Patagonia Union High School (PUHS), is a public high school located in Patagonia, Arizona, which serves rural eastern Santa Cruz County, Arizona, including the communities of Patagonia, Sonoita, and Elgin. PUHS is a 1A school, with an enrollment of about 90 students in grades 9–12. Its mascot is the Lobo, the Spanish word for "wolf."
General information
The student population is 54% low income (i.e., eligible for free & reduced-price lunches by the federal definition). Ethnically, the student population is 52% Anglo and 48% Latino.
National and state authorities have lauded the school for its academic excellence. PUHS has met the federal standard of "adequate yearly progress" every year since the passage of No Child Left Behind. The Arizona Department of Education has given the school its highest rating (Excelling) for the past three years. PUHS is the only "Excelling" high school in Arizona south of the Tucson metro area.
U.S. News & World Report recently recognized PUHS as a bronze medal school, a designation that indicates unusually good test scores for the school's demographics. Patagonia is the only bronze medal school in southern Arizona outside the Tucson metro area.
Great Schools rated PUHS at 7 out of 10.
History
In 1989 the Arizona Daily Star ran an article about recreational drug use being a rampant issue among the student body.
Academic awards
Arizona Department of Education Report Cards
2002–2003: Excelling
2003–2004: Highly Performing
2004–2005: Performing
2005–2006: Excelling
2006–2007: Excelling
2007–2008: Excelling
2008–2009: Excelling
No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress
2002–2003: Met
2003–2004: Met
2004–2005: Met
2005–2006: Met
2006–2007: Met
2007–2008: Met
U.S. News & World Report America's Best Schools
Bronze Medal, 2007, 2008
Arizona Regional Brain Bee
1st place: 2008
2nd place: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009
Arizona Academic Decathlon
2nd place among 1A schools in regional & state competition, 2008
Willow Canyon Scholastic Bowl Invitational
3rd Place, 2008
Athletic achievements
Baseball
1st place, 1A South division, 2003 (Head Coaches: Brian MacKenzie & Alvaro Monteverde)
Basketball (Boys) 3rd place, 1A South division, 2008 (Head Coach: Jim Paul) 1st place, 1A South division, 2007 (Head Coach: Jimmy Lewis)
Basketball (Girls) 4th place, 1A South division, 2007 (Head Coach: Michelle Shadrick)
Football
3rd place, 1A South division, 2008 (Head Coach: Jim Paul) 3rd place, 1A South division, 2007 (Head Coach: Brian MacKenzie) Co-State Champion, Class C division, 1991 (Head Coach: Bill House) State Champion, Class C division, 1988 (Head Coach: Bill House/Darrell Howell) State Champion, Class C division, 1987 (Head Coach: Bill House)
Volleyball (Girls) 1st place, 1A South division, 2005 (Head Coach: Lance Sabbe)
Faculty and staff recognition
Brian MacKenzie
Arizona Educational Foundation Arizona Teacher of the Year finalist and Ambassador for Excellence, 2009 Patagonia Union High School Teacher of the Year, 2008 Veterans of Foreign Wars Arizona High School Citizenship Education Teacher of the Year, 2008 Arizona 1A South Baseball Coach of the Year, 2003 Lois Rodgers National Rural Teacher of the Year, 2001–2002 Arizona Rural Schools Association Teacher of the Year, 2000–2001 Susan Stropko Superintendent of the Year for Small & Rural Schools, 2004
Notable alumni
Dinesh D'Souza, author, conservative activist, Reagan Administration policy analyst Jim Kolbe, Republican U.S. Congressman for southern Arizona, 1985–2007