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Cortez High School

Q: Is Cortez High School a good school?

Cortez High School ranks 183 rd of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Cortez High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,132 students attended Cortez High School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Cortez High School?

Students at Cortez High School are 62% Hispanic, 13% African American, 12% White, 6% Asian, 4% American Indian, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools feed into Cortez High School?

Cortez High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Alta Vista Elementary School Elementary : Cactus Wren Elementary School

Public Grades 9-12

183^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 32% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Cortez High School is a public high school located in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 1,105 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Glendale Union High School District, which is ranked 165 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Cortez High School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages in standardized test scores, with only 35% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 25% proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to 45% and 34% for the district, respectively. The school also has lower four-year graduation rates and higher dropout rates than the state averages. However, the school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Cortez High School's Native American students performing exceptionally well, while the Asian and White student populations have struggled.

The school's proximity to several other public and charter high schools, including Glendale Union High School District Online Learning Academy, Glendale Union Online, and various charter schools, suggests that families in the area have multiple educational options, which may impact Cortez High School's enrollment and overall performance. Additionally, the school's per-student spending has fluctuated over the years, ranging from $1,088 in 2018-2019 to $12,719 in 2021-2022, which may contribute to the inconsistent performance and the need to prioritize resource allocation to address the specific needs of its student population.

1,132

Students ?

21.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,719

Per pupil spending ?

71.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8828 N 31st Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85051-3928

(623) 915-8200

District: Glendale Union High School District

Feeder schools for Cortez High School:

Elementary:	Alta Vista Elementary School
	Cactus Wren Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.7%

African American:

12.6%

White:

12.0%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Cortez High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 40th percentile in 2015 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓92% graduate in 4 years — above the Arizona average (80%)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (24% vs 30% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg32%

Arizona avg30%

183^rd of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Bottom 32%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 40% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9High Schools in the Glendale Union High School District

165^th of 289Glendale Union High School 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	27.6	183 of 271	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.3	194 of 270	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.6	243 of 469	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.6	272 of 464	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.9	300 of 509	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.4	165 of 285	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.0	144 of 420	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2017	53.2	131 of 416	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.2	132 of 406	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	32.4	157 of 261	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	69.4	133 of 394	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.9	116 of 491	76.4%	★★★★☆
2012	64.0	172 of 471	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	67.8	140 of 397	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	69.3	135 of 403	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	71.9	123 of 395	68.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	40.5	104 of 201	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.4	211 of 301	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.0	202 of 306	34.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.0	63 of 122	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	1.3	146 of 146	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	20.7	195 of 238	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.5	180 of 231	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	74 of 83	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.7	33 of 45	26.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	27.2	146 of 207	29.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.7	154 of 200	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.3	239 of 406	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.6	286 of 456	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.5	292 of 492	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	34.3	145 of 247	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.3	137 of 354	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	30.5	48 of 116	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.6	38 of 130	70.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	32.7	115 of 176	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.7	110 of 170	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	172 of 379	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.4	226 of 441	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.7	246 of 479	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.1	71 of 183	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	61.9	74 of 311	76.2%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	69.6	18 of 60	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	28.0	72 of 150	52.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.1	45 of 168	73.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	99 of 180	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.6	116 of 172	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.5	159 of 347	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	29.3	109 of 168	35.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	153 of 223	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.3	165 of 219	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.5	250 of 429	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.3	260 of 455	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.8	288 of 492	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.0	141 of 238	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.5	165 of 370	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.3	137 of 199	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	10.1	234 of 282	17.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.0	232 of 374	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	32.1	72 of 128	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	75.3	37 of 255	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	81.7	25 of 256	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	64.2	13 of 68	80.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.7	150 of 172	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	192 of 380	49.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	212 of 422	49.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	44.7	64 of 155	58.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	39.3	107 of 178	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	23.4	291 of 371	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	49.8	173 of 409	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.1	263 of 448	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.9	157 of 217	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.4	154 of 291	47.1%	★★☆☆☆

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 (2022)79th percentile+38 vs school

