New Tucson School for the Blind begins first school year as ASDB relocates campus

During the opening week of the 2026-27 school year, Tucson’s new nonprofit private School for the Blind is beginning its first year at a downtown location, giving families a new K-12 option separate from the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.

The Tucson School for the Blind’s stated opening date was Aug. 3, 2026, at 149 N. Stone Ave. The approximately 4,000-square-foot facility was prepared for a small initial program serving blind and visually impaired students. Local reporting before the opening put enrollment at roughly 14 to 15 students and staffing at nine people, so those figures should be treated as approximate rather than a final first-day count.

What opened downtown

The Tucson School for the Blind is a nonprofit private K-12 program, not a government-operated ASDB campus. Its model emphasizes Braille instruction, orientation and mobility, independence, and learning alongside other blind and visually impaired students.

Several staff members previously worked for ASDB. The initial staff includes teachers, instructional aides, and speech and occupational therapy personnel, according to Arizona Luminaria’s June reporting. The school initially accepted students using Empowerment Scholarship Accounts while working toward state certification.

The school’s longer-term plans include serving more students and expanding its staff. Those goals remain plans, not completed expansion or certification actions.

Volunteers prepared classrooms and a Braille library

Community volunteers joined teachers during a July 10 preparation day, helping clean and organize the downtown space, unpack donated furniture and supplies, and prepare classrooms.

Volunteers also sorted books for the school’s Braille library. Arizona Public Media reported that former ASDB students and other community members participated, and that one volunteer donated a Brailler, a device that embosses raised Braille dots.

The volunteer work helped prepare the new facility after ASDB’s former west-side Tucson campus was set to relocate for the coming school year.

ASDB moved its Tucson campus to Oro Valley

ASDB’s official relocation materials say staff and students moved to Copper Creek Elementary School in Oro Valley during the summer of 2026, with the 2026-27 fall semester scheduled to begin there. The agency continues to operate as a state school and provide programs, campus services, and statewide outreach.

The downtown Tucson School for the Blind is therefore a separate private-school option. It is not an ASDB replacement, branch, or continuation of the state agency.

Families have more than one possible arrangement

For Tucson families, the new school creates another possible educational setting, but it does not mean every student formerly served by ASDB enrolled downtown. Other students may attend district schools or receive services through ASDB outreach, cooperative arrangements, or other individualized placements.

Tucson Unified School District has also considered a separate support relationship with ASDB. At its April 28, 2026, governing board meeting, TUSD listed an ASDB student-support plan and an addendum to the regional cooperative agreement between the district and ASDB.

The official board-actions record says the item was pulled from the agenda and moved to the next meeting because ASDB representatives had departed and interpreter services were unavailable. That record does not establish that the plan or agreement was ultimately approved. The public-school support arrangement should be kept separate from enrollment at the private Tucson School for the Blind.

What families should confirm

Families considering the downtown program will need current information about enrollment, eligibility, Empowerment Scholarship Account funding, transportation, related services, and the school’s certification status.

The immediate practical question during the school’s first school year is how the private downtown program, ASDB’s relocated Oro Valley campus and outreach services, and TUSD support arrangements will fit the needs of individual Tucson students.

Sources

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