Election law changes? Our legislation tracker’s got you. Check it out!

Tolleson Union High School District, Arizona, elections

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Tolleson Union High School District
School Board badge.png
District details
School board members: 5
Students: 13,665 (2023-2024)
Schools: 8 (2023-2024)
Website: Link

Tolleson Union High School District is a school district in Arizona (Maricopa County). During the 2024 school year, 13,665 students attended one of the district's eight schools.

This page provides information regarding school board members, election rules, finances, academics, policies, and more details about the district.

Jump to a section:
Elections School board Location Budget Academic performance Students Staff Schools School board meetings

Elections

Do you know of an individual or group that endorsed a candidate for a position on this board? Click here to let us know.

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

General election

General election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large (3 seats)

Miguel Ortega-Romero, incumbent Steven Chapman, and Leezah Sun defeated incumbent Freddie Villalon in the general election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Miguel Ortega-Romero
Miguel Ortega-Romero (Nonpartisan)
 
29.4
 
30,763
✔
Image of Steven Chapman
Steven Chapman (Nonpartisan)
 
24.0
 
25,129
✔
Image of Leezah Sun
Leezah Sun (Nonpartisan)
 
23.6
 
24,714
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Freddie Villalon (Nonpartisan)
 
22.2
 
23,206
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
716

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 104,528
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

General election

General election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large (2 seats)

Incumbent Elda Luna-Nájera and incumbent Devin Del Palacio defeated Emilio Avila Solis in the general election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Elda Luna-Nájera
Elda Luna-Nájera (Nonpartisan)
 
39.8
 
16,730
✔
Image of Devin Del Palacio
Devin Del Palacio (Nonpartisan)
 
29.9
 
12,579
Image of Emilio Avila Solis
Emilio Avila Solis (Nonpartisan)
 
29.2
 
12,290
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.1
 
458

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 42,057
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

General election

The general election was canceled. Steven Chapman (Nonpartisan), Kino Flores (Nonpartisan), and Freddie Villalon (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

General election

The general election was canceled. Corina C. Madruga (Nonpartisan) and Devin Del Palacio (Nonpartisan) won without appearing on the ballot.

Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

General election

General election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large

Incumbent Steven Chapman and incumbent Freddie Villalon won election in the general election for Tolleson Union High School District, At-large on November 8, 2016.

Candidate
✔
Image of Steven Chapman
Steven Chapman (Nonpartisan)
✔
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Freddie Villalon (Nonpartisan)

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Election rules

 

Election dates and frequency

See also: Rules governing school board election dates and timing

School board general elections in Arizona are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every two years in even-numbered years.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 15-424 & 16-211



Election system

School board members in Arizona are elected through nonpartisan general elections without primaries.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 16-211

Party labels on the ballot

See also: Rules governing party labels in school board elections

School board elections in Arizona are nonpartisan, which means party labels do not appear on the ballot for school board candidates.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statutes Section 15-422 and Section 16-502

Winning an election

School board candidates that receive the largest number of votes in the general election are elected to office.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 15-424

Term length and staggering

School board members in Arizona have four-year terms. Certain school board members have initial two-year terms when a new district is formed or when a district is changing the number of board members in order to establish a staggered election schedule.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 15-424

As close to half of school board members as possible are elected every two years. Upon the formation of a new district, all board members are elected at one election and the initial terms of the two winning candidates receiving lower numbers of votes are shortened to two years to achieve staggering.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statue Section 15-424

Representation: at large vs. by sub-district

School board members are elected at large.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 15-427 & 15-429

Filing deadlines and swearing-in dates

The school board candidate filing deadline in Arizona is 120 days before the election date.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statue Section 16-311

School board candidates can circulate their nomination petitions starting when the filling window opens 150 days before the election, which is 30 days before the filing deadline.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statue Section 16-311

Newly elected school board members officially take office at the first organizational meeting of the school board, which must be held between the first and 15th day of January following the general election.

