Sandra Day O'Connor High School (SDOHS), part of the Deer Valley Unified School District, is a

public high school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

located just west of I-17 and north of Happy Valley Road in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. The school had a 97.1% graduation rate in 2018. SDOHS was first awarded the A+ School of Excellence distinction in 2018 and it was renewed in 2023. The campus, which first opened in fall 2002, is named after former Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan, O' ...

, who grew up in Arizona, served as an assistant attorney general, was member of the state senate, and eventually became the first woman appointed as a

Supreme Court Justice The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest-ranking judicial body in the United States. Its membership, as set by the Judiciary Act of 1869, consists of the chief justice of the United States and eight associate justices, any six of ...

Athletics

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Beach Volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

Cross Country Running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and soil, earth, pass through woodlands and ope ...

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

Flag Football Flag football is a variant of gridiron football (American football or Canadian football depending on location) where, instead of Tackle (football move)#Gridiron football, tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or ...

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

Marching Band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who play while marching. Historically they were used in armed forces and many marching bands remain military bands. Others are still associated with military units or emulate a military sty ...

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

Swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Track and Field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

Special Programs

The Academy of Advanced Studies and Civic Engagement

Formerly known as the Academy of American Studies, students can apply to be a part of this 4-year program that both focuses on civic engagement and college preparation. Academy students are grouped together into a cohort of students in their grade. Academy Students take AP Human Geography, AP World History, AP United States History, and AP United States Government and Politics. In addition to Advanced Placement courses, Academy students take an online/hybrid U.S. history course as well as participate in an internship in their senior year. The program is tied together by several trips throughout a student's 4 years in the Academy. Underclassmen have previously had the opportunity to go to the Renaissance festival, the Titan Missile Museum, and the Phoenix Crime Lab & Phoenix Police Museum. Summer Institute trips are offered to all Academy students and have previously included destinations such as Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and Crow Canyon.

Gifted Academy

SDOHS's Gifted Academy affords the most motivated students the chance at an academically rigorous education. Using a gifted cluster model, the Gifted Academy keeps gifted students together and assigns them to teachers with highly gifted endorsements and qualifications. Gifted courses are enhanced with problem-based, project-based, and cross curricular learning opportunities focusing on the gifted learner and allowing for a more enriching experience. SDOHS's long list of Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment courses gives Gifted Academy students the opportunity to explore different fields and disciplines of study while also gaining college credit. Additionally, AP Seminar and AP Research are two courses students can take to earn a Capstone Diploma. Although open to all students, most Gifted Academy students graduate with SDOHS's Certificate of Advanced Academics, which supplements their diploma and serves as an indication of their rigorous course work above and beyond the requirements.

Air Force Junior ROTC

Starting in 2006, SDOHS began offering an Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) program. This program has won back-to-back unit awards from 2009 up to the 2014 school year. The program allows students to learn about the military while also developing life skills and enhancing their leadership abilities.

Statistics

As of the 2023–2024 school year, 2,604 students attend SDOHS. Caucasian students make up the majority at 72.0% of the student body. Students identified as of Hispanic or Latino origins make up 13.4% of students and Asians are at 7.5%. According to the Arizona Department of Education, in 2023, 52% of juniors at SDOHS passed the ELA section of the ACT, and 46% passed the mathematics section. Additionally, 47% of juniors passed the state science assessment. SDOHS was rated an "A" school in 2023 by the Arizona Department of Education.

Feeder Schools

* Stetson Hills School (K-8) * Inspiration Mountain School (K-8) * Desert Sage Elementary School (K-6) * Las Brisas Elementary School (K-6) * Hillcrest Middle School (7–8)

Notable alumni

* Amy Bockerstette – Golfer and disabilities advocate. *

Jocelyn Erickson Jocelyn Erickson (born September 27, 2003) is an American college softball player for the Florida Gators. She previously played for Oklahoma. She was named the NFCA National Player of the Year in 2024. High school career Erickson attended San ...

– College softball player for

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

* Nolan Gorman – Third baseman drafted by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

. * Matthew Knies – Professional hockey player for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

. *

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...

– Winner of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'' season 6. * Bralen Trice – American football

Defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Washington Huskies The Washington Huskies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) N ...

. * Grace Turk – Former professional softball player.

References

External links

Sandra Day O'Connor High School

Deer Valley Unified School District

The Talon

Eagle Pride Band
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandra Day O'Connor High School Public high schools in Arizona High schools in Phoenix, Arizona Educational institutions established in 2002 2002 establishments in Arizona