Written by Joe Bourland of the Bourland Real Estate Team at eXp Realty, serving buyers and sellers in Peoria and the West Valley.
Peoria Unified School District serves a large portion of Peoria, Arizona, as well as parts of Glendale, but not every Peoria address is in the district because school boundaries don't follow city limits. Peoria Unified operates seven comprehensive high schools: Centennial, Liberty, Peoria, Sunrise Mountain, Cactus, Ironwood and Raymond S. Kellis. Assignment is based on the home's address, not the closest school, so buyers should verify any property with the district's school locator before writing an offer.
If you're considering buying a home in Peoria, school boundaries may be part of your research — and this is one area where you don't want to rely solely on the school shown on a real estate website.
Peoria Unified School District serves a large portion of Peoria as well as parts of Glendale, but not every Peoria address is in Peoria Unified. School district boundaries don't follow city boundaries, particularly in North Peoria. Even within Peoria Unified, the closest school isn't always the school assigned to a home.
The best approach is to understand the district, know the major feeder patterns and programs, and then verify the exact property address with Peoria Unified before making a decision.
Peoria Unified at a Glance
Peoria Unified operates elementary and K–8 campuses, seven comprehensive high schools, Peoria Flex Academy and several specialty and choice programs. For the Class of 2026, the district reported:
| Peoria Unified | 2026 District Figures |
|---|---|
| Graduates | 2,981 |
| Graduation rate | 95.06% |
| Scholarships earned | $93.7 million |
| Career & Technical Education programs | 24 |
| Average certified-teacher experience | 12.9 years |
Source: Peoria Unified School District (district-reported figures). The scholarship total comes from the district's own Class of 2026 announcement on its website.
Arizona's A–F accountability system gave Peoria Unified an overall B district grade for 2024–25. Individual schools vary, which is why the specific campus matters more to a homebuyer than the district-wide grade alone.
One Important Thing to Know Before Looking at Homes
A Peoria mailing address does not automatically mean Peoria Unified School District. Parts of North Peoria are served by other districts, including Deer Valley Unified.
Within PUSD, school assignment is based on the home address. The district specifically notes that high-school attendance is determined by residence, not simply by which elementary school a student attends. If schools matter to your home search, verify the address before writing an offer.
Peoria Unified High Schools
Peoria Unified operates seven comprehensive high schools:
- Centennial High School — Peoria
- Liberty High School — Peoria
- Peoria High School — Peoria
- Sunrise Mountain High School — Peoria
- Cactus High School — Glendale
- Ironwood High School — Glendale
- Raymond S. Kellis High School — Glendale
The district also operates Peoria Flex Academy, an alternative high-school program offering flexible learning and credit-recovery options. Don't let the Glendale addresses cause confusion. Peoria Unified serves portions of both Peoria and Glendale.
Which Elementary Schools Feed Which High Schools?
The district publishes feeder patterns, but buyers should know that Kachina Elementary and Pioneer Elementary closed after the 2025–26 school year. Kachina's boundary was moved into Canyon Elementary and Pioneer's into Foothills Elementary.
The general feeder patterns are:
| High School | Elementary/K–8 Feeder Areas |
|---|---|
| Centennial | Desert Harbor, Oasis, Paseo Verde, Sundance; portions of Santa Fe; Ira A. Murphy choice area |
| Liberty | Lake Pleasant, Sunset Heights, Vistancia, Zuni Hills |
| Peoria High | Cheyenne, Peoria Elementary, Sky View; portions of Santa Fe, Alta Loma and Sun Valley; Ira A. Murphy choice area |
| Sunrise Mountain | Apache, Coyote Hills, Frontier, Parkridge, Peoria Traditional |
| Cactus | Canyon, Foothills, Oakwood; certain Marshall Ranch addresses |
| Ironwood | Copperwood, Desert Palms, Desert Valley, Heritage, Sahuaro Ranch; certain Marshall Ranch addresses |
| Raymond S. Kellis | Cotton Boll, Country Meadows; portions of Alta Loma and Sun Valley |
Some areas have high-school choice options, so this table should be used as a guide — not a substitute for checking the exact property address through PUSD's current school locator.
Changes for the 2026–27 School Year
The district made several notable changes beginning with the 2026–27 school year. Kachina Elementary and Pioneer Elementary closed, with their attendance areas consolidated into Canyon and Foothills elementary schools. Cactus High School also transitioned to a grades 7–12 campus for students in the affected area.
The board also approved shifting Peoria eCampus to a grades 9–12 model and relocating Peoria Flex Academy.
If you're considering a home near these schools, make sure you're using current boundaries rather than an older feeder map or real estate listing.
