Buena High School in Sierra Vista | Military Town Advisor

Category	Rating	Details
College Readiness	5/10	The College Readiness Rating uses this high school's graduation rates, college entrance exam participation and performance, or AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment participation to determine how well schools are preparing students for success in college and beyond. The College Readiness Rating was created using the following data from the 2021 Civil Rights Data Collection: percentage of students enrolled in IB, AP or Dual Enrollment classes in grades 9-12, using 2025 4-year high school graduation rate data from Arizona Department of Education, using 2025 ACT percent college ready data from Arizona Department of Education, and using 2025 demographic data from Arizona Department of Education.
Student Growth	6/10	The Student Progress Rating measures whether students at this school are making academic progress over time based on student growth data provided by the Department of Education. Specifically, this rating looks at how much progress individual students have made on state assessments during the past year or more, how this performance aligns with expected progress based on a student growth model established by the state Department of Education, and how this school's growth data compares to other schools in the state. The Growth Rating was created using 2025 Student growth data from Arizona Department of Education.

Posted: February 7, 2026

I have had 3 sons attend this high school. Now that we live in a different state and have kids at a different high school I can compare. Buena has some great teachers, Mrs. Adams the biology teacher is fantastic. Buenas engineering program is great too. Buenas athletic program is good. My biggest complaint is that they could not offer the AP programs that most high schools around the country do. I think they lack the teachers. When my boys were there they didnt offer any foreign language above year 2. AP physics and AP chemistry are not offered. If you wanted to take Calculus they partnered with the community college for dual enrollment. The problem with that is if you go to an out of state college they wont accept your credits, we would have much rather them offer AP. AP scores go everywhere. They did offer AP language, but not AP literature. So make sure you check out the class offerings before you commit. The environment at the school is not great either. Its overcrowded and lots of bad things happening according to my boys.

Posted: November 14, 2025

Gym basketball courts smelled like vomit and feces combined into one all senior year

Posted: May 23, 2025

This school is such a dissapointment they are in 4 million dollars of debt by the time i wrote this the teachers are a gamble if you will have a good one and i learned that the only way you can fully learn is to teach yourself however some notes are they take care of special needs people quite well however you might just wanna take your kid to tombstone because this was the worst 2 years of my highschool experience (also might not wanna keep cash in your wallet and many people dont speak english there) the overall is its a 2 star because of if you are lucky to get a good teacher and the school staff. If not i wish i could give this nightmare of a place a 0.

Posted: April 16, 2025

The school has poor online security, often blocking me from being able to look up anything with a Facebook or Reddit page ( I don't have to click the link). This has blocked me from looking up and researching many topics and will continue to inhibit my learning experience.

Posted: February 1, 2024

Honestly the school itself is pretty nice but it's the teachers and the faculty that are just so disrespectful and really don't care if there teaching us I use to go here and there was always fights and teachers never helped me even when I asked for it, it got so bad my mom had to put me online because the teachers just DID NOT HELP and some of them flat out didn't like me and would give me a hard time in class I really don't recommend this school your honestly better off doing online or driving a couple minutes out of town to go to a better school.

I will add as a side note though the theatre teachers are super helpful and honestly the best staff there <3.

Posted: April 27, 2023

A lot of issues with this school, but it's the only public high school in the area. Some teachers are great, but most don't care if your child is struggling. If you're having issues financially (layoff during covid for us) you're going to have issues. There are fees for the classes that they don't tell you about, and if you can't afford them they pile up and your child can't graduate until they're paid. They will throw your kids food away in front of them if their lunch account is short. The special education counselor is amazing, but shes the only one who has done anything to help my disabled son. They straight up ignored my younger sons 504, and he eventually refused to go because one techer in particular would embarrass him in front of the class. He ended up going to an online school.

Posted: August 23, 2022

Worst school the teachers don't teach you nothing what you need for learning. They teach you the same thing over again. Their so many fights and bomb threats over the years. Their also shootings as well. Their were times the teachers would not care about the students what they are learning. And there's also times that your grade can go down if you work hard for your grades. So please don't take your children here.

