NUSD #1 is located about an hour south of Tucson in the beautiful mountains of Southern Arizona. The City of Nogales is a fantastic place to live and work. It is a progressive city that has successfully maintained its small town charm, rich traditions, and vibrant culture. The city is the county seat for Santa Cruz County and shares the international border with Nogales-Sonora, its sister city in Mexico.

Our school district serves approximately 5,800 students in 11 schools, which include a preschool program, six elementary schools, two middle schools, an online school and two high schools, with one of the highest graduation rates in the State of Arizona. Located in the southern part of Santa Cruz County, our students and families bring to our school community a rich cultural background that reflects life on both sides of the border. Also, NUSD #1 is one of the largest employers in the county with over 600 teachers and school staff-support staff serving our district.

Most importantly, Nogales is the type of city where “a kid can be a kid.” Far removed from the hustle and bustle of big city life, Nogales is a place where parents can feel safe, being one of the safest places to live, with nurturing schools and caring neighbors. Come join us here at Nogales Unified School District #1. We can’t wait to meet you!

Dear Nogales Families and Community,

It is with great excitement and pleasure that we prepare to welcome back our NUSD students and families for the start of the 2023-2024 school year.

Whether enrolled at one of our ten traditional brick-and-mortar schools or attending school virtually through enrollment at NUSD Online (a K-12 school), students and families will enjoy working collaboratively with our dedicated team of administrators, teachers, and staff who strive to provide excellence in education each and every day. NUSD schools provide exemplary academic programs, as evidenced by the A and B Letter Grades issued by the State of Arizona, while offering a wide variety of enriching co-curricular and extracurricular activities at all grade levels. These programs are made possible through strong community partnerships and community support for the District’s Maintenance & Operation Override. Additionally, our partnership with the Santa Cruz County Boys and Girls Club enters its second year, allowing us to offer other supplementary academic and enrichment programs at A.J. Mitchell Elementary, Mary L. Welty Elementary and Wade Carpenter Middle School.

I am so proud of the hard work all of our staff have been engaged in this summer to expand dual-enrollment opportunities at the high school level and to implement new curriculum in English Language Arts, K-12 mathematics, and K-5 science. This year we will also be adopting new textbooks and materials for grade 6-12 science and K-12 social studies to enable our students to meet or exceed academic standards and graduate from our district both college and career ready.

Through the receipt of additional grant funding, we have also implemented added safety measures this summer at all schools to provide a safe and secure learning environment for all students. We will also continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students to meet their nutritional needs and support learning. Furthermore, we are dedicated to the continued pursuit of additional funding to maintain our school facilities to meet the high standards that the NUSD community has come to expect and that our children deserve.

Classes begin on August 9, 2023, and families who have not yet registered their children for the new school year can still do so using the online application or by going in-person to the district registration office (351 W. Plum Street, Nogales, AZ). Additional registration information can be found going to this page..

Please accept my wishes for a very successful school year and my sincere thanks to all of the NUSD staff, students, families, and community partners as you are the reason NUSD is #1!

Sincerely,

Angelina “Angel” Canto,
NUSD#1 Superintendent