Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Desert Ridge High

Q: Is Desert Ridge High a good school?

Desert Ridge High ranks 134 th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 8-12

134^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 51% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Desert Ridge High is a public high school in Mesa, Arizona, serving 2,222 students in grades 8-12 as part of the Gilbert Unified School District, which is ranked 85 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Desert Ridge High has shown a mixed performance. While the school outperforms the state average in 11th-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics, it lags behind the district average in these subjects. However, the school performs particularly well in 8th-grade English Language Arts and Mathematics, exceeding both district and state averages. Notably, the school's 11th-grade Science scores are consistently lower than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, Desert Ridge High performs better academically than Apache Junction High School, which is part of the lower-ranked Apache Junction Unified District. However, the nearby Eastmark High School, which is part of the higher-ranked Queen Creek Unified District, outperforms Desert Ridge High in several academic areas.

2,103

Students ?

19.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,032

Per pupil spending ?

22.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10045 E Madero Ave
Mesa, AZ 85209-1399

(480) 984-8947

District: Gilbert Unified District

Feeder schools for Desert Ridge High:

Elementary:	Augusta Ranch Elementary
	Boulder Creek Elementary
	Canyon Rim Elementary
	Meridian
Middle:	Desert Ridge Junior High

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.0%

Hispanic:

29.4%

Two or more races:

6.1%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Desert Ridge High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 60th percentile in 2015 → 51st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (45% vs 31% meeting standards)

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Arizona average (80%)

✓Above the Arizona median (51st percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2015

!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 school45%

District avg44%

Arizona avg31%

134^th of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Top 49%▼ down 10 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 49% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6High 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	43.1	134 of 271	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.1	121 of 270	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.2	161 of 469	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.1	138 of 464	70.3%	★★★★☆
2021	55.0	184 of 509	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	33.6	168 of 285	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.7	140 of 420	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.5	118 of 416	71.6%	★★★★☆
2016	67.2	85 of 406	79.1%	★★★★☆
2015	48.0	104 of 261	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	77.0	93 of 394	76.4%	★★★★☆
2013	74.2	129 of 491	73.7%	★★★★☆
2012	79.5	88 of 471	81.3%	★★★★☆
2011	83.6	66 of 397	83.4%	★★★★☆
2010	81.1	82 of 403	79.7%	★★★★☆
2009	88.1	51 of 395	87.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.2	145 of 201	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.9	131 of 301	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	28.3	198 of 306	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.4	68 of 122	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	75.4	26 of 146	82.2%	★★★★☆
2022	56.2	100 of 238	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.0	158 of 231	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	24.1	39 of 44	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.0	73 of 83	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	41.7	53 of 258	79.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.6	29 of 312	90.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	121 of 207	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.9	105 of 200	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.4	154 of 406	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.2	148 of 456	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.9	192 of 492	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	141 of 247	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.5	125 of 354	64.7%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.9	22 of 25	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.5	41 of 116	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.0	36 of 130	72.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	44.8	82 of 176	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.2	92 of 170	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.9	178 of 379	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.3	144 of 441	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.1	244 of 479	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	118 of 183	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.4	128 of 311	58.8%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	58.0	40 of 150	73.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	42.5	90 of 180	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.7	79 of 172	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.7	147 of 347	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.9	44 of 168	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	50.2	93 of 253	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	120 of 223	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.6	108 of 219	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	57.3	163 of 429	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	57.4	141 of 455	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.9	178 of 492	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.8	152 of 238	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.9	150 of 370	59.5%	★★★☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	3.4	73 of 74	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	103 of 125	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.5	44 of 102	56.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.2	138 of 199	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	77.3	58 of 282	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	55.5	150 of 374	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.8	47 of 76	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	98.6	3 of 128	97.7%	★★★★★
2022	25.1	150 of 255	41.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	115 of 256	55.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	61.2	11 of 41	73.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.1	80 of 129	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	24.1	143 of 172	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.6	110 of 380	71.1%	★★★★☆
2021	51.0	134 of 422	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	33.3	97 of 155	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	143 of 178	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.3	122 of 184	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.1	194 of 371	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.8	182 of 409	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.2	206 of 448	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	20.7	176 of 217	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.5	151 of 291	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Native American (2023)98th percentile+32 vs school

Asian (2023)82nd percentile+17 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)79th percentile+9 vs school

Homeless (2022)73rd percentile+3 vs school

Pacific Islander (2023)73rd percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile~ school

Male (2025)46th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)42nd percentile-9 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)31st percentile-35 vs school

