Southern Arizona - AZPSS
Southern Arizona
Welcome to Tucson and the Sonoran Desert
Southern Arizona offers military-connected families a distinctive combination of military heritage, educational opportunity, outdoor recreation, culture, history, and Southwestern living. At the center of the region's military community is Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Davis-Monthan AFB), a longstanding part of Tucson and the surrounding Pima County community.
Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges and Sonoran Desert landscapes and is known for its strong sense of place, rich cultural traditions, outdoor lifestyle, higher education opportunities, healthcare resources, and close connection to military members, veterans, and their families.
Families stationed at Davis-Monthan can experience everything from desert trails and mountain recreation to museums, professional and collegiate sports, historic communities, local festivals, arts, dining, and educational opportunities. The region also provides access to destinations such as Mount Lemmon, Saguaro National Park, Sabino Canyon, Kartchner Caverns, Bisbee, Tombstone, Sonoita, and communities throughout Southern Arizona.
Arizona Purple Star Schools help military-connected students and families build connections quickly when military service brings them to Southern Arizona. Schools across the region work to create welcoming environments, strengthen student transition support, and connect families with resources that help students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Why Military Families Enjoy Living in Southern Arizona
Desert & Mountain Recreation
Tucson offers access to hiking, biking, camping, mountain recreation, parks, golf, community sports, and some of Arizona's most recognizable Sonoran Desert landscapes. Families can experience desert environments and cooler mountain elevations within the same day.
School Choice & Educational Opportunity
Southern Arizona families have access to public district, public charter, private, online, homeschool, career and technical education, and postsecondary options. The Davis-Monthan School Liaison can help families understand educational choices and navigate transitions into Tucson-area schools.
Military-Friendly Community
Davis-Monthan has deep ties to Tucson and Southern Arizona. Military members, civilian employees, veterans, Guard and Reserve members, and their families are an important part of the region's schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and community organizations.
Culture, Education & Community
Tucson combines the amenities of a major metropolitan area with a distinctive Southwestern identity. Families have access to the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, museums, performing arts, healthcare systems, local dining, cultural events, and communities throughout the Tucson metropolitan area.
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is a defining part of Tucson and Southern Arizona. The installation supports important Air Force missions while maintaining strong connections with surrounding schools, neighborhoods, community organizations, military families, and veterans.
Families assigned to Davis-Monthan live both on and off the installation throughout the Tucson metropolitan area. The region offers a wide variety of school options, youth programs, recreation, healthcare, employment, higher education, shopping, cultural attractions, and community resources.
The relationship between Davis-Monthan and local schools extends beyond enrollment. School partnerships and installation support help educators understand military-connected student experiences while helping families navigate transitions, deployments, educational requirements, and school choices.
Davis-Monthan School Liaison Support
Military families relocating to Davis-Monthan do not have to navigate Southern Arizona's education system alone. The Davis-Monthan Child & Youth Education Services School Liaison serves as a connection among military families, schools, installation leadership, and community partners for PreK-12 education matters.
School Liaison Elizabeth (Betsy) Fleming assists military families with educational questions, school transitions, local school information, and connections to resources throughout the Tucson area.
School Liaison support may include:
- Local school navigation and school district information
- School-choice and open-enrollment questions
- PCS and student transition support
- School registration and enrollment information
- Grade placement and transfer-credit questions
- Military Interstate Children's Compact considerations
- Special education and Section 504 navigation
- Connections to extracurricular and after-school opportunities
- Homeschool and alternative education resources
- Virtual learning information
- Youth sponsorship and peer transition resources
- Deployment-related educational support
- Connections among families, schools, and military partners
Davis-Monthan School Liaison Program
School Liaison: Elizabeth (Betsy) Fleming
Phone: 520-228-6040
Email: [email protected]
Alternate Email: [email protected]
Location: 3515 S. Fifth Street, Building 3200, Room 116, Tucson, AZ 85707
Schools Serving Davis-Monthan Families
Military-connected students assigned to Davis-Monthan may attend schools throughout the Tucson metropolitan area. Families can choose among public district, public charter, private, online, and homeschool options based on availability, eligibility, family preference, transportation, and student needs.
