A new seventh-to-12th grade model at Cactus High School in Glendale, Arizona, has proved so popular that the Peoria Unified School District has already filled its 350 places and begun a waiting list.
The scheme allows pupils in years equivalent to the UK’s first two years of secondary school to study on a high-school campus while remaining in separate areas designed specifically for younger students.
Peoria Unified’s governing board approved the change on March 12, 2026, with the new model launching for the 2026-27 school year. The district says it is intended to broaden academic, career and technical opportunities for pupils before they reach ninth grade.
Students can choose from 16 electives across creative arts, career exploration and physical education. Those taking the integrated-accelerated route can combine seventh- and eighth-grade mathematics and may earn high-school maths credits as early as eighth grade.
Becky Proudfit, clerk of the district’s governing board, said the approach was designed to support different ambitions, whether pupils were preparing for college or seeking technical qualifications before graduation.
“With this integrated model, you really can support every student who wants all the opportunities going into the next phase of their life,” she said.
The younger pupils have dedicated classrooms in the school’s Cobra Courtyard and separate facilities, including toilets, changing rooms, breakfast areas and lunch periods. They also have age-specific electives, clubs and events, while still being able to benefit from facilities and programmes traditionally associated with high school.
Cactus principal Kristi Hammer said safeguarding and confidence-building had been central to the design.
“We really wanted people to feel safe and secure with it and allow our junior highers to come into their own,” she said.
For the pupils taking part, the move has provided an early introduction to new subjects and a different learning environment. Seventh-grader Ameera Copeland said the programme was helping prepare her for the next stages of school, while eighth-grader Joseph Ornelas said it offered “a lot of opportunities”.
Another eighth-grader, Jaxon Bejcek, said pupils had been made to feel welcome by both staff and classmates.
The district has also described the change as a way of making better use of existing school buildings as enrolment declines. Pupils from the Cactus area are being brought together at the campus, while some students from nearby elementary schools are moving into the new seventh- and eighth-grade provision.
Peoria Unified says Cactus is the only school in the West Valley offering this type of 7-12 model. Its official information says the campus can enrol pupils from the boundaries of Canyon, Foothills, Kachina and Pioneer elementary schools, with places also available through a voluntary choice option.
