As this population continued to increase a separate building was deemed necessary and in 1962 the construction of Payson High School (PHS) began.

By the winter of 1988, the community auditorium was completed and the PHS drama department was showcasing its very first performance under the direction of John Siler.

Around this same time, the current physics laboratory facility, was converted from a locker bay to a classroom by enclosing the roofed structure.

This building was named in honor of Wendell Stevens, the longtime agricultural education and FFA teacher who spent his entire career at PHS and retired that same year.

This grid-tied photovoltaic system "successfully delivered a complete turn-key, cost-effective, efficient energy solution to Payson Unified School District.

The Payson school district includes: the municipalities of Payson and Star Valley, as well as multiple census-designated places: Bear Flat, Beaver Valley, Christopher Creek, Deer Creek, East Verde Estates, Flowing Springs, Freedom Acres, Geronimo Estates, Gisela, Hunter Creek, Jakes Corner, Kohls Ranch, Mead Ranch, Mesa del Caballo, Oxbow Estates, Round Valley, Rye, Tonto Village, Washington Park, and Whispering Pines.

[4] Payson High School has a wide variety of academic options including offerings from Career Technical Education (CTE), Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT), Advanced Placement (AP) and dual-credit courses that are taught on campus and provided through partnerships with Gila Community College (GCC) and Eastern Arizona College (EAC).

Payson High School sponsors athletic teams in baseball, basketball, cheer, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, track & field, volleyball, and wrestling.