It was in 1949 that area residents began the steps necessary to form a local school district. By 1954, the community children attended school in two barracks that had been purchased from Osborn School District and situated on what was to become the first J.O. Combs Elementary School District site.

J.O. and Mamie Combs generously donated 5.42 acres of land and the district was subsequently named after Mr. Combs. However, the school was still a part of the Apache Junction School District and didn't become the J.O. Combs Elementary School District #44 until 1958. Our first Governing Board Members were Mr. J.O. Combs, Mr. Walter P. Gantzel, and Mr. Jack Schnepf.

Over the next four decades, we continued to grow and evolve. In 2006, voters approved unification and we became the J.O. Combs Unified School District #44 serving student in Preschool - 12th grade.  

 

Our district's geographical area covers 68 square miles, bounded by Pecos Road to the north, Moeur/Meridian Road to the west, Hash Knife Draw Road to the south, and extending east to Florence Junction.