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Desert Ridge Junior High

Q: Is Desert Ridge Junior High a good school?

Desert Ridge Junior High ranks 178 th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

178^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 68% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Desert Ridge Junior High is a public middle school located in Mesa, Arizona, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 950 students. It is part of the Gilbert Unified District, which is ranked 85 out of 289 districts in Arizona and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past 10 years, Desert Ridge Junior High has consistently ranked in the top half of Arizona middle schools, with a current ranking of 178 out of 552 schools and a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Ridge Junior High consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency for both 7th and 8th grades. For example, in 2024-2025, 58% of 7th graders and 50% of 8th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the state averages of 42% and 40%, respectively. In Mathematics, 46% of 7th graders and 34% of 8th graders were proficient or better, compared to the state averages of 27% for both grades. However, the school's performance in Science is more mixed, with 8th-grade proficiency rates ranging from 27% to 37% over the past few years, compared to the state average of around 30%.

While Desert Ridge Junior High generally performs well across different student subgroups, the school's strongest performing subgroups are Hispanic students and English Language Learners, who consistently rank in the top 50% of Arizona middle schools. The school's lowest performing subgroups are Multi-racial students and Special Education students, who rank in the bottom half or bottom third of Arizona middle schools. Additionally, the school has seen a slight increase in dropout rates over the past few years, ranging from 2.3% to 6.1%, which is higher than the district and state averages. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch at Desert Ridge Junior High has also increased from 11.01% in 2021-2022 to 25.9% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of students from lower-income families.

925

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,110

Per pupil spending ?

25.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10211 E Madero Ave
Mesa, AZ 85209-1493

(480) 635-2025

District: Gilbert Unified District

Students who attend Desert Ridge Junior High usually attend:

High:

Desert Ridge High

Feeder schools for Desert Ridge Junior High:

Elementary:	Augusta Ranch Elementary
	Boulder Creek Elementary
	Canyon Rim Elementary
	Meridian

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.3%

Hispanic:

29.9%

Two or more races:

6.3%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Desert Ridge Junior High to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 57th percentile in 2022 → 68th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (44% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 68th (2025) from a 57th-percentile low (2022)

✓Above the Arizona median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

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

!Near the bottom of Gilbert Unified District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg51%

Arizona avg33%

178^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 24% (2015) to top 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Gilbert Unified District

85^th of 289Gilbert Unified 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	60.5	178 of 552	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.0	194 of 550	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.2	193 of 854	77.4%	★★★★☆
2022	50.2	258 of 605	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.3	257 of 832	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	59.6	218 of 605	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.5	174 of 711	75.5%	★★★★☆
2017	64.7	198 of 695	71.5%	★★★★☆
2016	70.0	169 of 677	75.0%	★★★★☆
2015	72.6	126 of 521	75.8%	★★★★☆
2014	79.4	135 of 690	80.4%	★★★★☆
2013	77.6	145 of 787	81.6%	★★★★☆
2012	79.7	112 of 772	85.5%	★★★★☆
2011	77.1	139 of 685	79.7%	★★★★☆
2010	79.7	124 of 692	82.1%	★★★★☆
2009	84.3	84 of 663	87.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	32.0	276 of 400	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	227 of 573	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.1	45 of 125	64.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	51.1	107 of 247	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.1	203 of 404	49.8%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	50.5	118 of 606	80.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	171 of 395	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	161 of 386	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	73.7	162 of 806	79.9%	★★★★☆
2022	46.6	248 of 494	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.6	254 of 820	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.9	193 of 466	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.3	179 of 624	71.3%	★★★★☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	39.9	25 of 37	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	44.5	154 of 345	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.5	123 of 329	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.2	180 of 760	76.3%	★★★★☆
2022	34.3	237 of 392	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.1	329 of 802	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	46.3	177 of 387	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.5	142 of 543	73.8%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	44.8	95 of 257	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	55.4	109 of 344	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	121 of 320	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.1	173 of 717	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	47.7	169 of 369	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	72.0	92 of 503	81.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	51.7	156 of 379	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.5	177 of 370	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	224 of 810	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	41.7	262 of 476	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	59.1	262 of 818	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.8	182 of 435	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.7	164 of 617	73.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	48.0	67 of 110	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	63.4	23 of 68	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.6	64 of 143	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	15.6	21 of 23	8.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	20 of 20	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	52.5	177 of 384	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	133 of 211	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.1	282 of 650	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.5	28 of 43	34.9%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	46.0	150 of 390	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	62.5	7 of 19	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.5	4 of 16	75.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	24.5	284 of 363	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.5	299 of 789	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.1	83 of 178	53.4%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	143 of 277	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.5	175 of 288	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.1	234 of 675	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.1	318 of 446	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	56.6	292 of 780	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.5	205 of 337	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.8	187 of 436	57.1%	★★★☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2021)81st percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)68th percentile~ school

Pacific Islander (2023)63rd percentile-14 vs school

Homeless (2021)63rd percentile-6 vs school

Native American (2021)62nd percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)59th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)57th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2023)57th percentile-21 vs school

Hispanic (2025)55th percentile-12 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile-19 vs school

Military Connected (2023)39th percentile-38 vs school

Foster Care (2023)32nd percentile-45 vs school

African American (2023)31st percentile-46 vs school

Special Education (2023)22nd percentile-56 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)9th percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts54%+13 vs state

