Education

Foresight and sound decisions are the foundation for the excellence in education within Gilbert. Gilbert Public Schools Elementary schools accommodate grades kindergarten through sixth. Seventh and eighth-grade students attend one of five junior high schools, and students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Desert Ridge High School, Gilbert High School, Highland High School, or Mesquite High School. Also available is the Gilbert Learning Center. Current enrollment is over 33,000, representing a tremendous growth in the past few years. The District helps lead the State in academic scores as well as in a variety of extracurricular programs, including athletics and the fine arts. Emphasis is placed on the basic skills: math, reading, writing, language, science, and social studies. Physical education, computer instruction, art, music, and extracurricular activities comprise the balance of the educational programs. Students at the secondary level are offered a full complement of elective courses. Vocational, accelerated, advanced, remedial, and special education programs are also provided through Gilbert Public Schools. Achievement test scores at the elementary, junior high, and senior high levels exceed both national and state averages. Gilbert has also been recognized as having an outstanding fine arts program and a very comprehensive interscholastic activity program. These accomplishments are the result of outstanding students, a supportive community, and excellent educators and support personnel.

The Higley Unified School District was founded in 1909 when Arizona was still a territory. The District boundaries originally included a large portion of the southeast valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area, but much of that was transferred to other districts over the years. The Queen Creek Unified School District was formed out of the Higley Elementary School District in 1947, and that left the Higley Elementary School as the only school in the District until Coronado Elementary School opened in August of 2000. The District unified in 1999 and now serves students in grades K-12. Higley High School opened in August of 2001 along with San Tan Elementary School, and Power Ranch Elementary School opened in August of 2002. The Higley Unified School District consists of 24 square miles and is one of the fastest growing public school districts in the State of Arizona. Charter and private schools offer an alternative to the public school system for residents in Gilbert.

• Benjamin Franklin Charter School
• Chancellor Charter School at West Gilbert
• Desert Hills High School
• Destiny Community School
• Valley Christian High School

Williams Gateway Airport is home to the Williams Campus, an academic village developed around building and resources inherited from the retired Williams Air Force Base – including homes, residence halls, classrooms, laboratories, childcare centers and more. Arizona State University (ASU) East is a new campus for a new century, which anchors well established, get-down-to-business programs like agribusiness and technology tailored to help students develop skills specifically needed in the 21st century. Through a unique partnership with Chandler-Gilbert Community College, a selection of general studies and popular elective courses are available at the Williams Campus as well. Other campuses housed at Williams Campus are Mesa Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and The University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation.

Since 1985, Chandler-Gilbert Community College has grown from a dream to a fully functioning college serving over 10,000 credit and non-credit students providing students with outstanding educational programs and opportunities. Chandler-Gilbert is an innovative college responsive to the needs of the community and students affording a supportive, active learning environment for everyone. Chandler-Gilbert has three campus locations to serve the educational needs of the East Valley: the Pecos Campus, the Williams Campus in partnership with ASU East, and the Sun Lakes Education Center. Chandler-Gilbert Community College is accredited through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. ASU East is home to ASU's College of Technology and Applied Sciences, East College and the Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management. Serene surroundings provide a distinctive backdrop to these highly respected academic programs. At ASU East students will experience a unique academic village environment. ASU East is a friendly, student-centered campus where students, faculty and staff live, work, teach and learn as an active, vibrant community. Students are offered all the elements of a big time university education in a small town atmosphere.

The University of Phoenix is a university for working adults. Students may choose from attending class once a week with a learning team or taking courses on-line. All faculty members hold a master’s or doctoral degree and currently work while they teach.