Education

Public Education

Antelope Union High School District:

Located in Wellton, Arizona Antelope Union High School District serves the community of eastern Yuma County. Students from the Hyder, Mohawk Valley, and Wellton elementary school districts attend Antelope High School after eighth grade. Elementary schools that feed into Yuma Union High School District include Crane Elementary School District, Yuma Elementary School District, Gadsden Elementary School District, Somerton Elementary School District, and area private schools.

Crane School District:

Crane School District was named “Best Elementary” and “Best Middle Schools” from USA Today in 2024. For over 100 years, Crane School District has been committed to providing the highest quality of education to every student in preschool through eighth grade. We are very proud of the high standards of academic achievement attained by our students and staff. It is the district's mission to grow a community of curious change makers through innovative problem solving.

STEADY- Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma

STEDY Southwest Technical Education District of Yuma provides improved job skills training for high school students. A CTED is an independent school district specifically established to provide approved career and technical education (CTE) or "vocational" programs to high school students. STEDY currently offers a diverse range of Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes designed to prepare students for in-demand careers. These programs include Medical Assisting and Digital Animation, both boasting a 100% completion rate, as well as Cosmetology Hairstyling, Business Management, Drafting CAD, Electrical Technologies, Homeland Security, Organizational Leadership, Manufacturing, HVAC, Network Security, and Software Development, which has a 75% completion rate. These courses provide students with hands-on experience and the skills needed to succeed in their chosen fields.

Yuma School District One:

With a population of nearly 9,000 kindergarten through eighth grade students and over 1,300 employees, Yuma Elementary School District One is the largest elementary school district in Yuma County, and we are continuing to grow. The district operates 13 elementary, three junior high, two middle schools, and an online school. District One believes education should be an adventure in which every child is thrilled to learn. By designing an environment that challenges students to develop their innate talents and abilities to the fullest, we know our students will continue to enrich the Yuma community.

Yuma Union High School District

Yuma Union High School District covers the western part of Yuma County from the Gila Mountains west and south to the international border. Yuma Union High School District oversees the operation of six high schools with a total student population of over 10,000 high school students. Students from the Crane, Yuma, Gadsden, Somerton, and area private schools attend Yuma Union High School District schools after eighth grade. The Early College STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Math) Academy was initially funded through a grant received by Arizona Western College from the Science Foundation of Arizona. In partnership with YUHSD, AWC, the University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and the support of the local community, local students are provided with an education to prepare them to fill long-­‐time vacant STEAM-based jobs in the Yuma area.

Private Education

Yuma County is home to 19 private schools, offering a wide range of educational opportunities for students from kindergarten through 12th grade. These include well-established institutions such as Freedom Christian Academy, Gowan Science Academy, Yuma Lutheran School, and Southwestern Christian School. Other options include Yuma Christian Academy, Menta Academy Yuma, Yuma Catholic High School, and Harvest Preparatory Academy's Yuma Campus. Additionally, schools like Desert View Academy, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, AmeriSchools Academy Yuma North and South, Gila Mountain Christian Academy, and Immaculate Conception School provide varied curricula and learning environments. Flex It Academy Learning Centers, Educational Opportunity Center Charter High School, Little Hands Academy, Yuma Adventist Christian School, and Agnus Dei Academy further contribute to the diversity of private school education available in the region.

College and Universities

Arizona State University- ASU Local

ASU Local is a new college program designed for academic, personal and professional goals. ASU Local brings ASU’s top-ranked yet cost-effective undergraduate degree programs to students in Yuma, Arizona.

The ASU Local and Arizona Western College collaboration bolsters the two institutions’ commitment to bringing the highest quality bachelor’s degree experience to students in the Greater Yuma region. This collaboration empowers learners to thrive, grow and contribute to their own community.

The ASU Local experience is designed to guide students every step of the way through their bachelor’s degree. This approach ensures seamless credit transfer and degree completion to prepare graduates for success in careers of the future.

Arizona Western College

Arizona Western College (AWC) is located just seven miles from Yuma, Arizona, with additional branch centers in San Luis, Somerton, and Yuma itself. The college offers a variety of academic programs, including two-year Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, as well as vocational certificates. AWC's courses are designed to facilitate transfer to universities, making it convenient for students who wish to continue their education.

In terms of occupational degrees, AWC provides several options including Applied Agriculture, Industrial Maintenance and Instrumentation Technology, Industrial Technology, Industrial Water Treatment, Logistics Supply Chain Management, and Manufacturing Maintenance and Operations Technology. These programs cater to industries in the region and help equip students with practical skills for their future careers. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on these programs, it is recommended to visit AWC's official website.

The University of Arizona

The University of Arizona Yuma is a regional location that partners with Arizona Western College, Imperial Valley College in California and other Arizona community colleges.

The University of Arizona-Yuma offers a variety of degree programs across multiple fields of study, including a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering with a minor in Agriculture Engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Technology Management, and a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Plant Systems. The campus also provides specialized programs such as Biosystems Engineering with a focus on Food Systems and Processing. For those interested in foundational studies, there is an Associate of Arts in Agricultural Science and an Associate of Science in Crop Production. Additionally, the University offers occupational certifications in Food Science and Safety, Plant Science, Animal Science, and Food Production, catering to the region's agricultural and food industry needs.

Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University shares a campus with Arizona Western Collegeand offers bachelor’s and graduate programs in southwest Arizona. Currently NAU offers about 20 bachelor’s and 10 graduate programs in Yuma by usingresident faculty and state­‐of‐the‐art distance learning technologies such as web and interactive television courses.In the bachelors program, AWC provides freshman and sophomore courses, and NAU provides the junior and senior courses.

Bi-National Education

Mexicali is home to multiple public universities such as: Autonomous University of Baja California - Campus Mexicali (UABC), Universidad Politécnica de Baja California, and the Mexicali Institute of Technology. It is also home to private universities: Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (CETYS), University of the Valley of Mexico (UVM), and Xochicalco University.

4FrontED engaged Mexicali in discussions about possible collaborations in higher education between the United States and Mexico. Many entities collectively came together in March 2016 to sign a memorandum of understanding. The MOU stated the universities would continue to work together in the binational megaregion on making higher education more accessible to students on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border and that they would be cross-collaborating on programs and academic curricula. The alliance between the universities, known as the “Four Borders International Academic Alliance, which is a five-year, nonbinding understanding encouraging collaborations between 11 schools on binational degree programs, classes, student exchanges, and research.