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Bales Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

706^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 22% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Bales Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 657 students in grades PK-8 in Buckeye, Arizona, which is part of the Buckeye Elementary District. Despite spending more per student than the state average, Bales Elementary consistently underperforms academically compared to the district and state, with only 16% of 3rd graders proficient in English Language Arts, far below the 22% district and 36% state averages.

Bales Elementary has a very low statewide ranking, placing between the 706th and 1061st out of over 1,000 Arizona elementary schools in recent years, and has received a 1-star or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state. The school struggles to serve its diverse student population, ranking in the bottom half or quarter of Arizona elementary schools for most student subgroups. Additionally, Bales Elementary has had relatively high dropout rates in recent years, ranging from 2.5% to 6.1%, significantly above the state average.

However, Bales Elementary is located in close proximity to several other elementary schools in the Buckeye Elementary District and neighboring Liberty Elementary District that perform significantly better academically. This suggests there may be opportunities for Bales Elementary to learn from and collaborate with these higher-performing peer schools to improve its own academic outcomes and student success.

699

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,848

Per pupil spending ?

70%

Free/discounted lunch ?

25400 W Maricopa Rd
Buckeye, AZ 85326-6469

(623) 847-8503

District: Buckeye Elementary District

Students who attend Bales Elementary School usually attend:

High:	Buckeye Union High School
	BUHSD Institute of Online Learning

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.5%

White:

16.7%

African American:

7.7%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Bales Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (24% vs 37% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg28%

Arizona avg37%

Elementary school

706^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 22%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 38% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

477^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 21 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Buckeye Elementary District

227^th of 289Buckeye Elementary 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	706 of 909	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.5	529 of 912	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.1	868 of 1245	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.1	809 of 1000	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	1061 of 1226	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	7.5	1020 of 1039	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	1061 of 1109	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	15.8	967 of 1106	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.0	867 of 1079	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.3	591 of 955	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	54.4	500 of 1079	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2013	39.4	747 of 1158	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.4	813 of 1141	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	33.8	740 of 1075	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	31.8	787 of 1090	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	38.9	672 of 1062	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.8	554 of 607	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.2	779 of 895	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	8.6	604 of 620	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	34.1	247 of 451	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.3	545 of 975	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	428 of 589	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	419 of 602	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.9	943 of 1219	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	997 of 1219	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	845 of 862	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.7	999 of 1023	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	29.4	276 of 306	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	33.1	300 of 496	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	246 of 486	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	798 of 1170	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	580 of 716	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.4	1014 of 1198	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.7	698 of 709	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	886 of 911	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	32.8	351 of 549	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.0	256 of 556	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.5	712 of 1116	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	17.1	758 of 820	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	25.4	460 of 628	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.5	815 of 1216	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	14.6	735 of 830	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	1094 of 1220	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	961 of 1032	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	22.8	882 of 1027	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	53.0	181 of 654	72.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.7	578 of 820	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.4	839 of 1201	30.1%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.7	812 of 1024	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	1079 of 1161	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	710 of 720	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	477 of 552	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	424 of 550	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	606 of 854	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	546 of 605	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.6	754 of 832	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.6	591 of 605	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.8	665 of 711	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	19.8	572 of 695	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.9	473 of 677	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.0	339 of 521	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.4	371 of 690	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2013	56.3	336 of 787	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.6	382 of 772	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	38.6	423 of 685	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2010	19.0	607 of 692	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	25.1	533 of 663	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.1	285 of 400	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.1	92 of 129	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.9	266 of 573	53.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	38.6	68 of 145	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.7	298 of 606	50.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	32.8	493 of 806	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	18.2	733 of 820	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.2	578 of 624	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	275 of 345	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	550 of 760	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	701 of 802	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.5	376 of 387	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.1	499 of 543	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	274 of 344	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.5	230 of 320	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	532 of 717	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.9	281 of 369	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	460 of 503	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.3	640 of 810	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.7	755 of 818	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.2	563 of 617	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	16.2	573 of 650	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.3	309 of 390	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.5	299 of 363	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.8	458 of 789	42.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.5	473 of 675	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.8	705 of 780	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	431 of 436	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Native American (2021)72nd percentile+59 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)45th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)36th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2023)30th percentile~ school

Female (2025)27th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2024)27th percentile-15 vs school

White (2023)21st percentile-10 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)14th percentile~ school

Foster Care (2021)10th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2023)9th percentile-22 vs school

Asian (2021)3rd percentile-11 vs school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2023)53rd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2023)39th percentile+10 vs school

White (2023)30th percentile~ school

African American (2023)29th percentile~ school

Male (2023)21st percentile-8 vs school

Native American (2021)21st percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)20th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2023)18th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)12th percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts26%-14 vs state

Science24%-8 vs state

Mathematics20%-15 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Saturday, August 22, 2020

This school has poor control over bullying problems. As a former student, I had to put up with bullying because I was usually told by my teacher that I probably deserved it. The ones in charge of the school only stepped in to "resolve" the problem was when I actually reacted to the bullying. By that time, I was put in in school suspension while the bullies got a quick lecture and were sent back to class. This school seems to be okay with breeding bullies and victims. It took years for me to heal from the trauma caused by this school. Close Quote

