The Saddle Mountain Unified School District is located in Tonopah, a rural area in far west Maricopa County. With a population of under 5,000, there is certainly room for growth, and growing we are, with an average population increase of about 36 percent. We encompass more than 500 square miles of land in Tonopah and Buckeye and have purchased land neighboring our current schools to allow for growth when necessary.

Tonopah rests at an elevation of about 1,100 feet and enjoys the mild winter temperatures for which Arizona is famous. We are located near the White Tank Mountain Park as well as Estrella Mountain Regional Park, both perfect for hiking.

SMUSD serves students from both Tonopah and neighboring Buckeye. We strive to hire and retain the best teachers possible. We encourage our teachers to become lifelong learners, with nearly half holding a master’s degree or beyond.

Provide a safe learning environment for our students to achieve their maximum potential for lifelong success.

We continually strive to raise the bar and have set these goals as a vision of where we would like to be. You will notice that some of these goals have already been accomplished.
1. High Student Achievement

• Continually improve AIMS scores
• All schools designated as “Performing Plus"
• Meet Standards set by NCLB, including meeting AYP

2. Quality of Personnel

• Hire a Superintendent, Business Manager, and TVHS Principal of high quality
• Recruit, retain, mentor, and train quality teachers

3. Effective Use of Resources

• Improve overall financial situation
• Increase use of volunteers
• Increase Tax Credit contributions

4. Community Pride

• Establish and distribute throughout our community the Governing Board’s newsletter
• Improve the district Web site