San Carlos Unified School District

San Carlos Unified School District, a U.S. local government entity headquartered in San Carlos, Arizona, is a recipient of federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education, with Rice Elementary School as a named operating division. The district operates as a prime recipient on direct formula and project grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and as a sub-recipient of pass-through awards from the Arizona Department of Education, serving American Indian and Alaska Native student populations in rural Arizona.

The district's federal grant portfolio centers on two primary programs. The Indian Education Grants to Local Educational Agencies (CFDA 84.060) provides annual formula grants addressing the unique educational, cultural, and academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Recent awards under this program total approximately $309 thousand (2026), $316 thousand (2025), $321 thousand (2024), and $319 thousand (2023), each funding a full academic year of culturally responsive instruction, student support services, teacher professional development, and English language learning. The Impact Aid Program (CFDA 84.041), a larger project grant vehicle, awarded the district $14.277 million on October 1, 2025, running through September 30, 2031, to replace local revenue lost due to the presence of federally connected children (including Native American students on tribal lands) and federal property within the district's tax base. Impact Aid awards in the source record also appear for completion dates in 2029, 2030, and 2031, indicating multi-year funding authority.

As a sub-recipient, the district receives pass-through grants from the Arizona Department of Education, the prime grantee on federal Title I, Title II, Title IV, IDEA Basic, CTE, and rural and low-income schools programs. Sub-award activity includes attendance liaison services to address high absentee rates, instructional support for students in detention centers contracted through Gila County Educational Services Agency, and general implementation of Title I and IDEA grant guidelines. The most recent sub-awards, dated July 2026, cover Title II, Title IV, and RLIS program implementation.

Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward the Department of Education: 96% of 69 total awards (45 prime, 24 sub) flow from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (58 awards) and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (4 awards). The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, and the broader Department of Education account for the remaining activity. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $207.4 million, reflecting the multi-year Impact Aid awards and the annual Indian Education formula grants. Only one award reaches ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete exposure in the immediate pipeline. Recent annual award activity has averaged 8 to 10 grants per fiscal year over the past three years, with five grants recorded in 2026 to date.