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Santa Maria Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

537^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 3% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Santa Maria Middle School is a public middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 583 students in grades 6-8 and part of the Fowler Elementary District, which is ranked 263 out of 289 districts in the state.

The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Arizona middle schools over the past several years, with only 8-20% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 40-41%. The school's performance is particularly low in Science, with only 8% of 8th-grade students proficient or better, compared to the state average of 30%. Additionally, the school has had consistently high dropout rates, ranging from 5.2% to 6.9% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average.

While the nearby Western Valley Middle School within the same district has similar academic performance, some nearby schools in other districts, such as Vista College Prep Sueno Park and Maricopa Institute of Technology (MIT), have significantly higher academic performance and rankings, indicating that the challenges faced by Santa Maria Middle School may be specific to the Fowler Elementary District.

591

Students ?

22.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

56.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7250 W Lower Buckeye Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85043-7503

(623) 707-1100

District: Fowler Elementary District

Students who attend Santa Maria Middle School usually attend:

High:

Sierra Linda High School

Feeder schools for Santa Maria Middle School:

Elementary:	Sun Canyon School
	Sunridge Elementary School
	Tuscano Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

76.0%

African American:

14.7%

White:

4.2%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Santa Maria Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2014 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (14% vs 35% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 26 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg11%

Arizona avg35%

537^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Middle Schools in the Fowler Elementary District

263^rd of 289Fowler 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	9.1	537 of 552	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	539 of 550	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	752 of 854	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	551 of 605	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.9	680 of 832	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.7	454 of 605	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.7	438 of 711	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	27.7	482 of 695	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	22.1	418 of 521	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.1	491 of 690	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	38.0	513 of 787	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.0	437 of 772	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.4	398 of 685	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	39.0	427 of 692	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.0	319 of 663	51.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	10.7	390 of 400	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	485 of 573	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	41.1	59 of 125	52.8%	★★★☆☆

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
2025	6.0	386 of 395	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.0	385 of 386	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	685 of 806	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.2	472 of 494	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	545 of 820	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.4	357 of 466	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	434 of 624	30.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	326 of 345	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.1	316 of 329	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	647 of 760	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	356 of 392	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	29.4	577 of 802	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	270 of 387	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	36.8	322 of 543	40.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	33.5	140 of 257	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	339 of 344	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	530 of 717	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.7	283 of 503	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	5.7	374 of 379	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	742 of 810	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.6	458 of 476	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.5	787 of 818	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.1	392 of 435	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.7	362 of 617	41.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	36.1	268 of 384	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.7	623 of 650	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	29.2	280 of 390	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.8	347 of 363	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	32.7	569 of 789	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	29.0	491 of 675	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.3	388 of 780	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.4	184 of 436	57.8%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile+33 vs school

Homeless (2021)46th percentile+27 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)30th percentile+18 vs school

Native American (2021)28th percentile+10 vs school

White (2023)27th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)4th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2023)2nd percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2025)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts19%-22 vs state