Posted: April 23, 2021

Worst school I have ever had the misfortune to have to interact with. My daughter is a Senior with 27 credit and is now in danger of not graduating because they have a policy that college courses are equivalent in weight or less then a high school course. So that means if you take English 101 you have to take English 201 also to get your Senior year credit. Even though English 101 is a college
Level class. They do the same in history and math also. So they force the children to not be able to get ahead by taking college classes. In fact they punish them for wanting to get dual credit and get ahead in life. Unbelievable! And they also dont offer assistance they actually told my child to go look for help from another teacher, after they failed to make sure (based on their backwards standards that do not line up with the state schools standards), to try to accomplish another 3 credits to graduate. Yep you got that right. She has 27 credits out of 22 and needs 3 more. 4 weeks before graduation in which one email was sent in January to the student not the parent. Backwards hick school with no ethics.
DO NOT SEND YPU CHILD HERE!!!

Posted: April 23, 2021

Posted: July 10, 2019

I reported a bullying incident and they told the bully to stop instead of returning my call so I could explain the situation involving a child with an IEP. This could have escalated the situation, luckily it did not.

Posted: July 10, 2019

I was denied a copy of the IEP at the IEP meeting. The IEP was incomplete. They refused to provide the services that were mandated on the IEP from another state. For 2019-20 they are cutting critical classes for my child that means they will continue to not be in compliance with federal law. They have fired most paras so children just needing a little support to be successful will not have it.

Posted: July 10, 2019

I have received more emails from companies advertising products from my school account than I have from teachers and staff. As a parent, I have no idea what the homework policy is, my children rarely have any. One teacher, English, has communicated, cares about the students learning and being successful. She is the exception; the communication as a whole is terrible.

Posted: July 10, 2019

Several teachers care about kids however the system has set them up for failure. Several of the better teachers are leaving. My children have reported watching lots of movies for entertainment.

Posted: July 10, 2019

The swim program is a shining exception to the overall impressions of the school. The swim program works to build a strong community for its participants.

Posted: July 10, 2019

I attended two events in Fall 2018 in the evening when there was no toilet paper in any of the bathroom stalls. One of the students said, "They are often out of toilet paper."
We are actively looking for a job in another state. After a year in this school, we can't afford for our children's education to suffer any more than it already has. The solutions that the district is proposing to solve the money crisis do not address the cause of the issue. The state of Arizona needs to wake up and support education. The school district has less money because of a drop in enrollment. It has a drop in enrollment because of the terrible conditions. This spiral will continue until significant change happens.

Posted: May 15, 2019

I don't have any direct information pertaining to bullying. However, I can report that security guards have also been cut and the campus will be lacking that support.

Posted: May 15, 2019

Overall, this past year was our first. Very disappointed with admin, district and inability to openly communicate. If you have other choices for your student, I recommend looking in those. Unfortunately this is the only public high school readily available in the area. There are others; charter, private and out of district. They are all equally much smaller in student population and will each have limits on academic offerings. However at the rate Buena and SV district is going, what higher academic courses they once offered, will no longer be.
So disappointed in this community and it's leadership. Have they forgotten that these students are our future leaders? It's our job to provide academic opportunity to prepare them for college and employment beyond H.S. with viable skills and knowledge.

Posted: May 15, 2019

In-class assigned work sheets are the norm for many courses. At home work is rarely observed.

Posted: May 15, 2019

If you are fortunate to have a qualified honors or AP teacher, those are the teachers who are passionate about their work, however those are also the same teachers who are either being cut from payroll or leaving on their own due to current district financial crisis. The non honors/AP teachers clearly show frustration and overall fatigue dealing with the constant admin cuts and changes. The passion to teach is not abundant here.

Head music director of many years has been forced retired. AP English teacher, not returning. English department as a whole, will face several vacancies this coming fall 2019. Still no German teacher. Spanish only offered for 2 years. Many advanced academic programs going vacant and/or eliminated. There have been many great teachers here in recent times., but admin and district aren't effective in keeping them. Students will always suffer in the end. Filling vacancies with academically under qualified substitutes is not the answer for long term courses.

Posted: May 15, 2019

COMMUNICATION DEFICENCY! The admin suffers from a lack of proactive measures and appears to thrive in reactive extremes all while causing staff, student and parent uproar due to last minute changes and withholding information, especially when pertaining to associated fees.
Currently the admin plan is to "wait for the first day of school" in regards to schedule/class final assignments and the option for any class changes is no longer available. Admin knows ahead of time where the vacancies are but won't communicate that publicly which prevents students to make necessary class changes, but rather admin wishes to hold out until the last moment for a possible breathing-body to fill the needed vacancies and continue those classes. I find this leadership method unsettling and not supportive of staff or student success.

Posted: May 15, 2019

I don't have an opinion on these services. However, I suspect like all departments, this area too will face qualified staff and resources cuts.

