The Dysart Unified School District celebrated its 100th year of educating the community in the 2020-2021 school year. In 1920, local farmer Nathaniel Martin Dysart wanted his daughter to attend a school. He didn’t want her to walk the 5 miles though, as it required crossing the Agua Fria River, which was known to flood at times. So he donated a piece of his own land, convened a three-person governing board, and officially established the Dysart Public Schools on July 16, 1920.
What started out as a one-room schoolhouse with less than 10 students, serving first through eighth grade, quickly became a growing part of the community. Enrollment increased to more than 200 by 1937, when the district hired it’s seventh teacher.
In 1951 the original one room schoolhouse was tragically destroyed by a fire. Despite the loss, Dysart continued to focus on educating local students, and two new elementary schools, El Mirage and Luke were built by the end of the decade.
By the 1960s, Dysart had grown so much it was in need of a high school. The district’s first ninth grade students attended the newly built Dysart High School in 1962. The first graduates in the history of Dysart were with the class of 1966.
In 1977 the Dysart Unified School District was officially established. Before 1975 districts were forced by legislation to remain separate entities for elementary and high school levels. With the legislative change, the Dysart consolidated the system into a K-12 unified school district.
Kingswood Elementary School was built in 1989 on news that growth was on the horizon in the Northwest Valley. Developers were buying up land and building homes at a rapid rate, attracting more and more families and business to the area.
In 2001 the hypergrowth began in the Dysart Unified School District with the addition of West Point Elementary School. Between 2002 and 2010, 14 elementary schools and three high schools were built to accommodate the influx.
Today as the Dysart Unified School District celebrates its 100th anniversary, it now has a community of nearly 24,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. The district encompasses a massive 140 square miles and is home to 20 K-8 schools, four comprehensive high schools, a preschool, and one alternative program.
100 years ago, our founder, Nathaniel Dysart, envisioned a place where his daughter and the local community could receive a quality education in the northwest valley. That goal remains true today. Thousands of children have been a part of our Dysart family over the years, and we look forward to continuing that legacy for the next 100 years.
What started out as a one-room schoolhouse with less than 10 students, serving first through eighth grade, quickly became a growing part of the community. Enrollment increased to more than 200 by 1937, when the district hired it’s seventh teacher.
In 1951 the original one room schoolhouse was tragically destroyed by a fire. Despite the loss, Dysart continued to focus on educating local students, and two new elementary schools, El Mirage and Luke were built by the end of the decade.
By the 1960s, Dysart had grown so much it was in need of a high school. The district’s first ninth grade students attended the newly built Dysart High School in 1962. The first graduates in the history of Dysart were with the class of 1966.
In 1977 the Dysart Unified School District was officially established. Before 1975 districts were forced by legislation to remain separate entities for elementary and high school levels. With the legislative change, the Dysart consolidated the system into a K-12 unified school district.
Kingswood Elementary School was built in 1989 on news that growth was on the horizon in the Northwest Valley. Developers were buying up land and building homes at a rapid rate, attracting more and more families and business to the area.
In 2001 the hypergrowth began in the Dysart Unified School District with the addition of West Point Elementary School. Between 2002 and 2010, 14 elementary schools and three high schools were built to accommodate the influx.
Today as the Dysart Unified School District celebrates its 100th anniversary, it now has a community of nearly 24,000 pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students. The district encompasses a massive 140 square miles and is home to 20 K-8 schools, four comprehensive high schools, a preschool, and one alternative program.
100 years ago, our founder, Nathaniel Dysart, envisioned a place where his daughter and the local community could receive a quality education in the northwest valley. That goal remains true today. Thousands of children have been a part of our Dysart family over the years, and we look forward to continuing that legacy for the next 100 years.
Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence
The Dysart Unified School District celebrated its 100 year anniversary on July 16, 2020. What started as a one-room school house back in 1920, has grown into a community of 26 schools and more than 24,000 students.