Mathematics10%-18 vs state

Science8%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Santa Maria Middle 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
Santa Maria Middle School	Public	6-8	7250 W Lower Buckeye Rd	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Fowler Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 707-1100	591	26	22.7		25 (4.2%)	87 (14.7%)	449 (76.0%)	8 (1.4%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.2%)	9.1	537^th of 552 public middle schools	2.7%		8.5	539^th of 550 public middle schools	2.0%	2				18.0	20.0	19.0				12.0		9.0		8.0		$00			$00
Kings Ridge School	Public	2-8	3650 S 64th Ln	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Riverside Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 477-8960	371	20	18.5		13 (3.5%)	68 (18.3%)	270 (72.8%)	5 (1.3%)	11 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	12.7	503^rd of 552 public middle schools	8.9%		13.9	488^th of 550 public middle schools	11.3%	15			27.0	16.0	29.0	19.0			32.0				27.0		$6,594	$304	$634	$1,241	$5,046	$611	$5,656
Western Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	6250 W Durango St	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Fowler Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 707-2200	553	28	19.7		19 (3.4%)	60 (10.8%)	440 (79.6%)	6 (1.1%)	10 (1.8%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (2.9%)	4.8	552^nd of 552 public middle schools	0.0%		7.9	543^rd of 550 public middle schools	1.3%	9				10.0	9.0	10.0								9.0		$00			$00
Hurley Ranch Elementary	Public	3-8	8950 W Illini Rd	Tolleson	85353	Maricopa County	Union Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 478-5100	703	34	20.9		31 (4.4%)	127 (18.1%)	495 (70.4%)	8 (1.1%)	22 (3.1%)	5 (0.7%)	15 (2.1%)	12.8	501^st of 552 public middle schools	9.2%		11.5	512^th of 550 public middle schools	6.9%	11	25.0	20.0	12.0	16.0	19.0	28.0	29.0	14.0	15.0			11.0		16.0	$9,648	$1,284	$1,505	$4,073	$5,650	$1,209	$6,859
Maricopa Institute of Technology (MIT)	Public	7-8	3900 S 55th Ave	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Riverside Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 272-0006	47	1	47.0		4 (8.5%)	6 (12.8%)	34 (72.3%)	2 (4.3%)	1 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81.8	71^st of 552 public middle schools	87.1%					(n/a)					67.0	59.0						52.0			$7,978	$712	$2,845	$4,269	$1,303	$3,119	$4,421
Imagine Desert West Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	6738 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Imagine Desert West Middle Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 469-2024	437	21	20.8		7 (1.6%)	32 (7.3%)	380 (87.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.3%)	7.4	548^th of 552 public middle schools	0.7%		9.9	526^th of 550 public middle schools	4.4%	22				10.0	13.0	19.0								12.0		$00			$00
Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts	Public	6-8	2730 N 79th Ave	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5300	545	24	22.4		14 (2.6%)	56 (10.3%)	463 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	10.6	529^th of 552 public middle schools	4.2%		9.6	530^th of 550 public middle schools	3.6%	1					25.0	20.0					7.0	4.0		14.0	$12,164	$1,785	$486	$4,055	$8,362	$1,532	$9,894
Vista College Prep Sueno Park	Public, Charter	5-8	1720 N 45th Ave.	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Vista College Preparatory Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 237-6273	538	28	19.2		3 (0.6%)	61 (11.3%)	467 (86.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	31.5	322^nd of 552 public middle schools	41.7%		19.7	427^th of 550 public middle schools	22.4%	105			13.0	25.0	44.0	41.0			15.0	34.0	27.0	20.0		13.0	$8,083	$463	$1,412	$2,337	$4,809	$1,399	$6,208
Estrella Middle School College and Career Prep	Public	6-8	3733 N 75th Ave	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5400	650	32	20.3		11 (1.7%)	22 (3.4%)	608 (93.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	10.7	528^th of 552 public middle schools	4.3%		10.9	518^th of 550 public middle schools	5.8%	10					18.0	21.0						6.0		16.0	$11,768	$3,000	$403	$6,404	$6,958	$1,407	$8,365
Morris K. Udall Escuela de Bellas Artes	Public	6-8	3348 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85009	Maricopa County	Isaac Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 442-2700	553	27	20.4		7 (1.3%)	16 (2.9%)	526 (95.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14.1	490^th of 552 public middle schools	11.2%		8.3	540^th of 550 public middle schools	1.8%	50				19.0	23.0	31.0				13.0	11.0	13.0		17.0		$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Maria Middle School

What district is Santa Maria Middle School in?

Fowler Elementary District

What is the racial makeup of Santa Maria Middle School?

Students at Santa Maria Middle School are 76% Hispanic, 15% African American, 4% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Santa Maria Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 591 students attended Santa Maria Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Santa Maria Middle School attend?

Students who attend Santa Maria Middle School usually go on to attend Sierra Linda High School

Is Santa Maria Middle School a good school?

Santa Maria Middle School ranks in the bottom 2.7% of Arizona middle schools.

Rate Santa Maria Middle 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.