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Papago School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

903^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Papago School is an elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the Creighton Elementary District in Phoenix, Arizona, with 813 students. However, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, with a statewide ranking between 899-1112 out of over 1,200 Arizona elementary schools in recent years and receiving 0 or 1 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars, indicating very poor performance.

Papago School significantly underperforms the state and district averages on standardized tests, with only 16% of 4th graders proficient in English Language Arts compared to 46% statewide, and math proficiency rates ranging from 12-20% across grade levels, compared to 27-42% statewide. The school also has had consistently high dropout rates, ranging from 3.4% to 6.1% in recent years, well above the state average. Despite spending over $11,000 per student in 2021-2022, which is higher than the state average, Papago School continues to struggle academically, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as instructional quality, school leadership, and student support services, may be contributing to the school's poor performance.

Papago School's struggles are further highlighted by the fact that it performs significantly worse than other Creighton Elementary District schools, such as Gateway School and The Creighton Academy, which have higher academic proficiency rates and better overall rankings. Additionally, Papago School's lack of improvement over the past decade suggests a need for a comprehensive, data-driven approach to school improvement that addresses the root causes of the school's challenges.

757

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,287

Per pupil spending ?

85.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2013 N 36th St
Phoenix, AZ 85008-3026

(602) 381-6100

District: Creighton Elementary District

Students who attend Papago School usually attend:

High:

Camelback High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

84.8%

African American:

5.7%

White:

5.0%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Papago School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (16% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg16%

Arizona avg38%

Elementary school

903^rd of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

530^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 14% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Creighton Elementary District

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	6.4	903 of 909	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	899 of 912	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.7	1097 of 1245	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.4	964 of 1000	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	1112 of 1226	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.8	947 of 1039	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.0	1056 of 1109	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	12.0	1038 of 1106	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	8.7	1048 of 1079	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	15.2	847 of 955	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	21.8	899 of 1079	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	22.3	1001 of 1158	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.1	935 of 1141	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	34.0	733 of 1075	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	37.8	693 of 1090	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	15.4	982 of 1062	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.3	659 of 895	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	9.5	589 of 620	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.4	413 of 451	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	39.3	545 of 975	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	13.1	1148 of 1219	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	998 of 1219	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.4	822 of 862	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.4	983 of 1023	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	7.1	483 of 486	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.1	1018 of 1170	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	687 of 716	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.6	1057 of 1198	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	633 of 709	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	843 of 911	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	31.9	324 of 423	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.1	972 of 1116	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	567 of 618	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.5	760 of 820	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.3	1051 of 1216	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	4.2	826 of 830	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	1122 of 1220	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	718 of 850	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	944 of 1032	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	14.0	995 of 1027	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	33.1	454 of 654	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	25.2	1026 of 1201	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	46.1	542 of 1024	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	449 of 800	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.2	985 of 1161	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	530 of 552	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	536 of 550	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	704 of 854	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	521 of 605	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.1	713 of 832	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.6	587 of 605	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	637 of 711	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.7	634 of 695	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	18.7	569 of 677	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	17.8	447 of 521	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.7	505 of 690	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.8	537 of 787	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	39.9	497 of 772	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.0	369 of 685	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	43.5	398 of 692	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	32.4	473 of 663	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	22.7	507 of 573	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	41.7	298 of 606	50.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.5	576 of 806	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.1	583 of 820	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.8	602 of 624	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	315 of 345	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.3	600 of 760	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.0	329 of 392	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.2	636 of 802	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.9	369 of 387	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.5	489 of 543	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.5	205 of 257	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	14.0	323 of 344	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.6	511 of 717	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.0	296 of 369	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.9	449 of 503	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.2	693 of 810	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.4	736 of 818	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	479 of 617	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	43.1	338 of 650	48.0%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.7	262 of 390	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.1	644 of 789	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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

White (2023)47th percentile+35 vs school

Native American (2021)31st percentile+21 vs school

African American (2021)26th percentile+17 vs school

Homeless (2021)23rd percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2021)15th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2023)14th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)13th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)8th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2023)6th percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2021)5th percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)3rd percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2024)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile+37 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)48th percentile+34 vs school

Native American (2021)33rd percentile+19 vs school

Female (2023)29th percentile+11 vs school

Homeless (2021)20th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2021)18th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2023)14th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2021)12th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)9th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts16%-26 vs state

Mathematics16%-16 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, April 25, 2010