Programs Worth Knowing About
Peoria Unified offers several programs that may matter when comparing schools.
Career & Technical Education
The district offers 24 Career and Technical Education programs in areas including health services, engineering, technology, manufacturing and business.
MET Professional Academy
The MET Professional Academy is open to students from all seven PUSD high schools and focuses on:
- Medical
- Engineering
- Technology
- Bioscience
- Global Business
Students can participate in projects, internships, mentorships and college-level coursework.
International Baccalaureate
Ironwood High School offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.
AP Capstone
Centennial High School offers the College Board's AP Capstone program, including AP Seminar and AP Research.
Spanish Immersion
Santa Fe Elementary offers Spanish Immersion, with students receiving instruction in both English and Spanish.
Peoria Traditional School
Peoria Traditional School is a K–8 public school of choice with a structured academic model and specific academic, behavior and dress expectations.
The district also offers gifted education, arts programs, Unified Sports and additional specialty programs.
Open Enrollment
Students may be able to attend a Peoria Unified school outside their assigned attendance area through open enrollment, provided the school and grade level have capacity.
Per the district's open enrollment page, applications submitted on or before December 1 each year meet the priority deadline for the following school year, so families planning for 2027–28 should aim for December 1, 2026. Current district 8th graders who want a high school outside their attendance area apply by December 1 of 8th grade, directly to the high school they want. Schools may accept applications after that date as capacity allows, post capacity on each school's home page by the last Friday in September, and notify families of decisions on the last day of the first semester.
Open enrollment should never be assumed when buying a home. If attendance at a specific school is important, check the school's current capacity directly with PUSD before relying on that option.
School Letter Grades: What Buyers Should Know
Arizona gives public schools A–F accountability grades based on factors such as academic growth, proficiency, graduation rates and college-and-career readiness. The grade can be useful, but it shouldn't be the only thing you look at.
Programs, course offerings, extracurricular activities and the specific needs of your household may matter just as much.
What Homebuyers Should Verify
When school assignment matters to your purchase, don't rely solely on Zillow, Realtor.com or an MLS listing.
Before writing an offer:
- Run the exact property address through PUSD's current school locator.
- Confirm both the elementary/K–8 and high-school assignment.
- Ask whether the property is in a choice or split attendance area.
- Check for any approved boundary changes.
- Verify open-enrollment capacity separately if you plan to attend another school.
School boundaries and capacity can change. The property address is what matters.
Frequently Asked Questions About Peoria Unified
Is Peoria Unified a good school district?
There isn't one number that can answer that for every household. Peoria Unified received a B district grade for 2024–25, and the district reports a 95.06% graduation rate for the Class of 2026. It also offers programs including Career & Technical Education, International Baccalaureate, AP Capstone, Spanish Immersion and the MET Professional Academy. Individual school performance and programs vary, so research the specific schools assigned to the home you're considering.
Does every Peoria home belong to Peoria Unified?
No. School-district and city boundaries are different. Some Peoria addresses, particularly in North Peoria, are served by other districts. Always check the exact address.
How do I know which school a house is assigned to?
Use Peoria Unified's official school boundary or address lookup. The closest school isn't always the assigned school.
Which schools feed Liberty High School?
Current district feeder information identifies:
- Lake Pleasant
- Sunset Heights
- Vistancia
- Zuni Hills
Exact assignment should still be verified by address.
Which schools feed Sunrise Mountain High School?
Current feeder information identifies:
- Apache
- Coyote Hills
- Frontier
- Parkridge
- Peoria Traditional
Can a student attend a PUSD school outside their boundary?
Possibly. Peoria Unified participates in open enrollment when capacity is available. Acceptance depends on the specific school and grade level. Applications submitted by December 1 meet the district's priority deadline for the following school year.
Did Peoria Unified close schools in 2026?
Yes. Kachina Elementary and Pioneer Elementary closed after the 2025–26 school year. Their attendance areas were moved into Canyon and Foothills elementary schools, and Cactus High School transitioned to a grades 7–12 model.
Buying a Home in Peoria? Verify the School Before You Buy
Peoria has a wide range of neighborhoods, and school assignment can change even between homes with the same city and ZIP code.
If you're comparing areas such as Vistancia, Fletcher Heights, Old Town Peoria or other Peoria neighborhoods, we can help you identify the district and point you toward the appropriate school-boundary resources for the properties you're considering.
Browse available homes at search.joearizona.com, or call the Bourland Real Estate Team at (623) 322-8588. To learn more about the city itself, read our guide to living in Peoria, AZ.
We'll help you with the real-estate side of the search while you verify school boundaries directly with the district before making your decision.
