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Willie & Coy Payne Junior High

Public Grades 7-8

54^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 90% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Willie & Coy Payne Junior High is a public middle school in Queen Creek, Arizona, serving 1,127 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Chandler Unified District #80, which is ranked 105 out of 289 districts in the state.

Willie & Coy Payne Junior High consistently outperforms both the district and the state of Arizona in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 57% of 8th-grade students were proficient or better in Science, compared to 47% for the district and 30% for the state. The school's performance across different student subgroups is also noteworthy, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners ranking among the top middle schools in Arizona.

Over the past 10 years, Willie & Coy Payne Junior High has consistently ranked among the top middle schools in Arizona, with a 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. When compared to nearby schools, such as Santan Junior High, Willie & Coy Payne Junior High stands out with its stronger academic performance. The school has also maintained relatively low dropout rates and serves students from various socioeconomic backgrounds, demonstrating its ability to provide a high-quality education to a diverse student population.

1,171

Students ?

19.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,644

Per pupil spending ?

10.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7655 S Higley Rd
Queen Creek, AZ 85142-8208

(480) 224-2400

District: Chandler Unified District #80

Feeder schools for Willie & Coy Payne Junior High:

Elementary:	Audrey & Robert Ryan Elementary
	Charlotte Patterson Elementary
	John & Carol Carlson Elementary
	Navarrete Elementary
	More...
	Weinberg Gifted Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.5%

Hispanic:

18.8%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Willie & Coy Payne Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 88th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (61% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Arizona middle schools

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school61%

District avg51%

Arizona avg33%

54^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Chandler Unified District #80

105^th of 289Chandler Unified District #80 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	87.4	54 of 552	90.2%	★★★★★
2024	82.7	72 of 550	86.9%	★★★★☆
2023	83.5	102 of 854	88.1%	★★★★☆
2022	66.8	175 of 605	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	83.0	111 of 832	86.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.7	137 of 605	77.4%	★★★★☆
2018	85.3	82 of 711	88.5%	★★★★☆
2017	77.1	125 of 695	82.0%	★★★★☆
2016	84.0	93 of 677	86.3%	★★★★☆
2015	85.5	62 of 521	88.1%	★★★★☆
2014	88.5	62 of 690	91.0%	★★★★★
2013	85.6	59 of 787	92.5%	★★★★★
2012	78.6	132 of 772	82.9%	★★★★☆
2011	89.2	42 of 685	93.9%	★★★★★
2010	89.7	40 of 692	94.2%	★★★★★
2009	89.1	36 of 663	94.6%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	48.3	175 of 400	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.5	93 of 573	83.8%	★★★★☆
2018	90.0	6 of 125	95.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	29.3	22 of 29	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	79.3	37 of 247	85.0%	★★★★☆
2022	52.0	94 of 192	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	66.0	120 of 404	70.3%	★★★★☆
2018	48.1	24 of 42	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	76.4	22 of 145	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	56.9	46 of 606	92.4%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	80.5	50 of 395	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.1	58 of 386	85.0%	★★★★☆
2023	80.6	117 of 806	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	57.2	194 of 494	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.3	137 of 820	83.3%	★★★★☆
2019	72.2	113 of 466	75.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	62 of 624	90.1%	★★★★★

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	31.2	129 of 166	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	89.4	26 of 345	92.5%	★★★★★
2024	77.0	50 of 329	84.8%	★★★★☆
2023	86.5	55 of 760	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	59.7	136 of 392	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.6	118 of 802	85.3%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	77 of 387	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	83.8	56 of 543	89.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	81.7	39 of 344	88.7%	★★★★☆
2024	66.5	72 of 320	77.5%	★★★★☆
2023	77.4	85 of 717	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	69.7	105 of 503	79.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	45 of 379	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	66 of 370	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.5	83 of 810	89.8%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	137 of 476	71.2%	★★★★☆
2021	83.8	95 of 818	88.4%	★★★★☆
2019	68.9	119 of 435	72.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.5	100 of 617	83.8%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	19.2	103 of 110	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	38.7	52 of 68	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	48.5	10 of 23	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	5 of 20	75.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.5	104 of 384	72.9%	★★★★☆
2021	60.1	190 of 650	70.8%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	72.7	34 of 159	78.6%	★★★★☆
2021	35.1	249 of 390	36.2%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	59.4	18 of 108	83.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	44.2	150 of 363	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.0	125 of 789	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	49.7	59 of 178	66.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	74.1	50 of 277	81.9%	★★★★☆
2024	67.5	71 of 288	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	70.1	145 of 675	78.5%	★★★★☆
2022	45.2	261 of 446	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	74.7	145 of 780	81.4%	★★★★☆
2019	59.7	131 of 337	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.4	98 of 436	77.5%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile~ school

Male (2025)88th percentile~ school

Female (2025)87th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)85th percentile-3 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)83rd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Native American (2023)79th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2023)59th percentile-29 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)57th percentile-34 vs school

African American (2023)56th percentile-32 vs school

Asian (2024)24th percentile-63 vs school

Foster Care (2021)22nd percentile-64 vs school

Military Connected (2023)6th percentile-82 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts66%+24 vs state

