Verrado High School

Verrado High School
Address
20050 W. Indian School Road Buckeye , Arizona 85396 United States
Coordinates	33°29′39″N 112°29′29″W
Information
School type	Public high school
Motto	"Guess whos back loser"
Established	2006
School district	Agua Fria Union High School District
Principal	Nate Showman
Faculty	87.40 (FTE)
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	1,691 (2021-22)
Student to teacher ratio	20.29
Color(s)	Vegas Gold and Black
Athletics conference	AIA Division II/III
Mascot	Viper
Website	[1]

Verrado High School is a public high school in the Verrado community of Buckeye, Arizona, United States operated by the Agua Fria Union High School District.

Admissions

The school is part of the Agua Fria Union High School District serving Maricopa County, Arizona.

The National Center for Education Statistics reported that in 2020 and 2021, the ethnic demographics of students was 46.1% Caucasian, 41.6% Hispanic and Latino American, 6% African American, 2.3% Asian American, and 4% other including American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander American, and multiple raced backgrounds.

Campus

The school's campus, which began construction in 2005, is 220,000 square feet (20,000 m²) in size, designed for an enrollment of 1,600 students.

Designed by architecture firm Orcutt | Winslow, the school is divided into multiple wings corresponding to letters in the English alphabet; the first five wings are dedicated to classrooms and staff facilities while the remaining wings correspond with various locations. All classrooms, with the exception of classrooms in the E-wing, do not have walls facing the hallways they are contained in, while classrooms in the E-wing contain large windows designed for students to be able to view within them. The open-classroom approach is designed for students to focus in class and become immune to outside noises and potential distractions, as well as encouraging communication between classrooms and teachers.

The school began construction on solar panels located on the roof of the school in 2010. It was estimated that some 40 percent of the entire district's energy needs will come from these solar panels, along with those of Desert Edge High School, upon completion.

Athletics

The school's team, the Verrado Vipers, are typically part of Division II or III in the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA). The Vipers compete in every sport under the AIA, with the exception of boys' volleyball and badminton.

Controversy

In 2018, the school garnered attention for an incident with the varsity baseball team; a witness reportedly saw members of the team remove each other's pants on a bus ride home.

Awards and recognition

Newsweek placed the school No. 1,586 in its 2013 list of America's Best High Schools, and one of America's Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post.

The school's campus won the Education Design Showcase 2007 Project of Distinction Award.