley section of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Communit ...

. In 2018, the district was awarded "4th Best School District in America" by th
National Council for Home Safety and Security
and "Best Public School/District" in the ''Best of Gilbert 2018'' issue of the

East Valley Tribune The ''East Valley Tribune'' is a newspaper concentrated on cities within the East Valley region of metropolitan Phoenix, including Mesa, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Queen Creek. Formerly a daily newspaper, the ''Tribune'' resulted from t ...

. As of spring 2019, thirteen GPS schools have earned the "A+ School of Excellence™ Award" from th
Arizona Educational Foundation

History

In 1900, the first school, in Gilbert, was built on the southwest corner of Baseline and Cooper Roads. This school was moved, in 1909, to the northeast corner of Guadalupe and Cooper Roads. It was named Highland because it was the highest land south of the Salt River. These schools were part of the Mesa Unified School District#4. In 1913, with the completion of its first elementary school, the Gilbert School District #41 was formed. The new school was located on the corner of Elliot and Gilbert roads, and consisted of four classrooms, two offices, an auditorium and a full basement below the auditorium. In 1977, the building closed for classroom use and in 1982 it became the Gilbert Historical Museum. In 1917, an election was held "for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a high school" in the recently formed Gilbert School District #41. Gilbert's first high school, Gilbert High School, opened in 1917 on the southwest corner of Gilbert and Elliot roads. The first graduating class, consisting of 4 graduates, was in 1918. Gilbert High School has since been relocated, and the original site is now the Gilbert Public Schools district administration building. Since opening its first school in 1913, Gilbert Public Schools has grown to serve over 35,000 students at 40 schools across Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa, Arizona.

Schools

Schools in the district include: 26 elementary schools ( Pre K- 6); 6 junior high schools ( 7- 8), 5 high schools ( 9- 12), 2 Academies, 1 Global academy, and 1 Alternative Education ( 7- 12).

High schools

Junior high schools

Elementary schools

(Enrollment 100th Day, 2018)

* Ashland Ranch - 819 * Augusta Ranch - 1019 * Boulder Creek - 633 * Burk - 382 * Canyon Rim - 842 * Carol Rae Ranch - 572 * Finley Farms - 652 * Gilbert Elementary - 527 * Greenfield Elementary - 955 * Harris - 460 * Highland Park - 888 * Houston - 395 * Islands - N/A * Meridian - 831 * Mesquite - 599 * Oak Tree - 580 * Patterson - 601 * Pioneer - 553 * Playa del Rey - 460 * Quartz Hill - 663 * Settler's Point - 634 * Sonoma Ranch - 476 * Spectrum - 624 * Superstition Springs - 714 * Towne Meadows - 711 * Val Vista Lakes - 539

Academies and alternative education

* Canyon Valley School (Grades 9-12) - Alternative Education (322 enrolled as of 100th Day 2018) * Distance Learning Online (Grades 7-12) — Gilbert Public Schools offers its own online schooling program through its Distance Learning Center. Classes range from History to Physical Education. Gilbert accepts credits earned from major online schools, such as Primavera. * Global Academy - opened August, 2011 * Gilbert Classical Academy (Grades 7-12) — opened August 2007; replacing the GPS Technology and Leadership Academy (526 enrolled as of 100th Day 2018) * Neely Traditional Academy (Grades K-6) — also known as Neely Elementary (779 enrolled as of 100th Day 2018) * Performance Academy at Mesquite Elementary (Grades 4-8) * Traditional Program at Canyon Rim Elementary (Grades K-6) * Traditional Program at Spectrum Elementary (Grades K-6)

Awards

* The district was awarded "4th Best School District in America" by th
National Council for Home Safety and Security
in 2017 and 2018. * GPS was voted "Best Public School/District" in the ''Best of Gilbert'' annual issues of the

in 2017 and 2018. The runners up were

Chandler Unified School District Chandler Unified School District serves most of the city of Chandler, Arizona, plus portions of Gilbert, and Queen Creek. The district serves over 45,000 students, making it the 3rd largest school district in Arizona.Higley Unified School District The Higley Unified School District #60, abbreviated HUSD #60 is a school district in Gilbert, Arizona. The school district serves portions of Gilbert and Queen Creek. It is one of Arizona's fastest growing school districts, with modest continued ...

. * Thirteen GPS schools have earned the "A+ School of Excellence™ Award" from th
Arizona Educational Foundation
as of spring 2019. * Playa del Rey Elementary School (Grades K-6) - opened in 1994. April 2011 was the second time the school has received the A+ 'School of Excellence' award. The Principal Robyn Conrad was named Arizona's principal of the year in October 2010. * Neely Traditional Academy (Grades K-6) - is an

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

Gilbert, Arizona Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located southeast of Phoenix within the city's metropolitan area. Incorporated on July 6, 1920, Gilbert was once known as the "Hay Shipping Capital of the World". It is the fifth-lar ...

. The school was opened in 1981, and became in 1999. Neely received the National Blue Ribbon School award in 2009.

References

External links

* {{Authority control * * School districts in Maricopa County, Arizona 1913 establishments in Arizona School districts established in 1913