The school has made a lot of changes. My 2 kids are in middle school and they have been there since kindergarten. The new principal together with the teachers have turned Papago around. They are doing better in test scores and there seems to be more structure. There are a lot of spanish speaking students so I know it is hard for the teachers. I'm proud of Papago School! Close Quote

Schools Near Papago 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
Papago School	Public	PK, KG-8	2013 N 36th St	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Creighton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 381-6100	757	42	18.2		38 (5.0%)	43 (5.7%)	642 (84.8%)	10 (1.3%)	15 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.1%)	6.4	903^rd of 909 public elementary schools	0.7%		6.7	899^th of 912 public elementary schools	1.4%	4		16.0		14.0	20.0	15.0	20.0				12.0	16.0			$11,287	$1,761	$375	$3,896	$6,961	$2,190	$9,151
Gateway School	Public	PK, KG-8	1100 N 35th St	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Creighton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 381-4665	577	35	16.3		13 (2.3%)	42 (7.3%)	493 (85.4%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	10 (1.7%)								(n/a)															$12,761	$2,203	$671	$5,077	$7,644	$2,243	$9,887
Pat Tillman Middle School	Public	PK, KG-8	4309 E Belleview Street	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Balsz Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 629-6500	598	35	17.2		21 (3.5%)	99 (16.6%)	404 (67.6%)	3 (0.5%)	52 (8.7%)	6 (1.0%)	13 (2.2%)								(n/a)				14.0	17.0	17.0				8.0				15.0		$00			$00
The Creighton Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	2802 E. McDowell Roaad	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Creighton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 381-6060	411	24	17.4		12 (2.9%)	13 (3.2%)	369 (89.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.6%)								(n/a)					26.0	28.0	29.0								$13,562	$2,220	$625	$5,064	$8,225	$2,493	$10,718
David Crockett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	501 N 36th St	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Balsz Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 629-6600	466	27	17.2		18 (3.9%)	169 (36.3%)	239 (51.3%)	8 (1.7%)	18 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.0%)	13.7	814^th of 909 public elementary schools	10.5%		15.8	769^th of 912 public elementary schools	15.7%	45		25.0	27.0					15.0					24.0			$00			$00
Career Success School - Sage Campus	Public, Charter	K-8	3120 N 32nd St	Phoenix	85016	Maricopa County	Career Success Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 955-0355	128	17	7.5		2 (1.6%)	7 (5.5%)	105 (82.0%)	6 (4.7%)	5 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.3%)								(n/a)															$9,911	$1,616	$798	$4,030	$6,213	$1,284	$7,497
Griffith Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4505 E Palm Ln	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Balsz Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 629-6700	422	29	14.5		16 (3.8%)	61 (14.5%)	297 (70.4%)	3 (0.7%)	27 (6.4%)	3 (0.7%)	15 (3.6%)	13.9	809^th of 909 public elementary schools	11.0%		14.5	790^th of 912 public elementary schools	13.4%	19	16.0						30.0	23.0								$00			$00
Monte Vista Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3501 E Osborn Rd	Phoenix	85018	Maricopa County	Creighton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 381-6140	703	42	16.9		20 (2.8%)	36 (5.1%)	619 (88.1%)	3 (0.4%)	17 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	7 (1.0%)								(n/a)		24.0			14.0	14.0									$12,086	$1,810	$421	$4,041	$7,667	$2,188	$9,855
Great Hearts Academies - Archway Lincoln	Public, Charter	K-5	701 N 44th St	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Archway Classical Academy Lincoln	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 424-1798	712	47	15.1		269 (37.8%)	37 (5.2%)	163 (22.9%)	168 (23.6%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	71 (10.0%)	93	50^th of 909 public elementary schools	94.5%		95.5	26^th of 912 public elementary schools	97.1%	24	60.0	76.0	77.0				65.0	78.0	92.0				66.0			$00			$00
Wilson Primary School	Public	PK, KG-3	415 N 30th St	Phoenix	85008	Maricopa County	Wilson Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 683-2500	413	25	16.5		10 (2.4%)	62 (15.0%)	316 (76.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (2.2%)								(n/a)	13.0						31.0								$26,100	$4,896	$1,860	$11,652	$16,280	$3,065	$19,345

Frequently Asked Questions about Papago School

What schools do graduates of Papago School attend?

Students who attend Papago School usually go on to attend:

High : Camelback High School

What district is Papago School in?

Creighton Elementary District

What is the racial makeup of Papago School?

Students at Papago School are 85% Hispanic, 6% African American, 5% White, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

Is Papago School a good school?

Papago School ranks in the bottom 0.7% of Arizona elementary schools.

How many students attend Papago School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 757 students attended Papago School.

Rate Papago 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.