Chino Valley, AZ: 25% of students in SPED; SPED numbers up, enrollment down

Aug 12, 2026, Daily Courier: CVUSD general enrollment down continues to decline; special needs enrollment on the rise | News | dcourier.com

Chino Valley Unified School District enrollment is down 3% from last year — less than expected, according to Superintendent Cindy Daniels.

The CVUSD Governing Board discussed enrollment trends, a new construction update and IEP student services at its first meeting of the school year on Monday, Aug. 10.

Daniels told the board that 2,013 students were enrolled in the district as of noon that day, a 3% decline from the previous year. The district has faced declining enrollment in recent years, averaging 4% loss per year for the past four years, Daniels said. However, the district budgeted for a 7% to 8% decline for this school year.

Despite the decline in general enrollment, Dr. Nicole Burdett, exceptional student services director, pointed out that special needs enrollment is on the rise, with 492 currently enrolled, making up nearly 25% of the district’s student population. Burdett said she expects to reach 500 IEP students by next week.

Daniels also provided an update regarding a construction project the district is undertaking to replace classrooms deemed at the end of their useful life by the state. The district is relying on state funding for the project through the governor’s office.

Daniels explained that because of that designation, the district cannot legally use grant funds to repair the classrooms, and that it cannot afford to fund the construction project alone, making it reliant on emergency deficiency correction funding from the state. . . .

She said that poor cost estimation by the district’s school board facilities advocate

Daniels says given the developments, the new project won’t move forward until next summer at the earliest. She said she is in talks to host the CBS program 60 Minutes for coverage of Arizona’s capital funding deficiencies.