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Investigations

The Beam investigates the decisions, policies, and people shaping critical issues like education, energy and rising demand for semiconductors. These stories hold institutions accountable and give communities the information they need to engage, question and act.

Photo of the a balloon-arch at the La Joya High School 2026 graduation Photo of the a balloon-arch at the La Joya High School 2026 graduation

Graduation gap: Fewer of Arizona’s growing number of graduates meet state standards

80% of public high school students graduated in 2025, but most failed 11th-grade standardized tests — a gap that's worse for low-income students.
The Robert D. Morrow Education Center, headquarters of the Tucson Unified School District, is pictured on March 4, 2026. The Robert D. Morrow Education Center, headquarters of the Tucson Unified School District, is pictured on March 4, 2026.

Arizona can’t find enough teachers. The companies filling the gaps are making billions.

Arizona districts can't fill classrooms, so they pay private staffing firms nearly $80,000 a teacher. Some of it never reaches the teacher.
Close-up photo of ballot Close-up photo of ballot

Arizona schools-chief primary election has officially become the most expensive in decades

The amount of money at play in the race for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction has far eclipsed previous cycles.
Waveform illustration Waveform illustration

Sanitized: When official school board minutes do not match the tape

Some school districts in Arizona don’t provide a clear picture of what transpires in their school board meetings
Illustration of Arizona's capitol dome, superimposed over a classroom and the state shape Illustration of Arizona's capitol dome, superimposed over a classroom and the state shape

How Arizona’s billion-dollar school voucher system rose from the ashes of unconstitutionality

Empowerment Scholarship Accounts launched in 2011 as a small-scale program intended to help students with disabilities. Over the past decade, the program has ballooned.
Pile of $100 bills Pile of $100 bills

Arizona scholarship nonprofit paid millions to leaders’ own companies

By Aoife Kane, Emily Mosier, & MacKenzie Miller The nonprofit Arizona Leadership Foundation (ALF) has awarded over $280 million in private school scholarships for thousands of…
Press Record, Press Delete: How Some Arizona School Boards Fail the Transparency Test Press Record, Press Delete: How Some Arizona School Boards Fail the Transparency Test

Press record, press delete: How some Arizona school boards flunk Transparency 101

Some districts post board meeting videos online. Many don’t. Three delete recordings in apparent violation of state law.
Abstract design showing flashes of lights over streams of blue. Abstract design showing flashes of lights over streams of blue.

The Beam’s AI School Board Chatbots: We Put Them to the Test

The Beam tested three AI chatbots built to help Arizona residents follow school board meetings. Here's how they handled real questions.
A hand demonstrates a 3D-printed butterfly knife as part of The Beam's investigation into untraceable weapons in Arizona schools A hand demonstrates a 3D-printed butterfly knife as part of The Beam's investigation into untraceable weapons in Arizona schools

3D-printed weapons: An emerging threat in Arizona schools

Arizona schools are confronting a new safety gap: students as young as 10 manufacturing 3D-printed knives and weapons at home and bringing them to school.

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Watch this space for future investigations from The Beam.

Most Popular

Photo of the a balloon-arch at the La Joya High School 2026 graduation Photo of the a balloon-arch at the La Joya High School 2026 graduation

Graduation gap: Fewer of Arizona’s growing number of graduates meet state standards

80% of public high school students graduated in 2025, but most failed 11th-grade standardized tests — a gap that's worse for low-income students.
byKatie Wilcox
July 29, 2026

More Investigations