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Desert Willow Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

791^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Willow Elementary School is a public school serving grades PK-8 in Casa Grande, Arizona, with an enrollment of 465 students. The school faces significant academic and performance challenges, with consistently underperforming results on standardized tests compared to state and district averages.

Desert Willow Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past 10 years, from 478 out of 1,039 schools in 2018-2019 to 791 out of 909 schools in 2024-2025. It is currently rated 1 out of 5 stars by Casa Grande Elementary District, which is ranked 261 out of 289 districts in the state. The school also faces significant achievement gaps between student subgroups, with the school ranking in the bottom 30% of Arizona schools for Hispanic, White, and Special Education students, but in the top 25% for Asian and Multi-racial students.

Interestingly, other schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District, such as Mesquite Elementary and Ironwood School, also struggle academically and have low statewide rankings, suggesting systemic challenges within the district. In contrast, nearby charter schools, such as Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande and The Grande Innovation, outperform Desert Willow Elementary on most academic measures.

505

Students ?

21.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,769

Per pupil spending ?

53.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2172 N Arizola Rd
Casa Grande, AZ 85122-6372

(520) 876-5397

District: Casa Grande Elementary District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

57.2%

White:

28.7%

African American:

5.9%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Willow Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (24% vs 39% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg19%

Arizona avg39%

791^st of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 7Elementary Schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District

261^st of 289Casa Grande 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	14.7	791 of 909	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.5	846 of 912	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	802 of 1245	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.0	625 of 1000	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	56.0	489 of 1226	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.6	478 of 1039	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.4	448 of 1109	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.7	569 of 1106	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.7	488 of 1079	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	25.4	685 of 955	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	51.3	533 of 1079	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	54.9	519 of 1158	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	61.5	438 of 1141	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.4	383 of 1075	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	65.9	374 of 1090	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.4	391 of 1062	63.2%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	42.8	348 of 607	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.6	486 of 895	45.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	71.5	133 of 620	78.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	57.0	145 of 451	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	49.0	228 of 975	76.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.7	749 of 1219	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	20.1	692 of 824	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	54.0	495 of 1219	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	39.1	492 of 862	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.3	401 of 1023	60.8%	★★★☆☆

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
2023	30.8	811 of 1170	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.6	647 of 716	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	51.9	486 of 1198	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.5	428 of 709	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.6	434 of 911	52.4%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.0	303 of 423	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.3	951 of 1116	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	57.4	303 of 820	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.5	879 of 1216	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	625 of 830	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	57.5	456 of 1220	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.9	451 of 850	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.3	428 of 1032	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	9.0	611 of 617	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	73.6	73 of 444	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	66.0	249 of 1027	75.8%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	40.2	344 of 654	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.1	730 of 820	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	63.5	233 of 1201	80.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.1	859 of 1024	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	45.1	434 of 800	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.2	440 of 1161	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.1	336 of 595	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.0	302 of 720	58.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

Asian (2021)79th percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)68th percentile+32 vs school

Native American (2021)47th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2023)43rd percentile+7 vs school

Female (2023)39th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2023)31st percentile-5 vs school

Homeless (2021)28th percentile-32 vs school

Male (2023)28th percentile-8 vs school

White (2023)16th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)15th percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2023)11th percentile-25 vs school

Foster Care (2021)10th percentile-50 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)1st percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics26%-14 vs state

