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Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

Summary

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School is a public elementary school in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 371 students in grades PK-6 and part of the Paradise Valley Unified District. The school has consistently ranked in the top 25-30% of Arizona elementary schools over the past 8-10 years, with strong academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Desert Springs Preparatory's students generally outperform their peers in the district and state on state assessments, with 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade students exceeding proficiency rates in ELA and Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate is also higher than the district and state averages. While the school's racial diversity is lower compared to some nearby schools, its performance for female students has been particularly strong, ranking in the top 20% of Arizona elementary schools.

When compared to other high-performing schools in the area, such as Copper Canyon Elementary, Sonoran Sky Elementary, and North Ranch Elementary, Desert Springs Preparatory's academic performance is generally on par or slightly lower, particularly in Mathematics and for certain student subgroups. The school's per-student spending has increased in recent years, and its student-teacher ratio remains relatively low, which may contribute to its strong academic outcomes.

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,908

Per pupil spending ?

11.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6010 E Acoma Dr
Scottsdale, AZ 85254-2521

(602) 449-7100

District: Paradise Valley Unified District

Students who attend Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Shadows Middle School
High:	Horizon High School

Racial breakdown:

See top rated Arizona public schools

Compare Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 79th percentile in 2014 → 63rd in 2024

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (48% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2014

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

Students meeting standards (2023-2024) ?

This school48%

District avg52%

Arizona avg38%

Not ranked this year

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

106^th of 289Paradise Valley 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
2024	58.9	340 of 912	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	78.5	245 of 1245	80.3%	★★★★☆
2022	74.6	207 of 1000	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	225 of 1226	81.6%	★★★★☆
2019	73.9	271 of 1039	73.9%	★★★★☆
2018	78.7	235 of 1109	78.8%	★★★★☆
2017	74.7	270 of 1106	75.6%	★★★★☆
2016	79.1	228 of 1079	78.9%	★★★★☆
2015	66.1	293 of 955	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	78.4	228 of 1079	78.9%	★★★★☆
2013	83.4	132 of 1158	88.6%	★★★★☆
2012	78.9	215 of 1141	81.2%	★★★★☆
2011	83.1	160 of 1075	85.1%	★★★★☆
2010	89.5	65 of 1090	94.0%	★★★★★
2009	90.2	45 of 1062	95.8%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	54.9	170 of 289	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.9	383 of 895	57.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	33.6	194 of 270	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.5	331 of 620	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	76.4	106 of 602	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	79.6	217 of 1219	82.2%	★★★★☆
2022	71.2	194 of 824	76.5%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	184 of 1219	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	77.4	163 of 862	81.1%	★★★★☆
2018	81.1	184 of 1023	82.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	56.7	432 of 1170	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	26.3	546 of 716	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	60.4	375 of 1198	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	74.9	181 of 1116	83.8%	★★★★☆
2022	55.9	273 of 618	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	55.5	257 of 628	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.3	293 of 1216	75.9%	★★★★☆
2022	63.0	269 of 830	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.7	267 of 1220	78.1%	★★★★☆
2019	67.8	252 of 850	70.4%	★★★★☆
2018	71.9	287 of 1032	72.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	62.4	160 of 617	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	60.0	157 of 444	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.0	389 of 1027	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	66.0	171 of 820	79.1%	★★★★☆
2022	51.8	84 of 145	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.8	301 of 1201	74.9%	★★★★☆
2018	76.0	47 of 417	88.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	36.7	333 of 486	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.7	321 of 1024	68.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	67.6	203 of 800	74.6%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	259 of 1161	77.7%	★★★★☆
2019	53.7	277 of 595	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.0	267 of 720	62.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)84th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2024)82nd percentile+20 vs school

Special Education (2023)79th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)74th percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2023)63rd percentile-17 vs school

Male (2024)59th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2022)41st percentile-38 vs school

White (2024)31st percentile-31 vs school

Asian (2022)28th percentile-51 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2023-2024) ?