African American (2023)28th percentile-38 vs school

White (2025)20th percentile-31 vs school

Special Education (2023)17th percentile-49 vs school

Foster Care (2023)12th percentile-54 vs school

Military Connected (2023)1st percentile-64 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts56%+16 vs state

Mathematics47%+18 vs state

Science16%-3 vs state

2.3

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

Rate Desert Ridge High

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Do NOT let your children attend this school. The teaching staff is never avalible! Your only choice is VM or email which you will not get a reply for over a week and by then any concerns you have are doubled. They supply zero extra help so if your student is unable to get the help they need in their 34 plus students in a classroom, tough. And going to the Admin is a joke, they pour "sorry's" on you and empty promises. And since the school shuts down by 3:30 your only choice is to take time of from work repeatedly to try and get a hold of anyone. So if you have any intrest in being a hands on parent find another school. It will be worth it for your students education. Close Quote

by a student on FaceBook
Monday, July 13, 2009

I am a Student at Desert Ridge High and the staff couldn't be any more helpful. The Other students can be rough at times but hey there just kids. The teachers are Excellent, always ready to teach something new. In other words Desert Ridge High is an Awesome school. Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Ridge 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 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th 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 High	Public	8-12	10045 E Madero Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 984-8947	2,103	107	19.7		1,199 (57.0%)	73 (3.5%)	619 (29.4%)	53 (2.5%)	22 (1.0%)	8 (0.4%)	129 (6.1%)	43.1	134^th of 271 public high schools	50.6%		49.1	121^st of 270 public high schools	55.2%	13		68.0	45.0		58.0	36.0		16.0	$6,032	$20	$35	$75	$5,607	$370	$5,977
EVIT - Desert Ridge High School	Public	9-12	10045 E Madero Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$00			$00
Superstition High School	Public	7-12	10222 E Southern Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	No	No	(n/a)	(480) 472-9650	54	11	4.9		16 (29.6%)	9 (16.7%)	22 (40.7%)	1 (1.9%)	5 (9.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)								(n/a)
Skyline High School	Public	9-12	845 S Crismon Rd	Mesa	85208	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 472-9400	1,995	112	17.8		656 (32.9%)	81 (4.1%)	1,111 (55.7%)	27 (1.4%)	50 (2.5%)	10 (0.5%)	60 (3.0%)	20.9	212^th of 271 public high schools	21.8%		24.4	192^nd of 270 public high schools	28.9%	20			29.0			19.0		10.0	$7,508	$162	$20	$344	$6,766	$560	$7,326
EVIT - Skyline High School	Public	9-12	854 S. Crismon Rd	Mesa	85208	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$00			$00
Eastmark High School	Public	7-12	9560 E Ray Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 474-6950	1,889	90	20.9		1,132 (59.9%)	82 (4.3%)	455 (24.1%)	78 (4.1%)	9 (0.5%)	12 (0.6%)	121 (6.4%)	56.5	100^th of 271 public high schools	63.1%		66	77^th of 270 public high schools	71.5%	23	52.0	48.0	58.0	35.0	28.0	51.0	44.0	10.0	$6,026	$239	$00	$479	$4,828	$958	$5,786
EVIT Eastmark High School	Public	9-12	9560 E Ray Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 474-6955	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$00			$00
Apache Junction High School	Public	9-12	2525 S Ironwood Dr	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	Apache Junction Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 474-3980	796	46	17.4		408 (51.3%)	5 (0.6%)	334 (42.0%)	10 (1.3%)	8 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (3.9%)	26.2	190^th of 271 public high schools	29.9%		12	253^rd of 270 public high schools	6.3%	63			33.0			18.0		17.0	$4,909	$253	$07	$513	$4,604	$45	$4,650
EVIT - Apache Junction High School	Public	9-12	2525 S Ironwood Dr	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
EVIT East Apache Junction	Public	10-12	2525 S Ironwood Dr	Apache Junction	85120	Pinal County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 982-1110	0	3	.3		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Ridge High

How many students attend Desert Ridge High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,103 students attended Desert Ridge High.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Ridge High?

Students at Desert Ridge High are 57% White, 29% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% African American, 3% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What district is Desert Ridge High in?

Gilbert Unified District

Is Desert Ridge High a good school?

Desert Ridge High ranks 134^th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Desert Ridge High?

Desert Ridge High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Augusta Ranch Elementary
Elementary : Boulder Creek Elementary
Elementary : Canyon Rim Elementary
Elementary : Meridian
Middle : Desert Ridge Junior High

Rate Desert Ridge High!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona High School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Mesa, AZ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Desert Ridge High!

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.