Agua Fria High School is a public high school in Avondale, Arizona, United States. Operated by the Agua Fria Union High School District, it is the first school built in the district and its only school until the establishment of Millennium High School in 1999.
Established as Litchfield Park High School, it graduated its first class in 1932. In 1956, the school relocated to Avondale and became Agua Fria Union High School, named for the adjacent Agua Fria River. Agua Fria experienced continuous growth throughout the late 20th century, brought about by economic developments in the West Valley area and the completion of Interstate 10 and Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station in the West Valley.
As of 2022, Agua Fria offers 23 varsity sports and various extracurricular activities to its 1,608 students. The school is majority Hispanic and Latino. A one-time Blue Ribbon school, Agua Fria is ranked 4,682nd nationally and 84th in Arizona by U.S. News and World Report.
History
Planning and opening
Efforts to form a high school district in Litchfield Park began to form in the late 1920s. However, to organize, the district needed a valuation of $1,500,000 or an average daily attendance of 200 or more, neither of which the district had. The petition was ultimately approved by George W. P. Hunt, who saw a business prospect in the formation of a school district, leading to the Litchfield Park High School District. Until the establishment of Litchfield Park High School, high school students attended a makeshift high school set up in a small wooden building near Pendergast Elementary School in Phoenix. In 1927, Tolleson Union High School was established.
In 1928, Litchfield Park High School was constructed under the Litchfield Park High School District in Litchfield Park and dedicated to Paul W. Litchfield, the first CEO of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and the founder of Litchfield Park. The boundaries of Litchfield Park High School were drawn identical to the nearby Litchfield Elementary School. Approximately forty students attended Litchfield Park in its first year. In 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' use of Luke Air Force Base in World War II, along with the formation of the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation, Litchfield Park High School was expanded. By 1944, there were 141 students at Litchfield Park. The increase in Litchfield Park's student population necessitated a building project to handle the new students, and in 1942, a small building with two classrooms was constructed. In December 1943, the Bobo Construction Company was awarded a contract for $11,990 to construct an additional wing to the school's campus, adding two new classrooms.
On multiple occasions, Litchfield Park High School used bonds to fund projects. In May 1928, voters in Litchfield Park approved a bond issue for $36,000, with $24,000 going to the high school, while the other $12,000 went to the elementary school. The Southwest Cotton Company donated $9,000 to Litchfield Park, which was used to construct a study hall. The construction of a shared auditorium between the high school and the elementary school caused conflict; the auditorium was eventually turned into a gymnasium, resolving the conflict. The Litchfield Park Parent Teachers Association (LPPTA) was formed in 1944 to aid the school in construction projects. The LPPTA was able to use funds from a community dance to build a First Aid room in 1945, and in 1946, the LPPTA was able to hold a carnival on the school's patio. The carnival's success allowed the LPPTA to hold another carnival, and helped pay for band uniforms.
Relocation and growth
The city of Avondale lacked a school district until 1956. Prior to the establishment of Agua Fria Union High School, Avondale had been paying $77,743 to Tolleson Union, Litchfield Park, and Phoenix Technical School to provide education to its high school students. In 1952, the Avondale Elementary School District, Litchfield Park High School District, and the Tolleson Union High School District met to address the issue. The Avondale and Litchfield Park districts agreed to establish a union school district. The necessity for a high school district in Avondale contributed to the formation of the Agua Fria Union High School District (AFUHSD) in 1955. Litchfield Park High School, now Litchfield High School, became a part of the AFUHSD upon its formation.