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Desert Canyon Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

44^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 92% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Desert Canyon Middle School is a public middle school in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 428 students in grades 6-8. This school consistently performs well, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking as high as 44th out of 552 Arizona middle schools.

Desert Canyon Middle School outperforms the Scottsdale Unified District and the state of Arizona in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were significantly higher than the district and state averages. The school's 8th-grade Science proficiency rate was also notably higher at 59% compared to 47% for the district and 30% for the state.

While the school's performance for some student subgroups has been more variable, it has consistently high rankings for Female, Male, White, and Native American students, often placing in the top 50 or 100 schools in the state. The school's dropout rates have also remained relatively low, ranging from 2.4% to 6.1% over the past several years. When compared to nearby schools, Desert Canyon Middle School outperforms Mohave Middle School and Cocopah Middle School, both part of the Scottsdale Unified District, but does not match the performance of the highly-ranked Mountainside Middle School.

423

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,889

Per pupil spending ?

14.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

10203 E McDowell Mtn Ranch Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85255-8600

(480) 484-4600

District: Scottsdale Unified District

Students who attend Desert Canyon Middle School usually attend:

High:

Desert Mountain High School

Feeder schools for Desert Canyon Middle School:

Elementary:	Cheyenne Traditional School
	Desert Canyon Elementary
	Redfield Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.0%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Asian:

8.3%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Desert Canyon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 74th percentile in 2015 → 92nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (64% vs 34% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 8% of Arizona middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 18 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school64%

District avg54%

Arizona avg34%

44^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 8%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From top 26% (2015) to top 8% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 5Middle Schools in the Scottsdale Unified District

81^st of 289Scottsdale 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	89.6	44 of 552	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	80.4	85 of 550	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	91.8	46 of 854	94.6%	★★★★★
2022	80.1	86 of 605	85.8%	★★★★☆
2021	88.4	66 of 832	92.1%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	62 of 605	89.8%	★★★★☆
2018	79.9	123 of 711	82.7%	★★★★☆
2017	83.1	93 of 695	86.6%	★★★★☆
2016	79.9	111 of 677	83.6%	★★★★☆
2015	71.0	133 of 521	74.5%	★★★★☆
2014	82.2	115 of 690	83.3%	★★★★☆
2013	74.5	167 of 787	78.8%	★★★★☆
2012	73.6	181 of 772	76.6%	★★★★☆
2011	86.4	67 of 685	90.2%	★★★★★
2010	84.8	83 of 692	88.0%	★★★★☆
2009	83.4	94 of 663	85.8%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	36.2	250 of 400	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	77.4	46 of 573	92.0%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	60.4	82 of 247	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.0	128 of 404	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.6	32 of 42	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	61.7	35 of 145	75.9%	★★★★☆
2021	54.0	76 of 606	87.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	85.3	37 of 395	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	73.8	69 of 386	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	93.9	28 of 806	96.5%	★★★★★
2022	80.8	55 of 494	88.9%	★★★★☆
2021	90.9	45 of 820	94.5%	★★★★★
2019	83.4	54 of 466	88.4%	★★★★☆
2018	84.6	71 of 624	88.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	76.9	110 of 760	85.5%	★★★★☆
2022	73.3	82 of 392	79.1%	★★★★☆
2021	73.6	124 of 802	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	84.1	53 of 387	86.3%	★★★★☆
2018	78.3	78 of 543	85.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	57.9	215 of 717	70.0%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	46 of 369	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	72.2	91 of 503	81.9%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	46 of 379	87.9%	★★★★☆
2024	72.2	77 of 370	79.2%	★★★★☆
2023	85.8	73 of 810	91.0%	★★★★★
2022	67.6	118 of 476	75.2%	★★★★☆
2021	83.5	96 of 818	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.9	56 of 435	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.8	126 of 617	79.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	52.1	181 of 384	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	64.6	58 of 211	72.5%	★★★★☆
2021	74.4	93 of 650	85.7%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	87.8	17 of 159	89.3%	★★★★☆
2022	75.3	6 of 49	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	86.3	10 of 390	97.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	72.9	53 of 363	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	32.7	33 of 36	8.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	74.9	47 of 789	94.0%	★★★★★
2018	75.3	18 of 178	89.9%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	79.8	35 of 277	87.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.2	65 of 288	77.4%	★★★★☆
2023	87.4	42 of 675	93.8%	★★★★★
2022	66.2	113 of 446	74.7%	★★★★☆
2021	81.3	82 of 780	89.5%	★★★★☆
2019	74.2	67 of 337	80.1%	★★★★☆
2018	67.9	125 of 436	71.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2025)91st percentile~ school

Native American (2023)89th percentile-5 vs school

Male (2025)88th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)87th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2023)86th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2023)85th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)76th percentile-19 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)70th percentile-25 vs school

Asian (2023)67th percentile-28 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)53rd percentile-42 vs school

African American (2023)38th percentile-57 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts66%+25 vs state

