Families camp out at Sunnyslope High School in hopes of getting children enrolled

PHOENIX - It's been a long, chilly start to the week and after nearly 40 hours, dozens of parents and families were seen camping out on the front lawn of Sunnyslope High School.

"We got in. We turned in our packet, so we're done after camping out on the streets -- two nights, we're ready to go home," Sarah Reeve said.

Parents tell us they had to line up as early as possible for a chance to get their child enrolled for the 2020 school year. These are students who live outside of this school district and aren't zoned for this school.

So why is Sunnyslope High School in such high demand? The Valley school is ranked in the top 10% of schools nationwide and number 18 out of all high schools in the state of Arizona.

"They've been rated highly for their AP programs. They have an excellent faculty," LeeAnn Spangler said. "There's diversity at this school. There's SAT scores that show that it's a quality education, so it's been 36 hours of our life, but it's going to be the rest of my children's life."

There are just over 2,000 students currently enrolled at Sunnyslope High School. Even though there's a limited number of spots available for new students, parents say waiting in line is worth the wait.