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Poston Junior High School

Q: Is Poston Junior High School a good school?

Poston Junior High School ranks 361 st of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-9

361^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 35% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Poston Junior High School is a public middle school in Mesa, Arizona, serving 779 students in grades 7-9. The school is part of the Mesa Unified District, which is ranked 177 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Poston Junior High School has seen fluctuating performance over the past 10 years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 266 to 534 out of Arizona's middle schools, and a 2-3 star rating from SchoolDigger.

Poston Junior High School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state in standardized test scores across subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics were 10-15 percentage points lower than the district and state averages. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with some, like Pacific Islander and English Language Learner students, performing relatively well, while others, like Hispanic, African American, and Special Education students, struggle significantly, ranking in the bottom 25% of Arizona middle schools. Additionally, Poston Junior High School has had consistently high dropout rates, ranging from 4.8% to 6.1% over the past few years, which are higher than the district and state averages.

When compared to other middle schools in the Mesa Unified District, Poston Junior High School consistently underperforms. For example, Franklin Junior High School, which is located just 3.95 miles away, ranks among the top 1% of Arizona middle schools and significantly outperforms Poston in academic measures. Poston Junior High School's performance has also been on a downward trend, with its statewide ranking dropping from 327 out of 605 schools in 2018-2019 to 361 out of 552 schools in 2024-2025. The significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 27.1% in 2021-2022 to 58.91% in 2022-2023, suggests that socioeconomic factors may be playing a significant role in the school's challenges.

782

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,415

Per pupil spending ?

58.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2433 E Adobe St
Mesa, AZ 85213-6803

(480) 472-2100

District: Mesa Unified District

Students who attend Poston Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Mountain View High School

Feeder schools for Poston Junior High School:

Elementary:	Entz Elementary School
	Field Elementary School
	Hale Elementary School
	Highland Arts Elementary
	More...
	Longfellow Elementary School
	Michael T. Hughes Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

49.1%

White:

38.5%

African American:

4.5%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Poston Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2015 → 35th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (26% vs 33% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg29%

Arizona avg33%

361^st of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 35%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 49% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 10Middle Schools in the Mesa Unified District

177^th of 289Mesa 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	26.8	361 of 552	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.9	426 of 550	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	465 of 854	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	383 of 605	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	347 of 832	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.5	327 of 605	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.7	317 of 711	55.4%	★★★☆☆
2017	43.6	323 of 695	53.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	42.1	345 of 677	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	42.3	266 of 521	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	62.2	251 of 690	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	66.0	237 of 787	69.9%	★★★★☆
2012	79.4	119 of 772	84.6%	★★★★☆
2011	84.8	81 of 685	88.2%	★★★★☆
2010	83.1	99 of 692	85.7%	★★★★☆
2009	87.2	57 of 663	91.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.0	372 of 400	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	48.2	218 of 573	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.1	75 of 125	40.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	50.6	115 of 606	81.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	18.7	315 of 395	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.7	320 of 386	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.5	420 of 806	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.0	360 of 494	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.0	389 of 820	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	270 of 466	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.1	298 of 624	52.2%	★★★☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	43.4	74 of 166	55.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.4	316 of 345	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.5	306 of 329	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.8	618 of 760	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	336 of 392	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.8	448 of 802	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.9	322 of 387	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	399 of 543	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.5	58 of 64	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.3	56 of 257	78.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	301 of 344	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	312 of 320	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	528 of 717	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	315 of 369	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.0	306 of 503	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	298 of 379	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	337 of 370	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	32.8	504 of 810	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.6	351 of 476	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.1	314 of 818	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	29.1	286 of 435	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	293 of 617	52.5%	★★★☆☆

Migrant

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	48.0	12 of 29	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.7	368 of 384	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	44.2	327 of 650	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	36.7	94 of 159	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	175 of 390	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.0	24 of 62	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	23.1	12 of 19	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.1	13 of 108	88.0%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.4	329 of 363	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	63.5	94 of 789	88.1%	★★★★☆
2018	37.9	93 of 178	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	203 of 277	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.8	232 of 288	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	53.4	286 of 675	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.1	288 of 446	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	60.6	252 of 780	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.5	137 of 337	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	59.1	173 of 436	60.3%	★★★☆☆

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+23 vs school

Migrant (2021)59th percentile~ school

Foster Care (2021)55th percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2023)41st percentile-5 vs school

Pacific Islander (2023)37th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)27th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-13 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)12th percentile-22 vs school

Homeless (2023)9th percentile-36 vs school

Special Education (2023)9th percentile-36 vs school

Hispanic (2025)8th percentile-26 vs school

African American (2023)7th percentile-39 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)4th percentile-41 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-8 vs state