DocumentIcon.jpg See law: Arizona Statute Section 15-321

 

Recall elections

 
See also: States that allow school board recalls

Recall procedures

State Specific grounds required? Signature requirement Petition circulation time When recalls can start
Arizona No 25% of votes cast for the office in the last regular election 120 days Recalls cannot start until an official has been in office for six months


Recall efforts

2025
See also: Steven Chapman and Leezah Sun recall, Tolleson Union High School District, Arizona (2025)
An effort to recall two of the five members of the Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board in Arizona began in July 2025. Steven Chapman and Leezah Sun were named in the applications for recall petitions. At the time the recall effort began, Sun was serving was board president, and Chapman was serving as board vice president.[1][2]


About the district

School board

The Tolleson Union High School District consists of five members serving four-year terms. To find information about school board meetings, click here.

List of school board members
NameYear assumed officeYear term ends
Steven Chapman2029
Miguel Ortega-Romero20252029
Leezah Sun20252029
Elda Luna-Nájera20202027
Devin Del Palacio20142027

Join the conversation about school board politics

Ballotpedia's Hall Pass

Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics



  • Unlock the full dataset for your own use cases — explore subscription options to our comprehensive list of all school board members in the country.
    Unlock the full dataset for your own use cases — explore subscription options to our comprehensive list of all school board members in the country.
    Read more


District map

School district map

Overlapping state house districts

Tolleson Union High School District
Office NameCurrent OfficeholderParty% School District Covered% Other District Covered
Arizona House of Representatives District 22Lupe ContrerasDemocratic Party 72% 67%
Arizona House of Representatives District 22Elda Luna-NájeraDemocratic Party 72% 67%
Arizona House of Representatives District 16Chris LopezRepublican Party 28% 1%
Arizona House of Representatives District 16Teresa MartinezRepublican Party 28% 1%

The table was limited to the lower chamber because it provides the most granularity. State house districts tend to be more numerous and therefore smaller than state senate or U.S. House districts. This provides an impression of the partisan affiliations in the area.

Budget

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[3]

Revenue, 2021-2022
SOURCE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Federal: $29,173,000 $2,188 16%
Local: $84,719,000 $6,353 48%
State: $64,601,000 $4,844 36%
Total: $178,493,000 $13,385
Expenditures, 2021-2022
TYPE AMOUNT AMOUNT PER STUDENT PERCENT
Total Expenditures: $212,484,000 $15,934
Total Current Expenditures: $127,794,000 $9,583
Instructional Expenditures: $68,429,000 $5,131 32%
Student and Staff Support: $18,657,000 $1,399 9%
Administration: $14,537,000 $1,090 7%
Operations, Food Service, Other: $26,171,000 $1,962 12%
Total Capital Outlay: $75,628,000 $5,671
Construction: $65,044,000 $4,877
Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: $151,000 $11
Interest on Debt: $7,608,000 $570

Academic performance

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements. To protect student privacy, percentages are reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five or fewer students were included in a data set, the data will display as "PS."[4]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 14 30-39 6-9 12 <=20 30-39 30-34
2018-2019 35 60-69 25-29 34 <50 20-29 55-59
2017-2018 28 50-59 20-24 26 <50 30-39 45-49
2016-2017 20 50-59 15-19 18 <=20 30-34
2015-2016 3 <=10 <=5 2 <50 6-9
2014-2015 28 50-59 15-19 27 21-39 40-44
2013-2014 53 70-79 40-44 51 30-39 65-69
2012-2013 49 80-89 40-44 46 21-39 65-69
2011-2012 51 70-79 40-44 48 40-49 67
2010-2011 52 70-74 35-39 51 50-59 70

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2020-2021 22 40-49 20-24 20 <=20 40-49 40-44
2018-2019 36 60-69 25-29 34 <50 30-39 50-54
2017-2018 30 40-49 20-24 28 <50 20-29 50-54
2016-2017 23 50-59 15-19 20 <=20 35-39
2015-2016 14 30-34 6-9 12 21-39 25-29
2014-2015 23 30-39 15-19 22 <=20 35-39
2013-2014 84 >=90 80-84 83 70-79 85-89
2012-2013 81 >=90 65-69 81 60-79 85-89
2011-2012 77 80-89 70-74 76 70-79 87
2010-2011 74 75-79 70-74 73 60-69 88

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:

