Marana Unified School District in January opened enrollment applications for Marana Vista Academy, the district’s newest high school set to open in the fall.
Marana Vista Academy is a ninth-12th grade school at 8333 N. Silverbell Road that is expected to have 100 students enrolled when classes begin on Aug. 4. The school has capacity for 400 students, district officials said.
The school was formerly a vacant urgent care and medical offices building. The district bought the 34,700-square-foot building in early 2020 for $4.2 million with no set plans for its use.
MUSD spent an additional $400,000 for renovation while the state kicked in $12.2 million – the first time it has ever funded a school renovation project.
Marana Vista Academy was created to relieve attendance issues at Marana High School and Mountain View High School.
“All three of our high schools are at max capacity,” said Allison Benjamin, the public relations and community engagement director of the district. The district doesn’t qualify for an additional high school currently, so the renovation gives it needed educational space without having to build new.
It took two years for the school’s governing board to plan the renovation, working with district families and students to determine the facility’s overall direction.
Students attending Marana Vista will be “concurrently enrolled in Marana High School or Mountain View High School,” said Benjamin.
This means that students can still participate in athletics and extracurriculars can be used through their primary campus.
Marana Vista Academy will provide opportunities and experiences for students to work within the community through career-driven programs offered by the district, internships, interviews and skill expansion.
The career-driven programs include healthcare, dental hygiene and automotive work and can be personalized. “It’s not completely GPA driven,” said Benjamin.
While students work towards their career goals, they will be enrolled in their core courses (science, math, social studies and english) alongside their choices. Students can receive certifications for their programs when complete.
The academy is available to all students in ninth-12th grade wanting to explore careers as individuals or groups while completing their primary education.
MUSD will hold an open house in June 2025 when renovations are expected to be finished.
For more information about Marana Vista Academy, you can access their official page at maranausd.org.
Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.
