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Desert Vista Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

753^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Vista Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Apache Junction, Arizona, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 501 students. The school is part of the Apache Junction Unified District, which is ranked 236 out of 289 districts in Arizona and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Vista Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Arizona elementary schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics that are significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in ELA and Mathematics for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades are 22-28% and 19-32%, respectively, compared to the state averages of 36-46% and 37-42%. The school's high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 49.81% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, is likely a contributing factor to its overall academic underperformance.

Interestingly, the nearby Peralta Trail Elementary School and Four Peaks Elementary School, which are also part of the Apache Junction Unified District, perform significantly better than Desert Vista Elementary across various academic metrics. This suggests that the challenges faced by Desert Vista Elementary may be specific to the school itself, rather than the broader district. Addressing the school's resource constraints and implementing targeted interventions to support its economically disadvantaged students could be crucial in helping to improve academic outcomes.

435

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$5,318

Per pupil spending ?

49.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3701 E Broadway Ave
Apache Junction, AZ 85119-9301

(480) 677-7510

District: Apache Junction Unified District

Students who attend Desert Vista Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Cactus Canyon Junior High
High:	Apache Junction High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.5%

Hispanic:

42.3%

African American:

3.2%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Vista Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 23rd percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (25% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg28%

Arizona avg39%

753^rd of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Apache Junction Unified District

236^th of 289Apache Junction Unified District among Arizona districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	753 of 909	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	685 of 912	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.5	875 of 1245	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	835 of 1000	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	831 of 1226	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.4	759 of 1039	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	693 of 1109	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.8	631 of 1106	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.7	637 of 1079	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.2	735 of 955	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	38.1	684 of 1079	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	55.3	512 of 1158	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	53.6	525 of 1141	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2011	55.8	465 of 1075	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	54.4	488 of 1090	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.6	514 of 1062	51.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	37.7	531 of 895	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	39.3	545 of 975	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.2	958 of 1219	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.9	775 of 824	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	31.3	797 of 1219	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.2	664 of 862	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.8	693 of 1023	32.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.8	1028 of 1170	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.3	764 of 1198	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.3	516 of 709	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	689 of 911	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.1	296 of 423	30.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	29.0	393 of 556	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	767 of 1116	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.2	531 of 820	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	29.8	810 of 1216	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.7	867 of 1220	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	722 of 850	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.5	639 of 1032	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	44.9	535 of 1027	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	85.1	26 of 219	88.1%	★★★★☆
2021	36.9	394 of 654	39.8%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	91.3	4 of 171	97.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	42.9	575 of 1201	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.5	248 of 417	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	4.0	478 of 486	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	945 of 1024	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	789 of 800	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.6	1023 of 1161	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.7	588 of 595	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.2	634 of 720	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Pacific Islander (2021)98th percentile+65 vs school

Native American (2023)88th percentile+58 vs school

Special Education (2021)52nd percentile+20 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)48th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)44th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2021)41st percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)33rd percentile+4 vs school

Homeless (2021)30th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)29th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2023)21st percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2023)12th percentile-18 vs school

White (2024)2nd percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics27%-13 vs state

