VAIL, Ariz. (KGUN) — Vail Unified School District is exploring restructuring options at Vail Academy and High School, including a possible shift to a K-8 model, as high school enrollment has declined over the past five years.
Parents and students came in the dozens to pack the school for a town hall, making their voices heard about what they want to see as the district considers changes.
"This school and these teachers have built me as a person and I can see myself going into the world and being proud," a student said.
The district says it has lost about $1 million due to declining enrollment. Vail Academy and High School currently operates as a K-12 model, but the district is exploring restructuring, including a possible K-8 model.
Superintendent John Carruth emphasized the school is not closing and that Monday's town hall discussion is not final.
"I want to say emphatically that we have every intention of insuring that Vail Academy remains open and will not be closing," Carruth said.
"We're simply exploring how to balance the ability to provide high-quality programming across that K-12 programming," Carruth said.
Parents at the podium weighed in on the principal's recommendation of going K-8.
"People love to go to school here so it's super cool to have a K-12 — especially coming from something that wasn't that," a parent said.
Some spoke about the district's lack of marketing for the high school portion.Others questioned where high school students would go if grades 9 through 12 are removed.
"If we were to explore that, then we would be meeting with all the high school principals in the district to say — these are the students — and could we potentially give them first transfer choice," Diane Vargo said.
The district's next step is creating a focus group, open to parents, to plan out the process over the next year.
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Marc Monroy joined KGUN 9 as a multimedia journalist after moving from KGUN 9’s sister station, KXXV, in Waco, Texas. He graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 2024 with a degree in journalism. A native of Southern California and a bilingual reporter, Marc is excited to serve Southern Arizona and looks forward to connecting with neighbors in the community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marc by emailing marc.monroy@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