Mathematics64%+37 vs state

Science59%+29 vs state

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Schools Near Desert Canyon Middle 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 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th 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
Desert Canyon Middle School	Public	6-8	10203 E McDowell Mtn Ranch Rd	Scottsdale	85255	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4600	423	28	15.1		296 (70.0%)	20 (4.7%)	51 (12.1%)	35 (8.3%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.8%)	89.6	44^th of 552 public middle schools	92.0%		80.4	85^th of 550 public middle schools	84.5%	41	63.0	69.0	67.0	63.0	68.0	62.0	59.0	$7,889	$356	$1,085	$1,798	$6,505		$6,447
Mountainside Middle School	Public	6-8	11256 N 128th St	Scottsdale	85259	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-5500	518	32	16.1		369 (71.2%)	24 (4.6%)	56 (10.8%)	43 (8.3%)	7 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.3%)	74.8	109^th of 552 public middle schools	80.3%		81.3	78^th of 550 public middle schools	85.8%	31	55.0	65.0	63.0	44.0	48.0	50.0	45.0	$7,591	$71	$438	$579	$6,525	$557	$7,082
Cocopah Middle School	Public	6-8	6615 E Cholla St	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4400	861	44	19.5		654 (76.0%)	29 (3.4%)	104 (12.1%)	46 (5.3%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.7%)	92	37^th of 552 public middle schools	93.3%		92.2	38^th of 550 public middle schools	93.1%	1	72.0	71.0	67.0	74.0	69.0	69.0	54.0	$6,404	$81	$437	$599	$5,468	$418	$5,886
Desert Shadows Middle School	Public	5-8	5858 E Sweetwater Ave	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6800	791	39	20.1		547 (69.2%)	14 (1.8%)	139 (17.6%)	26 (3.3%)	13 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.4%)	81	75^th of 552 public middle schools	86.4%		74.4	115^th of 550 public middle schools	79.1%	40		63.0	58.0		56.0	61.0	45.0	$6,111	$194	$100	$487	$5,382	$436	$5,818
Sunrise Middle School	Public	5-8	4960 E Acoma Dr	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6100	390	25	15.7		192 (49.2%)	16 (4.1%)	133 (34.1%)	22 (5.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	65.3	155^th of 552 public middle schools	71.9%		72.5	125^th of 550 public middle schools	77.3%	30		53.0	53.0		41.0	42.0	43.0	$9,127	$870	$218	$1,959	$7,702	$337	$8,039
Mission Montessori Academy's Middle Years Program	Public, Charter	4-8	4530 E Gold Dust Ave	Phoenix	85028	Maricopa County	The Farm at Mission Montessori Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 699-4950	43	4	10.7		25 (58.1%)	1 (2.3%)	12 (27.9%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (9.3%)								(n/a)	89.0		80.0						$00			$00
Mohave Middle School	Public	6-8	8490 E Jackrabbit Rd	Scottsdale	85250	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-5200	753	55	13.8		378 (50.2%)	34 (4.5%)	254 (33.7%)	30 (4.0%)	38 (5.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.4%)	57.6	195^th of 552 public middle schools	64.7%		53.5	217^th of 550 public middle schools	60.5%	22	52.0	53.0	50.0	43.0	36.0	30.0	38.0	$6,460	$191	$516	$898	$5,515	$237	$5,752
Fountain Hills Middle School	Public	4-8	16000 E Palisades Blvd	Fountain Hills	85268	Maricopa County	Fountain Hills Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 664-5420	250	17	14.3		143 (57.2%)	3 (1.2%)	41 (16.4%)	3 (1.2%)	39 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.4%)	43.7	252^nd of 552 public middle schools	54.3%		50.4	237^th of 550 public middle schools	56.9%	15	39.0	52.0	53.0	21.0	27.0	19.0	40.0	$8,266	$943	$131	$2,017	$5,360	$1,831	$7,191
Explorer Middle School	Public	5-8	22401 N 40th St	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4200	607	31	19.5		473 (77.9%)	8 (1.3%)	78 (12.9%)	19 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.4%)	81.6	74^th of 552 public middle schools	86.6%		81.9	76^th of 550 public middle schools	86.2%	2		65.0	57.0		60.0	59.0	45.0	$6,002	$187	$138	$512	$5,487	$190	$5,677
Greenway Middle School	Public	5-8	3002 E Nisbet Rd	Phoenix	85032	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 449-2400	646	38	17.0		62 (9.6%)	52 (8.0%)	497 (76.9%)	7 (1.1%)	15 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.7%)	12.6	507^th of 552 public middle schools	8.2%		11.4	515^th of 550 public middle schools	6.4%	8		21.0	21.0		13.0	15.0	12.0	$8,288	$510	$191	$1,210	$7,055	$533	$7,588

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Canyon Middle School

How many students attend Desert Canyon Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 423 students attended Desert Canyon Middle School.

Is Desert Canyon Middle School a good school?

Yes. Desert Canyon Middle School ranks in the top 8.0% of Arizona middle schools.

What district is Desert Canyon Middle School in?

Scottsdale Unified District

What is the racial makeup of Desert Canyon Middle School?

Students at Desert Canyon Middle School are 70% White, 12% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% African American, 4% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Desert Canyon Middle School attend?

Students who attend Desert Canyon Middle School usually go on to attend Desert Mountain 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.