University High School - Tucson, Arizona/AZ

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University High School

421 N. Arcadia Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85711 -

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tel: (520)232-5900

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Definition of Terms

University High School

School Level

High school

Grades Offered

Grades 9 - 12

County

Pima County, AZ

Awards

Blue Ribbon School – Selected in 2005

Students & Faculty

Total Students

669 students

% Male / % Female

45% / 55%

Total Classroom Teachers

32 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 9 - 203 students

Grade 10 - 153 students

Grade 11 - 158 students

Grade 12 - 155 students

This School

(AZ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:21

1:20

Students by Ethnicity

This School

(AZ) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	13%
% Asian	12%	1%
% Hispanic	22%	34%
% Black	4%	5%
% White	62%	47%

Additional Student Information

This School

(AZ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

23%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

(AZ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Tucson Unified School District

This School's Agency

(AZ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	124	2
Number of Students Managed	62,317 students	505 students
District Total Revenue	$508,529,000	$3,309,000
District Expenditure	$485,991,000	$2,717,000
District Revenue / Student	$8,160	$6,552
District Expenditure / Student	$7,799	$5,380
District Graduation Rates	81%	50%

Festivals and events (Arizona Daily Star)
posted on November 26, 2009 at 07:15:48 am
Festivals, events
Odaiko to bang the drums after 2-year hiatus (Arizona Daily Star)
posted on November 13, 2009 at 07:11:15 am
Odaiko Sonora returns for its first self-produced, full-length concert in nearly two years next Friday.
Tucson charter school wins big (KOLD News 13 Tuscon)
posted on October 30, 2009 at 11:17:39 pm
A Tucson charter school and the director of another school take top honors when it comes to educating kids. The Arizona Charter Schools Association named Sonoran Science Academy the 2009 Charter School of the Year.
Freshman Vu opening eyes with goal-scoring (Arizona Daily Star)
posted on October 16, 2009 at 07:11:19 am
Heading into this soccer season, most of the players on the Pima College men's team were freshmen. Coach David Cosgrove was looking for several players to tally goals.
In the Way of Democracy (Tucson Weekly)
posted on October 15, 2009 at 05:37:15 am
Disabled people who want to vote on Election Day may find a bumpy road by Dave Devine Abby Road confronted numerous barriers to keep her voting streak unbroken during the city's September primary—and she's afraid that she'll face more obstacles to vote in the Nov. 3 general election. "I don't want to lose any more of my rights," Road declares. She's confined to an aging, 300-pound, battery ...

View all past news stories

University High School (UHS) is an accelerated public high school in Tucson, Arizona, originally known as Special Projects High School (SPHS). University High School is in the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD). Its mission statement identifies it as "a special function high school which serves students who are academically focused and intellectually gifted and provides curriculum and social support not offered in the comprehensive high school."
Location and Features
The school does not have its own campus, and currently shares a campus with Rincon High School. University High shared a campus with Tucson High School before moving to Rincon's campus at the beginning of September 1985.
The school mascot is the penguin. When it was known as Special Projects High School, the mascot was the skunk. Both mascots give the school its colors, black and white.
University High participates with Rincon High School on athletic teams. The theater, dance, and music groups (choir, orchestra, and band) are also combined with Rincon High, as well as the school library. Students from both schools are generally able to take classes that are only offered by the other school. Some extracurricular activities are separate between the schools, mostly competitive clubs such as Academic Decathlon, Science Olympiad, Model UN, Mock Trial, and Chess Team. School clubs are commonly open to both Rincon and UHS students.
While UHS is a public school, entry is limited to around 180 students a year selected based upon a combination of an entry exam score and 7th and 8th grade GPAs. Also, unlike most schools, the only students who are admitted after freshman year replace the students who leave.
AP Offerings
UHS students graduate after taking a minimum of 4 Advanced Placement (AP) classes (AP English as upperclassmen and AP US History and AP US Government), with many opting to take additional AP courses, some even taking up to 16. In 2004 the school had the greatest percentage of students passing the AP exams for United States History, Comparative Politics and English Language of any high school in the world. Also, nearly all of students continue on to college with 50-75% achieving one or more scholarships.As of 2009, the following AP Courses are offered (28 of the 31 that the College Board offers):

AP's:

* AP English Literature
* AP German Language
* AP English Language
* AP Spanish Language
* AP Environmental Science
* AP Spanish Literature
* AP European History
* AP World History
* AP Biology
* AP Chemistry
* AP Physics B
* AP Microeconomics
* AP Phys C (Mechanics)
* AP Macroeconomics
* AP Phys C (Electricity & Magnetism)
* AP U.S. History
* AP Govt & Politics: US
* AP History of Art
* AP Calculus AB
* AP Studio Art
* AP Calculus BC
* AP Music Theory
* AP Statistics
* AP Psychology
* AP French Language
* AP Computer Science A
* AP French Literature
* AP Computer Sci AB

Honors As A Preparatory School
In May 2006, Newsweek named UHS as one of "The Public Elites," schools that, "NEWSWEEK excluded...from the list of Best High Schools because so many of their students score well above average on the SAT and ACT." In 2007, US News and World Report ranked UHS at 13 among public high schools as well as earning a gold medal in achievement according to US News' ranking system.
Notable traditions/customs
General:
April: UHS Film Festival
May: Arts Under the Stars
May 18-19, 2007: 30-Year All Classes Reunion
Seniors:
November: Senior Sale/Green Elephant Sale
January: Senior Debates/Mock election
May: Senior Night, Senior Breakfast
Juniors:
Aaron Burr Trial (no longer)
Poetry Slam
Vote in Senior Election
Sophomores:
Sophomore Debate Tournament
Freshmen:
BOOST Summer Program (Before start of school)
Notable alumni
Gabrielle Giffords - US Representative from Arizona's 8th district
Max Cannon - creator of Red Meat
Jessica Grace Wing - composer and film-maker
Thomas Harlan - author and game designer
Teague von Bohlen- published novelist (The Pull of the Earth, Ghost Road Press)
Mike Fisher - musician; founding member of Machines of Loving Grace and Amish Rake Fight
Kaiser Kuo - Founding member of the band Tang Dynasty
External links
UHS Website
Alumni Association for Special Projects/University High School

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