Mesa Public Schools to add 2 new high schools onto existing campuses

By Connor Van Ligten
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The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board voted to approve the addition of two new high schools onto existing campuses during the district at their Oct. 23 meeting.

The two schools were separated into individual action items, both of which passed 5-0. The new schools will be Franklin High School and Shepherd College Preparatory and will open for the 2026-27 school year.

Franklin High School will share a campus with Brimhall Junior High School at 4949 E. Southern Ave. The school will enroll ninth grade and potentially 10th grade for the 2026-27 school year. Shepherd College Preparatory will share a campus with Shepherd Junior High at 1407 N. Alta Mesa Drive. The school will enroll ninth grade for the 2026-27 school year.

When reached for comment, the Mesa Independent received the following statement from MPS Superintendent Matthew Strom:

“Mesa Public Schools values and respects parent choice, continually working to provide families with a vast portfolio of high-quality learning options. In response to strong community interest — especially from families seeking to extend the Franklin experience through 12th grade — we are opening two small high schools within existing facilities,” he said.

“These schools will offer personalized, close-knit learning environments without requiring new construction or significant financial investment. Staffing will follow our current student-to-teacher funding model, and each school will serve up to 150 students per grade level, beginning with 50–100 ninth graders. This approach allows us to expand choice at the secondary level while using our existing resources wisely,” Strom said.

Mesa Unified School District is the largest public school district in Arizona and has six high schools, nine junior high schools, 55 elementary schools and 18 choice and success schools.

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Connor Van Ligten
Reporter | Fountain Hills/Scottsdale

cvanligten@iniusa.org

After graduating from Arizona State University's Cronkite School in spring 2022, Connor Van Ligten spent a little over year as a reporter for WWL-TV in New Orleans before finding themselves back in Phoenix in October of 2023. Now back in the Valley and writing for the Mesa Independent and the Daily Independent, Connor is ready to tell meaningful stories and report on important civic issues facing Mesa. Connor is a big fan of the 49ers, Warriors, pro wrestling, anime, dogs and fighting video games.