Posted: April 19, 2019

Administration does not care about students or teachers all they care about is their bottom line. Jobs are cut including SpEd Para positions and not replaced. Teachers are leaving in droves and being totally disrespected by admin. The new Superintendent and Principal just don't care...the office is locked and you can't see the principal without an appt. what does that tell you? The teachers work hard and care about the kids...it's a shame the district doesn't!

Posted: March 13, 2019

Honors math classes assign homework, but it is a seldom occurrence that other classes assign it. This wouldn't be a problem if DFA assessments were being passed by a majority of the students, but they are not.

Posted: March 13, 2019

It is a mixed bag; some are and some are not. Some value rigor and uphold standards while others pass kids through.

Posted: March 13, 2019

Horrible. Beware: some teachers are passing kids through with assigning a 50% grade instead of 0% for work not handed in. This only teaches kids they can get away with doing nothing; it does not teach work ethic. It disheartens those who actually try as it is applied to some failing students but not those getting better grades.

Posted: March 13, 2019

There is no standardization of policy given to teachers on grading, DFA assessments, curriculum, etc. Classrooms are packed with apathetic children and it seems teachers are bewildered or apathetic themselves. The culture at this school is one of pass the kids through. Horrible. Beware: some teachers are passing kids through with assigning a 50% grade instead of 0% for work not handed in and leadership sanctions this,

Posted: March 13, 2019

Been trying to get our child a 504 for 8 months now.

Posted: March 13, 2019

Horrible. Beware: some teachers are passing kids through with assigning a 50% grade instead of 0% for work not handed in. This is applied unequally with some teachers doing it while others don't. It is also applied unequally with some failing students getting this help, but no C,B, or A average students receiving this favor. Disgraceful.

Posted: February 27, 2019

Students are disciplined with personal biases in mind, and theres little to be done about this as there is a pack mentality when it comes to the teachers about their students.

Posted: February 27, 2019

The teachers do not stick to the curriculum, and do a poor job (for the most part) of educating their students. There is not much help for students falling behind, but there are many opportunities for students who do exceptionally well.

Posted: February 27, 2019

The majority of teachers dont have any sort of curriculum, or at least dont have an organized way to actually teach what they are supposed to be teaching.

Posted: February 27, 2019

Save for a few passionate teachers, many are underpaid, bitter and are (for the most part) left to their own devices when it comes to what they feel they should teach.

Posted: February 27, 2019

The school isnt clear on how they expect their students to act. Discipline varies from classroom to classroom, and students feel that they are left on their own to develop these skills.

Posted: February 27, 2019

There are strong leadership roles at this school, and opportunities are plenty for students to take a personal role in their education.

Posted: February 27, 2019

Each teacher has a different way of teaching, a different homework/glasswork policy and set of class rules. This makes it hard to absorb information.

Posted: February 1, 2018

We are a military family and I nor my children will ever move back to this town. We have moved for the past 20 plus years and have never experienced such a horrible environment. If your kids are in elementary and middle school and you live on Fort Huachuca it is okay. If you have children in high school, stay away! It is horrible! Please do not take your high school children there!

Posted: May 1, 2017

Excellent staff and administration. Have had 3 kids graduate from Buena and all loved it.

Posted: May 1, 2017

Posted: February 6, 2017

Buena high school is by far the worst high school in Sierra Vista . There has been so many fights at the school and so many arrests in a salts has happened here I can't even keep count. Weapons have entered and exited the school without security knowing . I am a concerned parent to my child safety . I cannot believe how disgusted I am with this filthy school. Warning to any parents thinking about bringing their child here DONT, it's a huge mistake and you'll regret it and your child will regret it as well.

Posted: January 3, 2017

to much homework up everynight doing work from 2;40 to atleast 12;00am

Posted: January 3, 2017

I am a student there and the school it self is okay its normal and pretty decent but the teachers don't make an effort to teach or let u learn they throw work and say do it like I am currently failing 4 classes by 1 point up to 20 but the teachers don't care

Posted: December 13, 2016

Please don't send you children here!
This school will change them, for the worst. Many fights are at the school, arrest have happened many times here. Kids have been stabbed during fights. Many bully's are there, the teachers don't care as much. Wouldn't suggest going here.

Posted: September 15, 2015

You get out of school what you put into it! Buena has a lot of resources and activities to offer students. The staff is available for additional help via after school tutoring. It's the students who apply themselves and take advantage of the opportunity who succeed, regardless of sex or race. This school is 50% minority enrollment so I find it ridiculous to see parents claiming their child was discriminated against based on race. The rules apply to everyone! Parents, stop making excuses for your child because THAT is part of their problems!