English Language Arts51%+10 vs state

Mathematics48%+12 vs state

Science39%+5 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, August 9, 2018

Love the attention my daughter gets love the teachers and school. Very positive experience. Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, November 8, 2012

Desert Springs Prep offers extraoridary academic programs such as Core Knowledge and Spaulding. My child loves school and the teachers, staff and prinicpal play a huge part in this schools success. The PTA and parent involvement provides a true sense of community! We love this school and are so proud to be a HAWK! Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary 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 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
Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6010 E Acoma Dr	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-7100	0	34	10.3		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)										$11,908	$412	$311	$1,135	$10,710	$474	$11,185
Arizona Language Preparatory	Public, Charter	K-6	6140 E. Thunderbird Rd.	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Arizona Language Preparatory	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 996-1595	73	9	8.1		26 (35.6%)	6 (8.2%)	31 (42.5%)	5 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.8%)								(n/a)											$00			$00
Desert Shadows Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5902 E Sweetwater Ave	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6900	554	35	15.8		376 (67.9%)	9 (1.6%)	106 (19.1%)	18 (3.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.4%)	84	128^th of 909 public elementary schools	85.9%		84.2	131^st of 912 public elementary schools	85.6%	3	78.0	70.0	57.0	69.0	83.0	68.0	49.0	51.0	52.0	$9,356	$609	$144	$1,363	$7,882	$721	$8,602
Sandpiper Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6724 E Hearn Rd	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6300	429	29	15.0		217 (50.6%)	2 (0.5%)	172 (40.1%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.2%)	74.5	207^th of 909 public elementary schools	77.2%		85.5	122^nd of 912 public elementary schools	86.6%	85	58.0	65.0	49.0	78.0	79.0	50.0	37.0	51.0	51.0	$10,275	$539	$154	$1,231	$9,129	$453	$9,583
Liberty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5125 E Marilyn Rd	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6200	421	34	12.5		260 (61.8%)	8 (1.9%)	96 (22.8%)	21 (5.0%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (7.1%)	71.4	243^rd of 909 public elementary schools	73.3%		62.8	307^th of 912 public elementary schools	66.3%	64	49.0	72.0	50.0	70.0	55.0	47.0	50.0	55.0	43.0	$11,000	$1,016	$243	$2,274	$9,201	$541	$9,742
North Ranch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	16406 N 61st Pl	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6400	535	35	15.4		325 (60.7%)	15 (2.8%)	106 (19.8%)	56 (10.5%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.6%)	86.9	98^th of 909 public elementary schools	89.2%		88.3	92^nd of 912 public elementary schools	89.9%	6	80.0	77.0	61.0	62.0	84.0	74.0	59.0	52.0	51.0	$9,016	$511	$139	$1,162	$7,937	$429	$8,366
Sequoya Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	11808 N 64th St	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-3200	575	35	16.2		412 (71.7%)	12 (2.1%)	78 (13.6%)	24 (4.2%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	43 (7.5%)	97.2	8^th of 909 public elementary schools	99.1%		93.9	46^th of 912 public elementary schools	95.0%	38	70.0	81.0	75.0		83.0	87.0	85.0		76.0	$7,313	$196	$600	$991	$6,341	$176	$6,518
Copper Canyon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	17650 N 54th St	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-7200	446	35	12.9		290 (65.0%)	4 (0.9%)	66 (14.8%)	54 (12.1%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.8%)	89.6	73^rd of 909 public elementary schools	92.0%		88.7	81^st of 912 public elementary schools	91.1%	8	59.0	73.0	65.0	73.0	53.0	80.0	74.0	68.0	74.0	$8,739	$372	$146	$889	$7,648	$573	$8,221
BASIS Scottsdale Primary - West Campus	Public, Charter	K-4	7496 E Tierra Buena Ln	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	BASIS Charter Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 900-1858	464	25	18.5		87 (18.8%)	13 (2.8%)	43 (9.3%)	291 (62.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.0%)	98.5	6^th of 909 public elementary schools	99.3%		97.3	12^th of 912 public elementary schools	98.7%	6	86.0	86.0			88.0	85.0				$10,691	$382	$45	$808	$6,686	$3,578	$10,264
Sonoran Sky Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	12990 N 75th St	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6500	567	36	15.5		405 (71.4%)	13 (2.3%)	75 (13.2%)	25 (4.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.9%)	95.1	33^rd of 909 public elementary schools	96.4%		96.2	20^th of 912 public elementary schools	97.8%	13	72.0	85.0	70.0	83.0	83.0	75.0	87.0	71.0	56.0	$8,366	$269	$127	$665	$7,557	$413	$7,970

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Shadows Middle School
High : Horizon High School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School?

Students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School are .

How many students attend Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 0 students attended Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School.

What district is Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School in?

Paradise Valley Unified District

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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.