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Cortina Elementary

Q: Is Cortina Elementary a good school?

Cortina Elementary ranks 116 th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

116^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Cortina Elementary is a high-performing public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Queen Creek, Arizona, part of the Higley Unified School District. With 664 students, Cortina consistently ranks among the top 20% of elementary schools in Arizona, earning 4- or 5-star ratings from SchoolDigger.

Cortina Elementary's key strengths include its exceptional academic performance, with students consistently outperforming state and district averages on standardized tests across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Cortina's 6th graders scored 71% proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 64% for the Higley district and 41% for the state of Arizona. The school also maintains strong performance across various student subgroups, with its multi-racial and Hispanic students ranking among the top elementary schools in the state.

Cortina Elementary's consistent high rankings, with a peak of 42nd out of 955 Arizona elementary schools in 2014-2015, set it apart from nearby schools like Centennial Elementary, Bridges Elementary, and Desert Mountain Elementary. Additionally, Cortina's relatively low spending per student, ranging from $6,267 to $9,244 over the past few years, suggests the school is able to achieve its high academic performance efficiently.

629

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,754

Per pupil spending ?

10%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19680 S 188th St
Queen Creek, AZ 85142-7067

(480) 279-7800

District: Higley Unified School District

Students who attend Cortina Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sossaman Middle School
High:	Higley High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.1%

Hispanic:

19.1%

Two or more races:

4.9%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Cortina Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 82nd percentile in 2022 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (63% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Arizona elementary schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 87th (2025) from a 82nd-percentile low (2022)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg60%

Arizona avg38%

116^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 4% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 9Elementary Schools in the Higley Unified School District

68^th of 289Higley Unified 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	85.2	116 of 909	87.2%	★★★★☆
2024	84.1	132 of 912	85.5%	★★★★☆
2023	88.7	138 of 1245	88.9%	★★★★☆
2022	78.3	183 of 1000	81.7%	★★★★☆
2021	89.9	128 of 1226	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	84.8	140 of 1039	86.5%	★★★★☆
2018	91.1	86 of 1109	92.2%	★★★★★
2017	91.9	70 of 1106	93.7%	★★★★★
2016	92.8	59 of 1079	94.5%	★★★★★
2015	92.7	42 of 955	95.6%	★★★★★
2014	90.7	60 of 1079	94.4%	★★★★★
2013	85.8	102 of 1158	91.2%	★★★★★
2012	83.1	135 of 1141	88.2%	★★★★☆
2011	83.8	145 of 1075	86.5%	★★★★☆
2010	84.8	137 of 1090	87.4%	★★★★☆
2009	79.8	199 of 1062	81.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	55.5	244 of 607	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.6	177 of 289	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	66.0	139 of 895	84.5%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.1	259 of 316	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	61.6	94 of 270	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.9	281 of 620	54.7%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	49.9	199 of 975	79.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	76.4	108 of 589	81.7%	★★★★☆
2024	71.5	131 of 602	78.2%	★★★★☆
2023	88.8	105 of 1219	91.4%	★★★★★
2022	69.1	213 of 824	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	88.0	123 of 1219	89.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	170 of 862	80.3%	★★★★☆
2018	89.6	87 of 1023	91.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	84.4	59 of 486	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	72.2	247 of 1170	78.9%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	216 of 716	69.8%	★★★★☆
2021	83.8	112 of 1198	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	82.2	107 of 709	84.9%	★★★★☆
2018	93.2	37 of 911	95.9%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	71.1	216 of 1116	80.6%	★★★★☆
2022	52.4	296 of 618	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	94.7	20 of 820	97.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	71.8	142 of 626	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	73.0	139 of 628	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	84.2	171 of 1216	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	74.3	173 of 830	79.2%	★★★★☆
2021	88.9	122 of 1220	90.0%	★★★★★
2019	83.9	105 of 850	87.6%	★★★★☆
2018	91.2	74 of 1032	92.8%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	64.0	76 of 239	68.2%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	90.0	19 of 617	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	58.4	169 of 444	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	61.0	301 of 1027	70.7%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	63.1	110 of 654	83.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	45.2	386 of 820	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.5	218 of 1201	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	83.5	28 of 417	93.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	107 of 465	77.0%	★★★★☆
2024	68.5	128 of 486	73.7%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	131 of 1024	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	71.0	168 of 800	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	119 of 1161	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	71.4	134 of 595	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.4	82 of 720	88.6%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2014	88.1	68 of 690	90.1%	★★★★★
2013	84.0	80 of 787	89.8%	★★★★☆
2012	82.1	93 of 772	88.0%	★★★★☆
2011	81.3	108 of 685	84.2%	★★★★☆
2010	78.3	140 of 692	79.8%	★★★★☆
2009	79.4	117 of 663	82.4%	★★★★☆

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

Multi-racial (2023)97th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2024)88th percentile~ school

Native American (2021)83rd percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)82nd percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)81st percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)80th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2025)77th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)77th percentile-10 vs school

Military Connected (2021)68th percentile-21 vs school

African American (2023)60th percentile-29 vs school

Special Education (2023)53rd percentile-36 vs school

Asian (2023)18th percentile-71 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts66%+26 vs state

Mathematics64%+26 vs state

Science50%+16 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, March 25, 2016