Science26%-4 vs state

Mathematics20%-6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Poston Junior High 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 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th 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
Poston Junior High School	Public	7-9	2433 E Adobe St	Mesa	85213	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2100	782	40	19.5		301 (38.5%)	35 (4.5%)	384 (49.1%)	2 (0.3%)	21 (2.7%)	10 (1.3%)	29 (3.7%)	26.8	361^st of 552 public middle schools	34.6%		19.9	426^th of 550 public middle schools	22.5%	65	36.0	29.0	25.0	16.0	26.0	$7,415	$371	$57	$798	$6,292	$695	$6,987
Taylor Junior High School	Public	7-9	705 S 32nd St	Mesa	85204	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-1500	908	46	19.6		229 (25.2%)	39 (4.3%)	565 (62.2%)	10 (1.1%)	20 (2.2%)	10 (1.1%)	35 (3.9%)	19.1	435^th of 552 public middle schools	21.2%		20.7	416^th of 550 public middle schools	24.4%	19	35.0	26.0	17.0	8.0	19.0	$7,417	$458	$84	$1,000	$6,512	$363	$6,875
Kino Junior High School	Public	7-8	848 N Horne	Mesa	85203	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2400	805	40	20.3		63 (7.8%)	45 (5.6%)	638 (79.3%)	4 (0.5%)	37 (4.6%)	4 (0.5%)	14 (1.7%)	7.8	546^th of 552 public middle schools	1.1%		8	541^st of 550 public middle schools	1.6%	5	19.0	17.0	6.0	5.0	8.0	$6,995	$500	$39	$1,040	$6,041	$415	$6,456
Stapley Junior High School	Public	7-9	3250 E Hermosa Vista Dr	Mesa	85213	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 472-2700	899	46	19.4		594 (66.1%)	10 (1.1%)	190 (21.1%)	5 (0.6%)	64 (7.1%)	3 (0.3%)	33 (3.7%)	63.5	161^st of 552 public middle schools	70.8%		62.4	165^th of 550 public middle schools	70.0%	4	50.0	42.0	46.0	50.0	41.0	$6,541	$52	$85	$190	$6,053	$351	$6,404
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
Carson Junior High School	Public	7-9	525 N Westwood	Mesa	85201	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2900	946	50	18.7		151 (16.0%)	63 (6.7%)	557 (58.9%)	12 (1.3%)	109 (11.5%)	14 (1.5%)	40 (4.2%)	9.3	534^th of 552 public middle schools	3.3%		10	524^th of 550 public middle schools	4.7%	10	20.0	17.0	8.0	10.0	10.0	$6,542	$470	$142	$1,083	$5,177	$752	$5,929
Shepherd Junior High School	Public	4-8	1407 N Alta Mesa Dr	Mesa	85205	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-1800	581	28	20.6		361 (62.1%)	16 (2.8%)	162 (27.9%)	4 (0.7%)	9 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	26 (4.5%)	45.9	244^th of 552 public middle schools	55.8%		40.2	275^th of 550 public middle schools	50.0%	31	48.0	46.0	29.0	26.0	34.0	$8,537	$420	$61	$900	$7,489	$568	$8,057
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
Mesquite Junior High School	Public	6-8	130 W Mesquite St	Gilbert	85233	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 926-1433	648	43	15.2		247 (38.1%)	41 (6.3%)	278 (42.9%)	19 (2.9%)	20 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.3%)	35.7	297^th of 552 public middle schools	46.2%		33.4	315^th of 550 public middle schools	42.7%	18	45.0	33.0	30.0	24.0	25.0	$7,437	$561	$473	$1,595	$6,507		$6,403
Greenfield Junior High School	Public	6-8	101 S Greenfield Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 813-1770	1,160	56	20.7		756 (65.2%)	25 (2.2%)	270 (23.3%)	23 (2.0%)	8 (0.7%)	4 (0.3%)	74 (6.4%)	78.7	89^th of 552 public middle schools	83.9%		75.5	113^th of 550 public middle schools	79.5%	24	61.0	55.0	48.0	54.0	54.0	$5,512	$01	$335	$338	$5,275		$5,176

Frequently Asked Questions about Poston Junior High School

Is Poston Junior High School a good school?

Poston Junior High School ranks 361^st of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Poston Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Poston Junior High School usually go on to attend Mountain View High School

What district is Poston Junior High School in?

Mesa Unified District

What is the racial makeup of Poston Junior High School?

Students at Poston Junior High School are 49% Hispanic, 38% White, 4% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

How many students attend Poston Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 782 students attended Poston Junior High School.

Rate Poston Junior 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.