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Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy

Q: Is Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy a good school?

Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy ranks in the bottom 4.3% of Arizona elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 684 students attended Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy?

Students at Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy are 94% Hispanic, 4% African American, 2% White.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

870^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Phoenix, Arizona, with 675 students. The school is part of the Cartwright Elementary District, which is ranked 262 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the school's consistent ranking in the bottom 20-25% of Arizona elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, there are some bright spots. The school's performance on state assessments varies significantly by student subgroup, with the school ranking in the top 40% for African American students but in the bottom 10% for Hispanic, White, and English Language Learner students. Additionally, the nearby Alhambra Elementary District and Isaac Elementary District schools show similar patterns of low performance, suggesting systemic challenges facing schools in this area.

The school's high dropout rates, ranging from 2% to 6.1% in recent years, and low proficiency rates on state assessments, with most grades scoring 20% or below proficient in English Language Arts and Mathematics, are areas of concern. However, the school's relatively high spending per student, ranging from $9,276 to $12,990 in recent years, raises questions about the efficient use of resources and the need for more targeted, evidence-based interventions. As the school's enrollment has decreased by 33.6% over the past five years, addressing these systemic issues will be crucial to providing a quality education for the students of Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy.

684

Students ?

21.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,990

Per pupil spending ?

79.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3611 N 47th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85031-3102

(623) 691-4200

District: Cartwright Elementary District

Students who attend Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy usually attend:

High:

Maryvale High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.6%

African American:

3.5%

White:

1.9%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (21% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg22%

Arizona avg40%

Elementary school

870^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

469^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 15%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 15Elementary Schools in the Cartwright Elementary District

262^nd of 289Cartwright 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	10.3	870 of 909	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	808 of 912	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.4	1036 of 1245	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	823 of 1000	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.1	994 of 1226	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	772 of 1039	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	834 of 1109	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.3	758 of 1106	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	25.9	799 of 1079	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.0	758 of 955	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	32.8	744 of 1079	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	24.8	972 of 1158	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	24.7	981 of 1141	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	13.6	988 of 1075	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	22.2	929 of 1090	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.2	934 of 1062	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	57.7	231 of 607	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.4	810 of 895	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.7	442 of 451	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	40.6	458 of 975	53.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	16.4	1079 of 1219	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	1074 of 1219	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.1	759 of 862	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	700 of 1023	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	14.1	463 of 496	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	435 of 486	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	964 of 1170	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	602 of 716	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.8	915 of 1198	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.3	503 of 709	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	610 of 911	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	78.5	9 of 102	91.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	528 of 549	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	464 of 556	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.4	917 of 1116	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.4	563 of 820	31.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.2	1000 of 1216	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	9.5	793 of 830	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	28.1	829 of 1220	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.0	656 of 850	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	881 of 1032	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.1	590 of 654	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	23.7	1053 of 1201	12.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	18.0	1058 of 1161	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	16.3	469 of 552	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	456 of 550	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	690 of 854	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	540 of 605	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	644 of 832	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.7	478 of 605	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	495 of 711	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.0	454 of 695	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	26.5	491 of 677	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.8	481 of 521	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	23.5	556 of 690	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	24.8	659 of 787	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.1	569 of 772	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.5	582 of 685	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.0	573 of 692	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	57.2	128 of 400	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	211 of 573	63.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	19.5	132 of 145	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	41.7	298 of 606	50.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.0	667 of 806	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.4	597 of 820	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.9	361 of 466	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.4	482 of 624	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	264 of 345	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	594 of 760	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	339 of 392	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	556 of 802	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.3	254 of 387	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	35.1	339 of 543	37.6%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	47.4	81 of 257	68.5%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	231 of 344	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.4	534 of 717	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.5	292 of 369	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	323 of 503	35.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.0	631 of 810	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.7	651 of 818	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	356 of 435	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.9	445 of 617	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.2	345 of 390	11.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.9	561 of 789	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	7.1	778 of 780	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Homeless (2023)91st percentile+74 vs school

African American (2023)62nd percentile+45 vs school

Male (2023)18th percentile~ school

Special Education (2021)12th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2023)11th percentile-5 vs school

Native American (2021)10th percentile-9 vs school

White (2021)9th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2025)7th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)2nd percentile-15 vs school

Middle school

Homeless (2021)68th percentile+46 vs school

African American (2023)68th percentile+49 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)33rd percentile+18 vs school

Special Education (2021)29th percentile+6 vs school

Hispanic (2025)23rd percentile+8 vs school

Male (2023)22nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2023)17th percentile~ school