Borman Elementary School, serving grades K-5, is located on Davis-Monthan and is part of Tucson Unified School District. Sonoran Science Academy also operates on the installation. Davis-Monthan families may also attend neighborhood schools and other schools throughout the Tucson area based on enrollment requirements and available options.
Arizona's open-enrollment opportunities may allow families to apply to a public school outside their neighborhood attendance area when space is available. Transportation may remain the responsibility of the family. Because programs, boundaries, transportation, and enrollment availability can change, families are encouraged to contact the School Liaison for current guidance.
The best school option can depend on a student's academic program, extracurricular interests, special education services, graduation requirements, transportation needs, and family priorities. The Davis-Monthan School Liaison can help families understand the local education landscape before making an enrollment decision.
Preparing for a School Move to Tucson
Changing schools can be one of the most significant parts of a PCS for children and teenagers. Families can make the transition easier by beginning educational planning before arriving in Southern Arizona whenever possible.
Families preparing for a move are encouraged to hand-carry important educational records, including:
- Report cards and unofficial transcripts
- Current class schedules and course descriptions
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), if applicable
- Section 504 Plans, if applicable
- Evaluations and eligibility documentation
- Immunization and health records
- Gifted education records
- Extracurricular and athletic participation information
- Graduation requirement and credit information for high school students
Families should also research registration dates, extracurricular activities, sports tryouts, school calendars, and other time-sensitive opportunities that could affect a student's transition.
Families do not need to wait until they reach Tucson to begin preparing for school. Connecting with the Davis-Monthan School Liaison before a PCS can help families research educational options, understand Arizona enrollment requirements, prepare school records, and identify questions before the first day of school.
Military Interstate Children's Compact
The Military Interstate Children's Compact is designed to reduce certain educational challenges experienced by eligible military-connected students when transferring between states and school systems.
The Compact addresses specific transition issues that may include enrollment, placement, attendance, eligibility, and graduation considerations. The Davis-Monthan School Liaison can help families understand how the Compact may apply to an individual student's transition.
Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)
For families with medical, developmental, behavioral, or educational needs, relocating to a new duty station may require additional planning. The Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) helps eligible military families connect with information, resources, and support throughout the military life cycle and during assignment transitions.
Davis-Monthan provides EFMP Family Support through the Military & Family Readiness Center. Families with special needs concerns can connect with EFMP Family Support for information, referral, educational resources, workshops, community services, and other assistance.
Preparing for a Special Education Transition
The Davis-Monthan School Liaison can help families navigate local special education systems and connect with installation EFMP resources. Families are encouraged to maintain a personal copy of important educational documents and communicate with both the losing and receiving school systems as early as possible.
- Current IEP or Section 504 Plan
- Most recent evaluations
- Eligibility documentation
- Progress reports
- Related-service information
- Behavior or accommodation plans
- Assistive technology information, when applicable
- Contact information for the student's current educational team
A PCS should not mean starting from zero. Bringing complete educational records and connecting with the School Liaison and EFMP Family Support can help the receiving school better understand the student's current services, strengths, accommodations, and educational needs.
Davis-Monthan EFMP & Family Support
Military & Family Readiness Center / EFMP Family Support: 520-228-5690
Location: 5355 Granite Street, Building 2441, Tucson, AZ 85707
Youth Sponsorship & Peer Transition Support
Youth sponsorship can provide military-connected children and teenagers with an important peer connection when they arrive at a new installation or school. Davis-Monthan families may have access to youth sponsorship and school-based peer transition programs that help students become familiar with their new community.
Peer-to-peer transition programs can help students:
- Connect with another student before or during a move
- Learn about their new school and community
- Become familiar with activities and extracurricular opportunities
- Build friendships more quickly
- Develop a stronger sense of belonging
- Reduce some of the uncertainty associated with changing schools
School-based programs such as Anchored4Life and Student 2 Student may also be available in military-connected communities. Families can contact the Davis-Monthan School Liaison for information about youth sponsorship and peer transition opportunities.
Students often have questions about a new school that adults cannot completely answer: Where do students sit at lunch? What clubs are popular? How does the first day work? Peer transition programs give students a connection to someone their own age who can help make the unfamiliar feel more familiar.
