Tempe Elementary School District


The Tempe Elementary School District is a school district in Tempe, Arizona.
The Tempe Elementary School District is located in the heart of the “Valley of the Sun”. It encompasses an area of approximately including not only Tempe but also parts of Phoenix and the Town of Guadalupe. Arizona State University, the fifth largest campus in the nation is within the district's boundaries providing professional and educational opportunities.
The 21 schools in the Tempe Elementary School District consist of 14 elementary schools grades kindergarten through five, a developmental special needs school, an Intervention Learning Program middle school, four middle schools grades six through eight, a k-8 school, and a K-8 traditional school.

Governing Board Members

The Tempe Elementary School District has five members, each serving four year terms.
  • Charlotte Winsor, President
  • Allison Ewers, Vice President
  • Jim Lemmon, Member
  • Eric Miller, Member
  • Ray Thiry, ''Member''

Native American absenteeism

In 2007, it launched a program to reduce absenteeism among its 1,200 Native American students. A district supervision commented that some Native American parents had negative perceptions of schools. The program includes liaisons with parents and help with resources ranging from alarm clocks to transportation.

School Name Changes

In 2021, staffers from the Arizona Historical Society and Tempe History Museum found that several Tempe parks and streets had been named after local Ku Klux Klan members from the 1920s, including three TESD schools. Following several public meetings, the District decided to change the names of the affected schools.
In 2022, the three schools had their names changed. Hudson Elementary became Joseph Spracale Elementary, Gililland Middle School became Geneva Epps Mosley Middle School, and Laird School became Cecil Shamley School. All three schools were named after former Tempe educators.

Preschools

Elementary schools

  • Joseph Spracale Elementary School

Middle schools

  • Geneva Epps Mosley Middle School

K-8 schools

  • Cecil Shamley School