School year All (%) Asian/Pacific Islander (%) Black (%) Hispanic (%) Native American (%) Two or More Races (%) White (%)
2019-2020 89 >=95 85-89 89 >=80 80-84 85-89
2018-2019 89 >=95 90-94 89 >=80 80-89 85-89
2017-2018 90 >=95 90-94 90 80-89 80-89 90-94
2016-2017 89 >=95 85-89 89 >=80 85-89
2015-2016 89 >=90 90-94 89 >=80 90-94
2014-2015 85 >=95 80-84 85 60-79 85-89
2013-2014 80 >=90 80-84 79 70-79 85
2012-2013 79 >=90 70-74 79 60-79 81
2011-2012 81 90-94 80-84 81 60-69 84
2010-2011 86 >=90 80-84 85 60-79 90

Students

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]

Year Enrollment Year-to-year change (%)
2023-2024 13,665 -0.6
2022-2023 13,741 3.0
2021-2022 13,335 6.7
2020-2021 12,442 -0.4
2019-2020 12,496 4.3
2018-2019 11,956 0.4
2017-2018 11,909 7.1
2016-2017 11,066 -3.2
2015-2016 11,419 2.5
2014-2015 11,132 3.9
2013-2014 10,697 5.8
2012-2013 10,077 3.1
2011-2012 9,766 3.8
2010-2011 9,391 2.3
2009-2010 9,173 1.6
2008-2009 9,028 4.3
2007-2008 8,641 7.1
2006-2007 8,030 6.7
2005-2006 7,493 15.7
2004-2005 6,316 13.1
2003-2004 5,487 9.0
2002-2003 4,993 5.8
2001-2002 4,704 5.5
2000-2001 4,446 3.3
1999-2000 4,300 0.0
Racial Demographics, 2023-2024
RACE Tolleson Union High School District (%) Arizona K-12 STUDENTS (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native 1.3 4.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander 1.7 3.2
Black 10.5 5.8
Hispanic 78.6 48.2
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.4
Two or More Races 2.3 4.3
White 5.4 33.9

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Staff

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[6]

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Tolleson Union High School District had 611.80 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 22.34.

Teachers, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF TEACHERS
Prekindergarten: 0.00
Kindergarten: 0.00
Elementary: 0.00
Secondary: 611.80
Total: 611.80

Tolleson Union High School District employed 22.00 district administrators and 35.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.

Administrators, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS
District Administrators: 22.00
District Administrative Support: 48.76
School Administrators: 35.00
School Administrative Support: 57.04
Other staff, 2023-2024 school year
TYPE NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF
Instructional Aides: 133.72
Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: 14.00
Total Guidance Counselors: 40.80
Elementary Guidance Counselors: 0.00
Secondary Guidance Counselors: 40.80
Librarians/Media Specialists: 7.00
Library/Media Support: 0.00
Student Support Services: 125.56
Other Support Services: 252.32

Schools

The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

The Tolleson Union High School District operates eight schools. They are listed below in alphabetical order.
List of schools
SCHOOL NAMENUMBER OF STUDENTSGRADES
Copper Canyon High School2,1559-12
La Joya Community High School2,1739-12
Sierra Linda High School1,8609-12
Tolleson Union High School2,4679-12
Tolleson Virtual High School09-12
University High School4009-12
West Point High School2,8779-12
Westview High School1,7339-12

School board meetings

The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.

School board meeting articles (click to collapse)

About school boards

Education legislation in Arizona

Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.

See also

School Boards Education Policy Local Politics Arizona
School Board badge.png
Education Policy Icon.png
Local Politics Image.jpg
Seal of Arizona.png

External links

  • Office website
  • Search Google News for this topic

    • Footnotes

    1. ↑ Office of the Maricopa County School Superintendent, "Recall elections," accessed July 21, 2025
    2. ↑ Tolleson Union High School District, "Governing Board," accessed July 22, 2025
    3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    4. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
    5. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    6. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    7. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
    v • e
    Arizona school districts
    Flag of Arizona
    v • e
    State of Arizona
    Phoenix (capital)
    Elections

    What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

    Government

    Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Tolleson_Union_High_School_District,_Arizona,_elections&oldid=10499011"