Mathematics60%+32 vs state

Science57%+27 vs state

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Schools Near Willie & Coy Payne Junior High

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 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th 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
Willie & Coy Payne Junior High	Public	7-8	7655 S Higley Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 224-2400	1,171	59	19.9		791 (67.5%)	38 (3.2%)	220 (18.8%)	37 (3.2%)	11 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (6.2%)	87.4	54^th of 552 public middle schools	90.2%		82.7	72^nd of 550 public middle schools	86.9%	18			70.0	61.0			62.0	57.0		57.0	$6,644	$426	$65	$918	$6,016	$136	$6,152
Newell Barney College Preparatory School	Public	5-8	24937 S Sossaman Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 474-6700	129	13	9.9		81 (62.8%)	3 (2.3%)	32 (24.8%)	4 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (7.0%)	87.3	55^th of 552 public middle schools	90.0%		57.1	204^th of 550 public middle schools	62.9%	149			90.0	63.0			70.0	48.0		54.0	$7,296	$279	$03	$561	$5,960	$1,054	$7,014
Sossaman Middle School	Public	7-8	18655 E Jacaranda Blvd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8500	1,094	55	19.8		721 (65.9%)	35 (3.2%)	235 (21.5%)	31 (2.8%)	6 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	63 (5.8%)	83	67^th of 552 public middle schools	87.9%		77.8	103^rd of 550 public middle schools	81.3%	36			66.0	62.0			52.0	51.0		56.0	$6,310	$284	$67	$635	$5,238	$721	$5,959
Santan Junior High School	Public	7-8	1550 E Chandler Heights Rd	Chandler	85249	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 883-4600	1,085	57	19.2		633 (58.3%)	60 (5.5%)	198 (18.2%)	81 (7.5%)	26 (2.4%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (7.8%)	83.2	66^th of 552 public middle schools	88.0%		77.9	101^st of 550 public middle schools	81.6%	35			67.0	60.0			54.0	52.0		55.0	$6,762	$333	$127	$792	$6,163	$140	$6,303
Queen Creek Junior High School	Public	5-8	20435 S Old Ellsworth Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-5940	657	33	19.6		407 (61.9%)	24 (3.7%)	170 (25.9%)	13 (2.0%)	5 (0.8%)	3 (0.5%)	35 (5.3%)	64.7	156^th of 552 public middle schools	71.7%		67.7	141^st of 550 public middle schools	74.4%	15			49.0	48.0			44.0	41.0		49.0	$8,274	$348	$01	$697	$6,470	$1,455	$7,925
ASU Preparatory Academy-Polytechnic Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	6950 E Williams Field Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	ASU Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 727-5700	328	33	9.9		144 (43.9%)	12 (3.7%)	122 (37.2%)	12 (3.7%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	32 (9.8%)	71.7	123^rd of 552 public middle schools	77.7%		63.6	158^th of 550 public middle schools	71.3%	35	59.0	74.0	59.0		47.0	45.0	35.0		55.0			$00			$00
South Valley Junior High	Public	7-8	2034 S Lindsay Rd	Gilbert	85295	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 855-0015	875	43	20.4		502 (57.4%)	45 (5.1%)	224 (25.6%)	28 (3.2%)	9 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.4%)	77.2	96^th of 552 public middle schools	82.6%		81.2	79^th of 550 public middle schools	85.6%	17			62.0	56.0			52.0	54.0		44.0	$6,311	$70	$463	$604	$6,025		$5,778
Cooley Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 S Recker Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8300	795	52	15.3		418 (52.6%)	61 (7.7%)	210 (26.4%)	34 (4.3%)	5 (0.6%)	8 (1.0%)	59 (7.4%)	58.1	190^th of 552 public middle schools	65.6%		52.9	222^nd of 550 public middle schools	59.6%	32			47.0	52.0			38.0	41.0		36.0	$6,360	$203	$85	$491	$5,417	$654	$6,071
Willis Junior High School	Public	7-8	401 S McQueen Rd	Chandler	85225	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 883-5700	661	39	16.8		149 (22.5%)	38 (5.7%)	408 (61.7%)	18 (2.7%)	6 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (6.2%)	22.8	392^nd of 552 public middle schools	29.0%		35	307^th of 550 public middle schools	44.2%	85			38.0	28.0			21.0	15.0		17.0	$7,680	$617	$187	$1,421	$6,459	$417	$6,876
Combs Center for Success Middle School	Public	6-8	38300 N Gantzel Rd	San Tan Valley	85140	Pinal County	J O Combs Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 882-3540	4				3 (75.0%)	1 (25.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$160,361	$1,547		$3,094	$157,749	$1,065	$158,814

Frequently Asked Questions about Willie & Coy Payne Junior High

What district is Willie & Coy Payne Junior High in?

Chandler Unified District #80

How many students attend Willie & Coy Payne Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,171 students attended Willie & Coy Payne Junior High.

What is the racial makeup of Willie & Coy Payne Junior High?

Students at Willie & Coy Payne Junior High are 68% White, 19% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% Asian.

Is Willie & Coy Payne Junior High a good school?

Yes. Willie & Coy Payne Junior High ranks in the top 9.8% of Arizona middle schools.

Rate Willie & Coy Payne Junior High!

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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.