{"id":2845,"date":"2026-07-01T07:03:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T07:03:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2845"},"modified":"2026-07-01T07:03:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T07:03:29","slug":"pima-county-ged-program-boasts-98-graduation-rate-as-arizona-lags-behind-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2845","title":{"rendered":"Pima County GED program boasts 98% graduation rate as Arizona lags behind nation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Arizona\u2019s high school graduation rate sits at 80%, among the lowest in the country.<\/p>\n

Read more 2 new safe baby boxes give Yuma parents a lifeline in desperate moments<\/a><\/p>\n

State data shows one in five students does not graduate on time. For some who drop out, a Pima County GED program is offering a path back.<\/p>\n

The Las Artes GED program<\/b><\/u><\/i>, located in Tucson, reports a graduation rate of 98%. It also offers a trade skills program in construction.<\/p>\n

The program has operated since 1992 and enrolls 60 students in classes of no more than 15. <\/p>\n

Students cite struggles in traditional schools<\/b><\/h3>\n

Aliyah Garcia said she struggled with anxiety at Pueblo High.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt heavy, like I didn\u2019t belong \u2014 alone \u2014 in a sea of people, mind you\u2026 I feel like I didn\u2019t really get the help I needed sometimes,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

Michael Espinoza said he faced a similar environment at Tucson High.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s too many students, you know what I\u2019m saying \u2014 the teachers couldn\u2019t get one-on-one with each student, and for students coming from a rough environment or students with learning disabilities, that\u2019s not really an ideal learning environment,\u201d Espinoza said.<\/p>\n

Both Garcia and Espinoza dropped out of high school before enrolling in the Las Artes program.<\/p>\n

Program features small classes and weekly stipends<\/b><\/h3>\n

Las Artes Recruitment and Outreach Specialist Haydee Armenta-Rivera said the program\u2019s personalized attention is a key factor in its success.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur classes are small, no more than 15 students per class, and I think that\u2019s ideal for a lot of our students for how they learn,\u201d Armenta-Rivera said.<\/p>\n

Read more Mercury\u2019s Thomas says she has received online abuse following suspension for Caitlin Clark incident<\/a><\/p>\n

Students receive between $50 and $100 per week for attending classes. They also complete art projects intended to benefit the community, like Little Free Libraries.<\/p>\n

Garcia said she nearly left the program before a one-on-one meeting with her mentor kept her enrolled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like I don\u2019t think I can do that, I can\u2019t continue, and they talked me through it. And I don\u2019t think they would do that at a regular high school,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

She said earning a GED will expand her sense of opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCollege becomes an option after you get your GED. It\u2019s good to feel like it\u2019s an option for you \u2014 like all the great things in the world are an option for you as well,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n

Espinoza said completing the program is just a starting point.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot more to do; this is just the first step in the right direction. There\u2019s a lot more to come,\u201d Espinoza said.<\/p>\n

Isabela Lisco<\/b><\/u><\/i> is a <\/i>Report for America<\/b><\/u><\/i> corpsmember covering education solutions for 13 News. Her position is made possible through funding from Report for America and the <\/i>Arizona Local News Foundation\u2019s<\/b><\/u><\/i> Arizona Community Collaborative Fund.<\/i><\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n

Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n

Read more Tucson transgender athlete speaks out after Supreme Court upholds ban<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Pima County GED program offers a path for students who dropped out of high school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nPima County GED program boasts 98% graduation rate as Arizona lags behind nation - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2845\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pima County GED program boasts 98% graduation rate as Arizona lags behind nation - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Pima County GED program offers a path for students who dropped out of high school.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2845\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-01T07:03:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"Pima County GED program boasts 98% graduation rate as Arizona lags behind nation\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-01T07:03:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845\"},\"wordCount\":569,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bc0b01cc7bc87f2a06e50b127552035d.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2845\",\"name\":\"Pima County GED program boasts 98% graduation rate as Arizona lags behind nation - 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