Cortina Elementary has the kind of staff that every parent hopes for. They are professional, talented, and dedicated to their work. They offer a supportive and engaging learning environment. There seems to me to be a high level of parental involvement in the school culture. However, what I love the most about sending my kids to Cortina is that they come home happy and they go to school with an enthusiastic attitude. There is not much more that I can ask for. Close Quote

Schools Near Cortina Elementary

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th 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
Cortina Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	19680 S 188th St	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-7800	629	41	15.5		441 (70.1%)	17 (2.7%)	120 (19.1%)	15 (2.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (4.9%)	85.2	116^th of 909 public elementary schools	87.2%		84.1	132^nd of 912 public elementary schools	85.5%	16	66.0	69.0	59.0	71.0	69.0	66.0	56.0	63.0	50.0	$6,754	$349	$100	$798	$5,950	$354	$6,305
Power Ranch Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	4351 S Ranch House Pkwy	Gilbert	85297	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 279-7600	509	40	12.6		323 (63.5%)	24 (4.7%)	108 (21.2%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	4 (0.8%)	40 (7.9%)	72	234^th of 909 public elementary schools	74.3%		69.9	250^th of 912 public elementary schools	72.6%	16	59.0	51.0	61.0	63.0	52.0	42.0	54.0	53.0	55.0	$8,128	$366	$147	$880	$7,194	$420	$7,614
Centennial Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3507 S Ranch House Pkwy	Gilbert	85297	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8200	588	40	14.5		367 (62.4%)	26 (4.4%)	137 (23.3%)	7 (1.2%)	10 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	39 (6.6%)	80.4	153^rd of 909 public elementary schools	83.2%		80.8	155^th of 912 public elementary schools	83.0%	2	60.0	71.0	56.0	66.0	59.0	74.0	46.0	52.0	54.0	$6,866	$257	$109	$623	$6,047	$453	$6,500
Bridges Elementary School	Public	K-6	5205 S Soboba St	Gilbert	85298	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8700	770	43	17.7		513 (66.6%)	17 (2.2%)	142 (18.4%)	38 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.6%)	55 (7.1%)	96.7	14^th of 909 public elementary schools	98.5%		95.5	25^th of 912 public elementary schools	97.3%	11	69.0	90.0	82.0	84.0	73.0	85.0	72.0	83.0	72.0	$6,267	$132	$156	$420	$5,553	$426	$5,979
Dr. Gary and Annette Auxier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	22700 S Power Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 424-8400	534	37	14.6		325 (60.9%)	11 (2.1%)	143 (26.8%)	15 (2.8%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (6.9%)	63.8	296^th of 909 public elementary schools	67.4%		65	284^th of 912 public elementary schools	68.9%	12	51.0	59.0	40.0	69.0	53.0	42.0	47.0	49.0	42.0	$8,326	$763	$82	$1,609	$7,234	$247	$7,481
Coronado Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4333 S Deanza Blvd	Gilbert	85297	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-6900	536	43	12.3		304 (56.7%)	19 (3.5%)	117 (21.8%)	34 (6.3%)	2 (0.4%)	5 (0.9%)	55 (10.3%)	84.2	124^th of 909 public elementary schools	86.4%		76.7	189^th of 912 public elementary schools	79.3%	65	54.0	68.0	65.0	66.0	56.0	63.0	72.0	62.0	55.0	$8,040	$383	$348	$1,114	$6,778	$531	$7,309
Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Power	Public, Charter	K-6	22951 S. Power Rd.	Gilbert	85142	Maricopa County	Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 677-8400	565	31	18.2		385 (68.1%)	11 (1.9%)	113 (20.0%)	13 (2.3%)	3 (0.5%)	3 (0.5%)	37 (6.5%)	61.2	311^th of 909 public elementary schools	65.8%		55	366^th of 912 public elementary schools	59.9%	55	38.0	51.0	54.0	62.0	50.0	48.0	50.0	46.0	39.0	$6,011	$373	$180	$927	$4,376	$1,082	$5,458
Desert Mountain Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	22301 S Hawes Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-5912	682	40	17.2		434 (63.6%)	12 (1.8%)	161 (23.6%)	20 (2.9%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	47 (6.9%)	78.6	172^nd of 909 public elementary schools	81.1%		78.8	175^th of 912 public elementary schools	80.8%	3	50.0	69.0	55.0	59.0	60.0	73.0	63.0	46.0	51.0	$5,912	$338		$675	$4,906	$669	$5,574
San Tan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3443 E Calistoga Dr	Gilbert	85297	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-7200	854	45	18.8		530 (62.1%)	19 (2.2%)	250 (29.3%)	18 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	32 (3.7%)	82.3	137^th of 909 public elementary schools	84.9%		79.9	164^th of 912 public elementary schools	82.0%	27	54.0	73.0	56.0	67.0	60.0	64.0	63.0	55.0	53.0	$6,576	$205	$133	$543	$5,822	$416	$6,238
Cambridge Academy East	Public, Charter	K-8	20365 East Ocotillo Road	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Cambridge Academy East Inc	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-3577	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$8,360	$570	$407	$1,548	$5,573	$1,809	$7,383

Frequently Asked Questions about Cortina Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Cortina Elementary?

Students at Cortina Elementary are 70% White, 19% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

Is Cortina Elementary a good school?

Cortina Elementary ranks 116^th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Cortina Elementary in?

Higley Unified School District

What schools do graduates of Cortina Elementary attend?

Students who attend Cortina Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sossaman Middle School
High : Higley High School

How many students attend Cortina Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 629 students attended Cortina Elementary.

Rate Cortina Elementary!

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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.