English Language Arts25%-15 vs state

Science21%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Vista Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)						AASA Mathematics (2025)					AzSCI Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Desert Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3701 E Broadway Ave	Apache Junction	85119	Pinal County	Apache Junction Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 677-7510	435	27	16.2		211 (48.5%)	14 (3.2%)	184 (42.3%)	5 (1.1%)	10 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.5%)	16.7	753^rd of 909 public elementary schools	17.2%		21.1	685^th of 912 public elementary schools	24.9%	68	22.0	24.0	28.0				32.0	30.0	19.0			21.0		$5,318	$711	$04	$1,425	$4,500	$104	$4,603
Avalon Elementary	Public, Charter	K-8	1045 S San Marcos Dr	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	Excalibur Charter Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 671-4585	313	21	14.9		157 (50.2%)	6 (1.9%)	126 (40.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	2 (0.6%)	19 (6.1%)	24.7	631^st of 909 public elementary schools	30.6%		23	649^th of 912 public elementary schools	28.8%	18	29.0	35.0		31.0											$00			$00
Four Peaks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1755 N Idaho Rd	Apache Junction	85119	Pinal County	Apache Junction Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 982-1110	400	29	13.7		166 (41.5%)	2 (0.5%)	195 (48.8%)	2 (0.5%)	7 (1.8%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (6.8%)	16.6	755^th of 909 public elementary schools	16.9%		22.1	664^th of 912 public elementary schools	27.2%	91	21.0	30.0					36.0	22.0	18.0					$5,458	$1,033	$11	$2,076	$4,328	$87	$4,414
Brinton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	11455 E Sunland Ave	Mesa	85208	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-4075	495	27	18.1		218 (44.0%)	37 (7.5%)	197 (39.8%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.2%)	5 (1.0%)	29 (5.9%)	36.1	500^th of 909 public elementary schools	45.0%		38	495^th of 912 public elementary schools	45.7%	5	19.0	39.0	29.0	55.0			28.0	33.0	42.0	42.0		34.0		$8,728	$911	$56	$1,877	$7,565	$196	$7,762
Sousa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	616 N Mountain Rd	Mesa	85207	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-8900	344	25	13.8		165 (48.0%)	15 (4.4%)	144 (41.9%)	2 (0.6%)	4 (1.2%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.8%)	21.2	689^th of 909 public elementary schools	24.2%		19	723^rd of 912 public elementary schools	20.7%	34		30.0	32.0				37.0	26.0	21.0			25.0		$9,966	$957	$126	$2,040	$8,696	$188	$8,883
Patterson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	615 S Cheshire	Mesa	85208	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-9700	733	45	16.4		328 (44.7%)	26 (3.5%)	302 (41.2%)	14 (1.9%)	23 (3.1%)	3 (0.4%)	37 (5.0%)	45.1	436^th of 909 public elementary schools	52.0%		51.3	399^th of 912 public elementary schools	56.3%	37	42.0	45.0	45.0	36.0			51.0	38.0	39.0	28.0		40.0		$8,129	$762	$16	$1,541	$7,161	$190	$7,351
Legacy Traditional School - East Mesa	Public, Charter	K-8	10707 E. Guadalupe Rd.	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Legacy Traditional School - East Mesa	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 935-5320	1,066	58	18.3		472 (44.3%)	62 (5.8%)	375 (35.2%)	38 (3.6%)	16 (1.5%)	7 (0.7%)	96 (9.0%)	37.4	486^th of 909 public elementary schools	46.5%		43.4	449^th of 912 public elementary schools	50.8%	37	32.0	43.0	44.0	50.0	52.0	49.0	36.0	27.0	33.0	21.0	26.0	41.0	39.0		$00			$00
Peralta Trail Elementary School	Public	K-6	10965 E Peralta Rd	Apache Junction	85118	Pinal County	Apache Junction Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 677-7510	282	16	18.0		176 (62.4%)	10 (3.5%)	73 (25.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.4%)	45.8	424^th of 909 public elementary schools	53.4%		39.4	484^th of 912 public elementary schools	46.9%	60	38.0	49.0	35.0				53.0	40.0	42.0			34.0		$4,980	$883	$21	$1,787	$3,992	$84	$4,076
Meridian	Public	PK, KG-6	3900 S Mountain Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 497-4032	850	56	15.2		530 (62.4%)	24 (2.8%)	229 (26.9%)	11 (1.3%)	6 (0.7%)	2 (0.2%)	48 (5.6%)	71.8	236^th of 909 public elementary schools	74.0%		68.1	264^th of 912 public elementary schools	71.1%	28	58.0	72.0	56.0	50.0			67.0	56.0	46.0	40.0		46.0		$7,565	$17	$10	$44	$7,374	$164	$7,537
Taft Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	9800 E Quarterline Rd	Mesa	85207	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-9100	491	33	14.8		136 (27.7%)	15 (3.1%)	316 (64.4%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	18 (3.7%)	31.7	546^th of 909 public elementary schools	39.9%		33.4	540^th of 912 public elementary schools	40.8%	6	24.0	40.0	28.0	45.0			47.0	43.0	34.0	19.0		22.0		$10,372	$728	$200	$1,657	$9,141	$303	$9,444

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Vista Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Vista Elementary School?

Students at Desert Vista Elementary School are 49% White, 42% Hispanic, 3% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Desert Vista Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Desert Vista Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Cactus Canyon Junior High
High : Apache Junction High School

Is Desert Vista Elementary School a good school?

Desert Vista Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.2% of Arizona elementary schools.

How many students attend Desert Vista Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 435 students attended Desert Vista Elementary School.

What district is Desert Vista Elementary School in?

Apache Junction Unified District

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.