More Support for Davis-Monthan Families
The Davis-Monthan Military & Family Readiness Center and other installation programs provide services designed to support military members and families throughout the military life cycle.
Resources may include:
- Relocation assistance and newcomer support
- Sponsorship assistance
- Deployment and family-readiness support
- Employment and career assistance
- Personal financial readiness
- Military & Family Life Counseling
- EFMP Family Support
- Transition assistance
- Child and youth programs
- Information and referral services
Military & Family Readiness Center
Phone: 520-228-5690
Location: 5355 Granite Street, Building 2441, Tucson, AZ 85707
Finding Your Community in Southern Arizona
A military move is more than a change of duty station. It means finding a school, building new friendships, locating healthcare and childcare, learning a new community, and helping every member of the family develop a sense of belonging.
Southern Arizona offers military families a combination of installation support, diverse school options, outdoor recreation, culture, higher education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and a strong network of military and veteran connections.
Explore the Tucson Area
Central Tucson
Central Tucson provides access to established neighborhoods, museums, cultural attractions, healthcare, local dining, higher education, parks, and many of the region's major employment and community resources.
East & Southeast Tucson
Communities east and southeast of the city provide convenient access to Davis-Monthan, schools, shopping, outdoor recreation, growing neighborhoods, and destinations throughout the greater Tucson area.
Northwest & Greater Pima County
Oro Valley, Marana, Sahuarita, Vail, and other communities throughout Pima County offer additional school, housing, recreation, career, and community options for military families willing to live farther from the installation.
Experience Southern Arizona
Sonoran Desert
Saguaro National Park, desert preserves, trails, and mountain views provide military families with opportunities to experience one of the most distinctive natural environments in the United States.
Mountains & High Country
Mount Lemmon and the Santa Catalina Mountains provide hiking, camping, scenic drives, cooler temperatures, and seasonal recreation within easy reach of Tucson.
History & Culture
Southern Arizona's history, Native American communities, Spanish and Mexican influences, aviation heritage, museums, historic sites, and distinctive food traditions give families many ways to connect with the region.
Education in the Tucson Community
Military-connected students in the Tucson area may attend schools across multiple public school districts as well as charter, private, online, and homeschool programs. Students also have access to career and technical education, advanced academic programs, extracurricular activities, and postsecondary pathways throughout Southern Arizona.
Because educational options, attendance boundaries, transportation, programs, and student needs vary, families are encouraged to connect with the Davis-Monthan School Liaison when researching schools.
Start With Your School Liaison
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
Elizabeth (Betsy) Fleming
520-228-6040
[email protected]
Purple Star Schools Make a Difference
Arizona Purple Star Schools provide another layer of support for military-connected students in Southern Arizona. The designation identifies schools that have made a purposeful commitment to welcoming military-connected students and creating systems that support students through mobility, deployment, separation, and reintegration.
A Purple Star designation signals that a school has intentionally developed practices that help military-connected students and families connect with their new school community rather than expecting families to navigate every transition on their own.
Purple Star Schools help strengthen connections among:
- Students
- Families
- Schools
- School Liaisons
- Military installations
- Educators and counselors
- Community organizations
- Other highly mobile students
Military-connected students may arrive in Southern Arizona from communities across the nation or around the world. Arizona Purple Star Schools help ensure that when students enter their new school, there are people and systems ready to welcome them, connect them, and help them succeed.
Welcome Home to Southern Arizona
Whether your family is arriving for an assignment at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base or living in the Tucson area while supporting the military mission, you are joining a community with a proud connection to military service.
The region's schools, educators, School Liaison, installation programs, military families, veterans, and community partners all contribute to the network of support available to military-connected students.
Military Families Strengthen Southern Arizona
Military-connected students bring resilience, adaptability, leadership, diverse experiences, and perspectives shaped by communities across the nation and around the world. Their families contribute to Southern Arizona as neighbors, volunteers, educators, professionals, service members, and community leaders.
Arizona Purple Star Schools are committed to ensuring those students are not simply enrolled in a new school — they are welcomed into a community.