Schools Near Bales 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	AASA Mathematics 8th 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
Bales Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	25400 W Maricopa Rd	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 847-8503	699	35	19.9		117 (16.7%)	54 (7.7%)	507 (72.5%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)	19.9	706^th of 909 public elementary schools	22.3%		34.5	529^th of 912 public elementary schools	42.0%	177	16.0	43.0	26.0	26.0	22.0	26.0	30.0	24.0	16.0		17.0	12.0	32.0	16.0	$9,848	$606	$92	$1,303	$7,002	$2,148	$9,151
The Odyssey Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	6500 S Apache Rd	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	The Odyssey Preparatory Academy Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 327-3111	544	34	16.0		100 (18.4%)	29 (5.3%)	375 (68.9%)	6 (1.1%)	3 (0.6%)	5 (0.9%)	26 (4.8%)	35.7	505^th of 909 public elementary schools	44.4%		34.5	530^th of 912 public elementary schools	41.9%	25	29.0	58.0	26.0				48.0	50.0	13.0				21.0		$7,046	$244	$278	$766	$4,408	$2,116	$6,524
Buckeye Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	211 S 7th St	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 386-4487	1,150	65	17.6		181 (15.7%)	83 (7.2%)	821 (71.4%)	4 (0.3%)	16 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	42 (3.7%)	10.9	861^st of 909 public elementary schools	5.3%		10.8	859^th of 912 public elementary schools	5.8%	2	14.0	22.0	20.0	31.0	16.0	25.0	20.0	15.0	13.0	14.0			23.0	22.0	$11,555	$690	$177	$1,557	$8,609	$2,079	$10,688
Steven R. Jasinski Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4280 S 246th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 925-3100	855	42	20.3		162 (18.9%)	88 (10.3%)	551 (64.4%)	8 (0.9%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	38 (4.4%)	26.2	605^th of 909 public elementary schools	33.4%		19	722^nd of 912 public elementary schools	20.8%	117	16.0	33.0	25.0	43.0	36.0	38.0	30.0	46.0	21.0	34.0	30.0	31.0	22.0	28.0	$8,768	$431	$83	$946	$6,561	$1,692	$8,253
Marionneaux Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	24155 W Roeser Rd	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 866-6100	697	36	19.3		86 (12.3%)	79 (11.3%)	498 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.7%)	21.3	685^th of 909 public elementary schools	24.6%		27.4	605^th of 912 public elementary schools	33.7%	80	21.0	28.0	41.0	30.0	27.0	35.0	36.0	21.0	21.0	16.0	16.0	19.0	29.0	26.0	$9,385	$487	$89	$1,062	$7,120	$1,689	$8,809
John S McCain III Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3170 S 247th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 925-3400	777	36	21.5		189 (24.3%)	24 (3.1%)	515 (66.3%)	5 (0.6%)	12 (1.5%)	3 (0.4%)	29 (3.7%)	19.5	712^th of 909 public elementary schools	21.7%		20.9	687^th of 912 public elementary schools	24.7%	25	21.0	38.0	18.0	17.0	26.0	49.0	26.0	48.0	25.0	14.0	15.0	43.0	23.0	30.0	$10,733	$354	$80	$788	$7,314	$2,984	$10,299
Westpark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2700 S 257th Dr	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 435-3282	652	39	16.9		129 (19.8%)	81 (12.4%)	379 (58.1%)	5 (0.8%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (7.7%)	49.1	394^th of 909 public elementary schools	56.7%		43.6	447^th of 912 public elementary schools	51.0%	53	31.0	37.0	36.0	44.0	57.0	32.0	55.0	65.0	40.0	42.0	50.0	60.0	36.0	31.0	$9,185	$430	$87	$946	$6,898	$1,771	$8,669
Imagine Schools at Buckeye	Public, Charter	K-8	2400 S 247th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	West Gilbert Charter Elementary School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 250-4580	441	18	24.5		106 (24.0%)	24 (5.4%)	281 (63.7%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	22 (5.0%)	17.8	733^rd of 909 public elementary schools	19.4%					(n/a)	23.0	27.0		29.0			30.0									$00			$00
Inca Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	23601 W Durango St	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 925-3500	735	33	22.2		92 (12.5%)	53 (7.2%)	536 (72.9%)	6 (0.8%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.7%)	40 (5.4%)	14.5	795^th of 909 public elementary schools	12.5%		18.9	724^th of 912 public elementary schools	20.6%	71	30.0	28.0	25.0	19.0	24.0	31.0	31.0	16.0	20.0	15.0	15.0		18.0	16.0	$9,825	$496	$86	$1,077	$7,280	$1,964	$9,244
Sundance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	23800 W Hadley St	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 847-8531	656	33	19.8		92 (14.0%)	82 (12.5%)	435 (66.3%)	9 (1.4%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	25 (3.8%)	26.1	607^th of 909 public elementary schools	33.2%		26.3	620^th of 912 public elementary schools	32.0%	13	37.0	34.0	17.0	25.0	40.0	24.0	54.0	38.0	16.0	23.0	20.0	33.0	21.0	16.0	$8,329	$520	$82	$1,121	$6,170	$1,557	$7,728

Frequently Asked Questions about Bales Elementary School

How many students attend Bales Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 699 students attended Bales Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Bales Elementary School?

Students at Bales Elementary School are 73% Hispanic, 17% White, 8% African American, 2% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Bales Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Bales Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Buckeye Union High School
High : BUHSD Institute of Online Learning

Is Bales Elementary School a good school?

Bales Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.3% of Arizona elementary schools.

What district is Bales Elementary School in?

Buckeye Elementary District

Rate Bales Elementary School!

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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.