Cartwright Elementary School District


Cartwright Elementary School District is a school district in Phoenix, Arizona, United States which operates 21 schools in the city's Maryvale neighborhood. The district contains twelve K-5 elementary schools, four K-8 elementary schools, four 6th-8th grade middle schools and a preschool. that serve more than 18,000 students.

Early history

The area at 51st Avenue and Thomas Road was settled and homesteaded by Reddick Jasper Cartwright, a native of Illinois, in 1877. In 1884, Tom Brockman, a native of California and fellow homesteader, donated land at 59th Avenue and Thomas Road for a school site. Cartwright and his neighbors raised enough funds to build the first one-room school house. In 1921, Cartwright School joined a neighboring school known as Independence and the Cartwright School District was founded. Mr. Glenn L. Downs became the first superintendent of the district in 1928. Mr. Downs and his family lived in the residence which is currently the Cartwright Heritage House. The two-story original all brick structure was replaced with the structure which stands today. The Cartwright School was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Schools