A rapidly growing school district on the northwest side of Phoenix is asking voters next week to approve a $127 million bond that will pay for the construction of a new high school while also addressing a series of facility upgrade projects.
Encompassing a district that is one of the ten largest in Arizona and physically takes in some 140 square miles, the Dysart Unified School District is made up of just over two dozen schools, providing classroom space to around 24,000 students.
The new high school is planned for construction in the district’s Asante community, which is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the fast-growing district. It is also a district, as noted by one letter writer to the newspaper Surprise Independent of “thousands of young families.”
Statistics tell the story, with the district’s enrollment jumping from 4,600 in the year 2000 to 13,500 five years later, flirting with 20,000 in the next decade.
The upgrade projects include the modernization of heating and cooling systems, new roofing, and building weatherization. An additional project will see the construction of a new auditorium for the Dysart High School
The bond proposal comes one year after a similar effort, asking for the same amount, was rejected by district voters on 53% to 47% vote. A larger bond of $192 million, however, was approved by district voters in 2006 by a 65% to 35% margin.
October 31, 2025
By Garry Boulard