English Language Arts23%-17 vs state

Science18%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Willow 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
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2172 N Arizola Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 876-5397	505	23	21.9		145 (28.7%)	30 (5.9%)	289 (57.2%)	5 (1.0%)	13 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.4%)	14.7	791^st of 909 public elementary schools	13.0%		11.5	846^th of 912 public elementary schools	7.2%	55	25.0	27.0	18.0				35.0	18.0					18.0		$7,769	$1,200	$266	$2,665	$5,291	$1,012	$6,303
Cholla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1180 E Kortsen Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-4719	458	22	20.8		85 (18.6%)	35 (7.6%)	292 (63.8%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (6.6%)	13.9	812^th of 909 public elementary schools	10.7%		13.4	812^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.0%			28.0	20.0				20.0	26.0	26.0						$7,359	$1,225	$186	$2,635	$5,257	$692	$5,949
Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande	Public, Charter	K-8	1274 E. ONeil Dr	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 421-2323	1,486	62	23.9		391 (26.3%)	89 (6.0%)	840 (56.5%)	43 (2.9%)	19 (1.3%)	10 (0.7%)	94 (6.3%)	35.7	504^th of 909 public elementary schools	44.6%		35.8	515^th of 912 public elementary schools	43.5%	11	34.0	44.0	39.0	46.0	57.0	58.0	34.0	28.0	28.0	30.0	36.0	33.0	38.0	45.0		$00			$00
Ironwood School	Public	PK, KG-8	1500 N Colorado St	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-5086	481	23	20.9		70 (14.6%)	26 (5.4%)	354 (73.6%)	7 (1.5%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (4.2%)	8.5	886^th of 909 public elementary schools	2.5%		6.3	904^th of 912 public elementary schools	0.9%	18		18.0	21.0				17.0	12.0	18.0				20.0		$8,103	$1,392	$274	$3,059	$5,719	$717	$6,436
The Grande Innovation	Public, Charter	K-8	950 N Peart Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	The Grande Innovation Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 381-2360	833	39	21.3		184 (22.1%)	17 (2.0%)	581 (69.7%)	4 (0.5%)	9 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.3%)	27.3	591^st of 909 public elementary schools	35.0%		19.1	718^th of 912 public elementary schools	21.3%	127	29.0	45.0	26.0	41.0	40.0	61.0	27.0	24.0	28.0	33.0	17.0	33.0	27.0	45.0		$00			$00
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1667 N Kadota Ave	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-5601	515	24	21.4		88 (17.1%)	39 (7.6%)	328 (63.7%)	2 (0.4%)	34 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.7%)								(n/a)		27.0													$9,303	$1,561	$371	$3,494	$5,576	$1,795	$7,370
McCartney Ranch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2631 N Brown Ave	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 876-4235	668	23	29.0		119 (17.8%)	23 (3.4%)	486 (72.8%)	7 (1.0%)	12 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.1%)	23.7	645^th of 909 public elementary schools	29.0%		20.8	691^st of 912 public elementary schools	24.2%	46	22.0	36.0	33.0				22.0	36.0	36.0				23.0		$7,712	$1,148	$170	$2,467	$5,449	$945	$6,394
CGESD Online Learning Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	220 W Kortsen Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(520) 836-6694	0	2	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)															$473	$356	$114	$826	$02	$02	$03
Center for Online and Innovative Learning	Public	PK, KG-8	1000 N Amarillo St	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-6694	332	18	18.4		132 (39.8%)	7 (2.1%)	161 (48.5%)	2 (0.6%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.6%)	40.3	469^th of 909 public elementary schools	48.4%		64.7	289^th of 912 public elementary schools	68.3%	180		48.0	30.0	35.0	51.0			48.0	22.0		45.0		46.0		$170,822	$13,732	$3,374	$30,839	$126,725	$26,991	$153,715
Mesquite Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	129 N Arizola Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-7787	439	22	19.9		82 (18.7%)	22 (5.0%)	264 (60.1%)	4 (0.9%)	41 (9.3%)	2 (0.5%)	24 (5.5%)	8	889^th of 909 public elementary schools	2.2%		10.8	860^th of 912 public elementary schools	5.7%	29	15.0	21.0					17.0	21.0							$9,356	$1,773	$257	$3,803	$5,835	$1,491	$7,326

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Willow Elementary School

Is Desert Willow Elementary School a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary School ranks in the bottom 13.0% of Arizona elementary schools.

How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 505 students attended Desert Willow Elementary School.

What district is Desert Willow Elementary School in?

Casa Grande Elementary District

What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary School?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary School are 57% Hispanic, 29% White, 6% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% American Indian.

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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.