The Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) confirmed Monday night that Dunham Elementary School will not be recommended for closure in the upcoming 2027‑28 school year. The east‑side school, which carries an A grade from the state, currently serves roughly 125 students and will stay open, overturning an earlier proposal to merge it with Marshall Elementary.
Background on the proposed realignment
Earlier in the year, TUSD administrators outlined a broad realignment plan that would have affected ten schools for the 2027‑28 school year. The original list included the closure of Dunham Elementary and its consolidation with Marshall Elementary, a B‑rated school located about a mile away on East 29th Street. Both schools were operating at roughly 40 % capacity, prompting the district to consider consolidation as a way to better utilize resources.
Marshall Elementary, which serves preschool through fifth grade, enrolls about 200 students. The district’s data showed that each school was significantly under‑enrolled, leading to the initial recommendation to combine the two campuses.
Revised plan and upcoming board actions
In a recent update, the district announced that Dunham will remain open, while the merger with Marshall will not proceed as originally planned. The decision reflects community input and a reassessment of enrollment trends. The board will discuss the remaining realignment proposals at its Governing Board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Catalina High School auditorium.
Other schools still on the agenda include:
- Steele Elementary – closing and merging into Booth‑Fickett K‑8
- Secrist Middle School – closing and merging into Santa Rita High School
- Cavett Elementary – closing and merging into Utterback Middle School
Additionally, the district has pushed back the timeline for the proposed closure of Magee Middle School and its merger with Sabino High School to the 2028‑29 school year. Six more schools are slated for discussion for the 2028‑29 cycle, with a public hearing set for Tuesday, Nov. 17 at Saguaro High School. A final board vote on the entire realignment package is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Community response and next steps
Parents, teachers, and local residents will have the opportunity to comment for up to three minutes during the Nov. 10 board meeting. The district encourages community members to attend and share their perspectives on the proposed closures and consolidations.
While the removal of Dunham Elementary from the closure list is a win for families in the east side of Tucson, the broader realignment effort remains a contentious issue. Stakeholders continue to monitor enrollment data and district finances as TUSD works to balance fiscal responsibility with the goal of providing quality education in smaller, well‑resourced schools.
For more information about the upcoming board meeting, visit the TUSD website or contact the district’s public affairs office.
Original reporting: Arizona Luminaria — read the source article.
