Yuma Union High presenters say district continues to outpace state on dropout rates

Dropout-prevention staff told the Yuma Union High School District governing board on the 2025–26 school-year agenda that the district again outperformed Arizona’s statewide dropout rate for 2024–25.

The presentation, introduced by Miss Kampa and led by district specialists including Eris Bay Garcia and Edgardo Gonzalez, said the district has maintained the trend since 2012 and attributes the results to proactive monitoring and outreach. "These numbers are not just data points. They represent lives that have been changed," one presenter said.

Presenters described a multi-pronged approach: regular attendance monitoring using 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-day reports; immediate outreach to families and students showing attendance patterns; persistent contact with withdrawn students including home visits; and partnerships with teachers, registrars, social workers, alternative schools and community agencies. Staff said the hardest-to-reach students are those who hit 10 consecutive absences and are dropped for nonattendance, and the team works to intervene before that threshold.

Officials said they will expand research into subgroups with higher dropout figures and implement earlier supports for those populations. They also said the district is increasing social-emotional supports and strengthening family and community partnerships to help students feel they belong and to encourage daily attendance.

The presentation closed with a thank-you to campus administrators and the board for ongoing support. No formal action was required or taken on the presentation.