Posted: September 15, 2015

You get out of school what you put into it! Buena has a lot of resources and activities to offer students. The staff is available for additional help via after school tutoring. It's the students who apply themselves and take advantage of the opportunity who succeed, regardless of sex or race. This school is 50% minority enrollment so I find it ridiculous to see parents claiming their child was discriminated against based on race. The rules apply to everyone! Parents, stop making excuses for your child because THAT is part of their problems!

Posted: October 26, 2014

My eldest son attended this school 6 years ago and was never happy with anything there and then my middle son attend his freshman year and then we moved away and returned last year. It was a difficult time for our family at this time for many reasons but he was excited to return here and see his old friends. Less then a month into school he got in trouble with 3 other boys for being out in the parking lot and smoking pot. They all were suspended as I see correct action but only expelled my son. It was not his car or confirmed not his drugs. I believe my son was punished more severe because of the color of his skin. The other boys were able to return to school with no further punishment. Unfair and unjust! But in the long run this is the best thing Buena could have done. My son now attends Berean Academy and has been there 1 1/2 doing better then ever, involved, teachers love him and he feels good there.

Posted: September 23, 2014

This district needs to change their discipline policy for students who assault other students. The maximum they get is 9 days, yes 9 days! The only reason they get 9 days is because if they are absent more than 10 days they must be disenrolled. Who cares, expel them make them accountable for their actions then maybe the parents will step in and do something to make them live a normal and productive life. Not one where you go around thinking you can do whatever to whomever you want. It's time to take a stand against bullying.

Posted: March 12, 2014

I absolutely love this school for my kids. the Academics and extra curricular activities are amazing, and the teachers really care. I feel so safe leaving my kids at school in the morning, knowing I have nothing to worry about, that they will be well protected and in a nurturing environment while there. I have many choices for high schools, and I choose Buena for my children.

Posted: March 9, 2014

Unfortunately I would have to agree with many of the parents and students that have commented. I am so grateful I have no more children to put through the public school system. When we moved here my child excelled in AP level classes. We transferred here during the school year and the school would not even recognize her previous AP placements. They enrolled her is lower level classes. She was bored and frustrated. In addition to her years at Buena she felt like nothing more than a number. My student was so disappointed by the size and layout of the school and the amount of students in the classes that my student had much difficulty bonding with any classmates. There was only 1 teacher that encouraged her to excel and seek outside interests. I would encourage all parents to research alternatives.

Posted: July 24, 2013

I was supposed to be a freshman at Buena for 2013-2014, but my dad got orders and we moved from Ft. Huachuca. If Tombstone High School was closer, my twin and I would go there. Buena was a wonderful band, top 50 in the nation, always going to trips. They have a painting in th band room showing evy place they have been. The JROTC is good as well. My twin brither was going to join, and I have many friends as well who are or was in JROTC. That's the only good things about Buena. The school is to small for the amount of kids who go there. There are 2,300+ kids in just the 2012-2013 school year alone. And Sierra having about four middle schools, adding Colonel Smith on the Army bass, they are adding at least 700 kids. If you have the chance chose Tombstone seeing its smaller, may not have all the same thing Buena does.

Posted: May 12, 2013

As a soldier who has been assigned at Fort Huachuca for several tours, I must warn others to avoid Fort Huachuca if you have High School age students and pick up an assignement elsewhere until the children are through school. The facility is fantastic which it shoudl as it cost twice as much as was promised the taxpayer in 1990, complete with rotating stages etc. The downfall is seemingly the attitude of the staff. Lesser funded districts in other states do far better than SVPSD does with more. The only program that seems to succeed is the JROTC, the rest seem to just attempt to get by. The school receives adequate funding, but instruction is poor, and no apparent discipline. Perhaps if the students did not look like rag bags in shorts every morning more pride in instruction would come forth. Additionally, this is the only school district we have lived in that is totally dependant upon busing ALL students to their campus regardless of location. Great savings could be harvested for those who seek greater flexibility in funding on that effort alone.

Posted: February 4, 2007

#	Name	Type	City	State	Distance
1	Cimmaron Estates	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Sierra Vista	AZ	2.4 mi
2	Pueblo del sol	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Sierra Vista	AZ	3.7 mi
3	Canyon De Flores	Neighborhood/Subdivision	Sierra Vista	AZ	5.5 mi

Buena High School

Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

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Buena High School

Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

School Ratings

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