Mathematics40%+13 vs state

Science33%+3 vs state

2.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, May 15, 2017

I like the school it's just they are really strict on everything. They have a iboss web filter that blocks EDU.COM websites and is very strict and blocks everything on the chromebooks they issue to us. They have a thing called Hapara Highlights that can show the teachers what tabs you are on and live video of what you are doing. They can OPEN and CLOSE tabs for you and make you stuck on a tab. This is kinda creepy to me. They can also send "on screen" messages so they can type a message and the message will pop up on the kids chromebook. This is creepy. I am not saying that there is creepy teachers there but a teacher could use it for inappropriate use. PLEASE here me, there is no creepy teachers lol :) . But anyway, yeah so I like the courses there and I love most of the teacher there. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Monday, May 9, 2011

As a parent of a student who has always maintained A's and B's and never once been in trouble throughout her entire school career, I am very shocked and saddened by how my 8th grader has been treated by this school. She has never received detention at this school or been disciplined at any time, but gets talked down to badly by teachers that are much older and well past their teaching prime despite her best efforts. The kids are treated like criminals at this school regardless of what kind of kid they are, there are no opportunities for parent involvement except in the sports department and one day a year, and there is a HUGE DRUG PROBLEM at this school. The overall environment of this school is very negative and the administration cares much more about dress codes than they do about the drug problem that runs rampant on their campus. With all of the budget cuts in this district and state, the staff has been left very bitter and unwilling to treat the students like human beings. I would not recommend this school to anyone hoping to keep their child safe or happy. Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Ridge 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
Desert Ridge Junior High	Public	7-8	10211 E Madero Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 635-2025	925	48	19.4		530 (57.3%)	34 (3.7%)	277 (29.9%)	18 (1.9%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	58 (6.3%)	60.5	178^th of 552 public middle schools	67.8%		59	194^th of 550 public middle schools	64.7%	16			58.0	50.0			46.0	34.0		33.0	$6,110	$02	$530	$533	$5,910		$5,578
Imagine East Mesa Middle	Public, Charter	7-8	9701 E Southern Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	Imagine Middle at East Mesa Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 355-6830	140	11	12.7		57 (40.7%)	11 (7.9%)	65 (46.4%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	5 (3.6%)	58.4	188^th of 552 public middle schools	65.9%		54.2	212^th of 550 public middle schools	61.5%	24			47.0	59.0			32.0	52.0		28.0		$00			$00
Imagine Superstition Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	1843 W 16th Ave	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	Imagine Superstition Middle Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 355-0530	158	11	14.3		85 (53.8%)	3 (1.9%)	57 (36.1%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (6.3%)	19.3	429^th of 552 public middle schools	22.3%					(n/a)			29.0	23.0				20.0				$00			$00
Cactus Canyon Junior High	Public	6-8	801 W Southern Ave	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	Apache Junction Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 677-7565	527	28	18.5		246 (46.7%)	12 (2.3%)	225 (42.7%)	5 (0.9%)	16 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.2%)	10.9	525^th of 552 public middle schools	4.9%		13.7	493^rd of 550 public middle schools	10.4%	32		20.0	24.0	18.0		10.0	12.0	10.0		14.0	$5,666	$579	$24	$1,182	$4,999	$64	$5,063
Smith Junior High School	Public	7-8	10100 E Adobe Rd	Mesa	85207	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-9900	707	42	16.8		270 (38.2%)	29 (4.1%)	367 (51.9%)	5 (0.7%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (4.1%)	19.9	421^st of 552 public middle schools	23.7%		18.1	448^th of 550 public middle schools	18.5%	27			35.0	29.0			15.0	9.0		20.0	$7,326	$580	$22	$1,182	$6,370	$354	$6,725
Highland Junior High School	Public	6-8	6915 E Guadalupe Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 632-4739	961	52	18.4		602 (62.6%)	26 (2.7%)	229 (23.8%)	30 (3.1%)	13 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	58 (6.0%)	82.6	69^th of 552 public middle schools	87.5%		72.7	124^th of 550 public middle schools	77.5%	55			67.0	61.0			54.0	54.0		50.0	$5,857	$33	$532	$599	$5,509		$5,291
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
Fremont Junior High School	Public	7-8	1001 N Power Rd	Mesa	85205	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-8300	822	46	17.9		397 (48.3%)	37 (4.5%)	309 (37.6%)	11 (1.3%)	23 (2.8%)	8 (1.0%)	37 (4.5%)	42	259^th of 552 public middle schools	53.1%		42.6	267^th of 550 public middle schools	51.5%	8			37.0	43.0			30.0	34.0		30.0	$6,870	$437	$21	$895	$6,024	$387	$6,412
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
Franklin Junior High School	Public	7-9	4949 E Southern Ave	Mesa	85206	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 472-8990	288	16	18.4		179 (62.2%)	3 (1.0%)	82 (28.5%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	15 (5.2%)	97.9	14^th of 552 public middle schools	97.5%		97.8	16^th of 550 public middle schools	97.1%	2			91.0	89.0			71.0	70.0		77.0	$6,931	$20	$09	$49	$6,045	$857	$6,902

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Ridge Junior High

What is the racial makeup of Desert Ridge Junior High?

Students at Desert Ridge Junior High are 57% White, 30% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Desert Ridge Junior High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 925 students attended Desert Ridge Junior High.

What district is Desert Ridge Junior High in?

Gilbert Unified District

Is Desert Ridge Junior High a good school?

Desert Ridge Junior High ranks 178^th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Desert Ridge Junior High attend?

Students who attend Desert Ridge Junior High usually go on to attend Desert Ridge High

Rate Desert Ridge 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.