Native American (2021)12th percentile-11 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)9th percentile-10 vs school

White (2021)<1st percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-18 vs state

Mathematics20%-20 vs state

Science14%-16 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Saturday, November 11, 2017

This school is just a very low performing school and they really just need to do away with the entire staff and start over. It is beyond me why the state doesn't take over this school as it has proven time and time again that they don't perform to standards unless state standards are extremely low all around and that would make sense. Close Quote

Schools Near Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy

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
Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	3611 N 47th Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-4200	684	33	21.0		13 (1.9%)	24 (3.5%)	640 (93.6%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.4%)	10.3	870^th of 909 public elementary schools	4.3%		13.7	808^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.4%	62		23.0	19.0	22.0	34.0	20.0	20.0		19.0					14.0	$12,990	$2,202	$478	$4,882	$8,735	$1,575	$10,310
Justine Spitalny STE3AM School	Public	PK, KG-8	3201 N 46th Dr	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-4400	667	34	19.9		17 (2.5%)	22 (3.3%)	606 (90.9%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)	12.8	828^th of 909 public elementary schools	8.9%					(n/a)		23.0	23.0	27.0	28.0	19.0	23.0	22.0	20.0				20.0	17.0	$13,209	$1,986	$543	$4,514	$9,305	$1,377	$10,681
Liberty Traditional Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	4027 N 45th Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Liberty Traditional Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 442-8791	159	7	22.7		8 (5.0%)	13 (8.2%)	138 (86.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																$00			$00
Cartwright Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	5220 W. Indian School Rd	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(623) 691-4066	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)																$00			$00
EAGLE College Prep Maryvale	Public, Charter	K-8	3950 N 53rd Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	EAGLE College Prep Maryvale LLC	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 638-0820	293	15	19.5		3 (1.0%)	5 (1.7%)	281 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)					46.0			44.0								$00			$00
Bret R. Tarver Leadership Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	4308 N 51st Ave Ste 102	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-1900	617	33	18.5		16 (2.6%)	32 (5.2%)	549 (89.0%)	4 (0.6%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (1.6%)	12.5	837^th of 909 public elementary schools	7.9%		14.3	791^st of 912 public elementary schools	13.3%	46		29.0	21.0	22.0			20.0	18.0	23.0				22.0		$12,778	$3,739	$535	$8,014	$7,488	$1,015	$8,503
Frank Borman School	Public	PK, KG-8	3637 N 55th Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5000	960	47	20.6		12 (1.3%)	56 (5.8%)	860 (89.6%)	6 (0.6%)	16 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (0.9%)	10.4	868^th of 909 public elementary schools	4.5%		8.8	885^th of 912 public elementary schools	3.0%	17	16.0	24.0	14.0		30.0	29.0	22.0	30.0					13.0	21.0	$12,058	$3,133	$411	$6,676	$7,069	$1,446	$8,514
James W. Rice Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4530 W Campbell Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Alhambra Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 848-8420	686	43	15.9		11 (1.6%)	21 (3.1%)	621 (90.5%)	24 (3.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.2%)								(n/a)	29.0				24.0	43.0	32.0				30.0	31.0			$10,072	$1,911	$325	$4,148	$6,978	$858	$7,835
Pueblo Del Sol Middle School	Public	K-8	3449 N 39th Ave	Phoenix	85019	Maricopa County	Isaac Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 455-6900	659	35	19.1		10 (1.5%)	47 (7.1%)	589 (89.4%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	11	859^th of 909 public elementary schools	5.5%		19.6	705^th of 912 public elementary schools	22.7%	154		28.0		18.0	15.0	22.0				14.0				10.0		$00			$00
John F. Long	Public	PK, KG-6	4407 N 55th Ave	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-4300	641	28	22.7		14 (2.2%)	35 (5.5%)	568 (88.6%)	5 (0.8%)	14 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	27.6	586^th of 909 public elementary schools	35.5%		26.3	617^th of 912 public elementary schools	32.3%	31	35.0	27.0	32.0	29.0			50.0	38.0	29.0	19.0			21.0		$12,408	$2,026	$515	$4,568	$8,452	$1,414	$9,866

Frequently Asked Questions about Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy

Is Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy a good school?

Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy ranks in the bottom 4.3% of Arizona elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy attend?

Students who attend Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy usually go on to attend:

High : Maryvale High School

How many students attend Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 684 students attended Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy?

Students at Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy are 94% Hispanic, 4% African American, 2% White.

What district is Glenn L. Downs Social Sciences Academy in?

Cartwright Elementary 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.