Homeless (2023)70th percentile+22 vs school

Foster Care (2022)59th percentile+17 vs school

African American (2023)48th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)45th percentile+13 vs school

Native American (2023)44th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)40th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)35th percentile~ school

Male (2025)31st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)31st percentile-17 vs school

Female (2025)29th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2023)13th percentile-35 vs school

Asian (2023)<1st percentile-48 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts35%-5 vs state

Mathematics25%-5 vs state

Science11%-8 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 1 written review

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2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Wonderful teachers. Highly Recommended. Close Quote

Schools Near Cortez High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th 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
Cortez High School	Public	9-12	8828 N 31st Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	Glendale Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 915-8200	1,132	52	21.6		136 (12.0%)	143 (12.6%)	698 (61.7%)	72 (6.4%)	42 (3.7%)	2 (0.2%)	39 (3.4%)	27.6	183^rd of 271 public high schools	32.5%		24.3	194^th of 270 public high schools	28.1%	11	35.0	25.0	11.0	$12,719	$782	$111	$1,674	$10,012	$1,814	$11,826
West-MEC - Cortez High School	Public	9-12	8828 N 31st Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 915-8200	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
ThrivePoint High School at Metro	Public, Charter	9-12	9640 N Metro Pkwy W Unit 147	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	ThrivePoint High School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 870-2000	216	1	216.0		32 (14.8%)	28 (13.0%)	122 (56.5%)	7 (3.2%)	17 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.6%)								(n/a)				$3,909	$00			$1,039	$2,870	$3,909
Intelli-School - Metro Center	Public, Charter	9-12	3327 W Peoria Ave	Phoenix	85029	Maricopa County	PAS Charter Inc. dba Intelli-School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 564-7345	39	4	9.7		6 (15.4%)	2 (5.1%)	25 (64.1%)	3 (7.7%)	3 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				$11,461	$1,042	$757	$2,840	$2,751	$6,911	$9,662
IntelliSchool Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	2222 W Northern Ave Ste A110	Phoenix	85021	Maricopa County	Intelli-School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	No	(602) 564-7384	7	4	1.8		5 (71.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (28.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
School Jensen Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	2222 W Northern Ave Ste A110	Phoenix	85021	Maricopa County	School Jensen Corporation Inc. dba Intelli-School	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	No	(602) 564-7384	10	1	10.0		3 (30.0%)	1 (10.0%)	5 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (10.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
PAS Charter Online	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	2222 W Northern Ave Ste A110	Phoenix	85021	Maricopa County	PAS Charter Inc. dba Intelli-School	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	No	(602) 564-7384	9	5	1.8		7 (77.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Heritage Academy Pointe	Public, Charter	7-12	10215 N 43rd Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	Heritage Academy Pointe Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(623) 209-0017	110	12	9.1		39 (35.5%)	8 (7.3%)	52 (47.3%)	3 (2.7%)	2 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (5.5%)								(n/a)
Ombudsman - Charter Metro	Public, Charter	9-12	7910 N. 43rd Avenue	Glendale	85301	Maricopa County	Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a subsidiary	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 842-6157	250	5	50.0		42 (16.8%)	42 (16.8%)	157 (62.8%)	2 (0.8%)	5 (2.0%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Glendale Union High School District Online Learning Academy	Public	9-12	4530 W Northern Ave	Glendale	85302	Maricopa County	Glendale Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 435-7300	468	35	13.3		74 (15.8%)	67 (14.3%)	298 (63.7%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.4%)								(n/a)				$16,546	$600	$349	$1,549	$14,013	$1,584	$15,597

Frequently Asked Questions about Cortez High School

What is the racial makeup of Cortez High School?

Students at Cortez High School are 62% Hispanic, 13% African American, 12% White, 6% Asian, 4% American Indian, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Cortez High School in?

Glendale Union High School District

How many students attend Cortez High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,132 students attended Cortez High School.

What schools feed into Cortez High School?

Cortez High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Alta Vista Elementary School
Elementary : Cactus Wren Elementary School

Is Cortez High School a good school?

Cortez High School ranks 183^rd of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Cortez High 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.