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Desert Mountain High School

Q: Is Desert Mountain High School a good school?

Desert Mountain High School ranks 52 nd of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

52^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 81% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Desert Mountain High School is a public high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 1,940 students in grades 9-12. This school consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, with a strong academic performance that outpaces the local Scottsdale Unified District and the state of Arizona.

Desert Mountain High School's academic excellence is evident in its standardized test scores, with 77% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 63% for the Scottsdale Unified District and 40% for the state. In mathematics, 66% of 11th-graders at Desert Mountain were proficient or better, surpassing the district's 55% and the state's 30%. The school also maintains high graduation rates, ranging from 77.5% to 95%, and low dropout rates, outperforming district and state averages. Notably, Desert Mountain's strong performance extends across diverse student subgroups, including female, male, Asian, Hispanic, and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Saguaro High School and Great Hearts Academies - Cicero Prep, Desert Mountain High School consistently outperforms these institutions in academic metrics, graduation rates, and test scores. This suggests that Desert Mountain is a standout educational institution in the Scottsdale area, offering a robust academic program and opportunities for all students to succeed.

1,905

Students ?

20.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,149

Per pupil spending ?

7.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12575 E. Via Linda
Scottsdale, AZ 85259

(480) 484-7000

District: Scottsdale Unified District

Feeder schools for Desert Mountain High School:

Elementary:	Anasazi Elementary
	Cheyenne Traditional School
	Desert Canyon Elementary
	Laguna Elementary School
	More...
	Redfield Elementary School
Middle:	Desert Canyon Middle School
	Mountainside Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.7%

Asian:

12.6%

Hispanic:

9.7%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Desert Mountain High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 84th percentile in 2015 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (57% vs 30% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Arizona high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Arizona average (80%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg47%

Arizona avg30%

52^nd of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Top 19%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5High 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	78.8	52 of 271	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	83.4	40 of 270	85.2%	★★★★☆
2023	86.9	49 of 469	89.6%	★★★★☆
2022	89.3	39 of 464	91.6%	★★★★★
2021	87.0	55 of 509	89.2%	★★★★☆
2019	70.2	52 of 285	81.8%	★★★★☆
2018	80.3	45 of 420	89.3%	★★★★☆
2017	82.6	43 of 416	89.7%	★★★★☆
2016	79.6	50 of 406	87.7%	★★★★☆
2015	72.4	43 of 261	83.5%	★★★★☆
2014	91.1	22 of 394	94.4%	★★★★★
2013	90.8	27 of 491	94.5%	★★★★★
2012	92.6	17 of 471	96.4%	★★★★★
2011	92.2	27 of 397	93.2%	★★★★★
2010	94.4	18 of 403	95.5%	★★★★★
2009	92.6	20 of 395	94.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	66.7	49 of 201	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	73.6	38 of 301	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	75.4	40 of 306	86.9%	★★★★☆
2018	84.6	5 of 122	95.9%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	51.6	18 of 35	48.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.7	11 of 30	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	77.8	22 of 146	84.9%	★★★★☆
2022	73.0	60 of 238	74.8%	★★★★☆
2021	68.2	73 of 231	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.2	25 of 44	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.5	48 of 83	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	50.5	36 of 258	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	44.6	29 of 312	90.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	80.5	33 of 207	84.1%	★★★★☆
2024	84.7	28 of 200	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.8	36 of 406	91.1%	★★★★★
2022	87.8	38 of 456	91.7%	★★★★★
2021	87.7	54 of 492	89.0%	★★★★☆
2019	71.8	49 of 247	80.2%	★★★★☆
2018	77.6	51 of 354	85.6%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	91.4	15 of 176	91.5%	★★★★★
2024	96.9	9 of 170	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	74.2	61 of 379	83.9%	★★★★☆
2022	94.2	27 of 441	93.9%	★★★★★
2021	79.0	64 of 479	86.6%	★★★★☆
2019	70.5	32 of 183	82.5%	★★★★☆
2018	71.8	47 of 311	84.9%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	31.1	69 of 168	58.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	92.0	12 of 180	93.3%	★★★★★
2024	79.3	30 of 172	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	73.6	58 of 347	83.3%	★★★★☆
2022	98.8	6 of 168	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	70.7	37 of 253	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	75.4	49 of 223	78.0%	★★★★☆
2024	77.2	49 of 219	77.6%	★★★★☆
2023	84.9	52 of 429	87.9%	★★★★☆
2022	87.6	45 of 455	90.1%	★★★★★
2021	82.6	67 of 492	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.8	58 of 238	75.6%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	51 of 370	86.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	98.5	1 of 37	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	58.4	75 of 199	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	84.5	42 of 282	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	77.9	64 of 374	82.9%	★★★★☆
2018	67.3	18 of 76	76.3%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	74.9	40 of 255	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	30.3	115 of 256	55.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	51.2	55 of 172	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.1	39 of 380	89.7%	★★★★☆
2021	67.2	48 of 422	88.6%	★★★★☆
2018	53.0	47 of 155	69.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	65.0	57 of 178	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.1	50 of 184	72.8%	★★★★☆
2023	76.1	65 of 371	82.5%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	53 of 409	87.0%	★★★★☆
2021	76.3	85 of 448	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	56.4	74 of 217	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.5	63 of 291	78.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2024)97th percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2025)91st percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2022)86th percentile-6 vs school

Native American (2022)84th percentile-7 vs school

Female (2025)84th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2023)76th percentile-14 vs school

Special Education (2023)68th percentile-22 vs school

White (2025)68th percentile-13 vs school

Homeless (2021)59th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2025)49th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts77%+37 vs state

Mathematics66%+36 vs state

Science27%+8 vs state

1.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, December 7, 2014

I would be very reluctant to send my child to this school, where the staff and faculty make ignorant and disrespectful comments to both students and parents. It saddens me to see such an unsupportive environment for students, who may not be perfect but need to receive an adequate education without feeling antagonized by those who can make a positive impact in these kids' lives. I speak both as a parent and as an educator with over twenty years' experience at this level and at the college level. Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, November 12, 2009

Desert Mountain is by far the worst school I have ever been to. The faculty is downright malicious, the teachers don't care at all, and I have never seen so many troubled kids. The students have no respect for themselves or each other. Everyday I would see people on drugs, or talking about sex, and the teachers didn't notice at all. The teachers definitely play favorites, and if your not one of the select few then school becomes miserable. The office staff and faculty members seem to want to find the bad in everybody, even falsely accusing the good-moralled students. In the month I spent at DM I learned nothing academic whatsoever, even in advanced classes. This school is absolutely a joke and I would not recommended it for anyone. Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Mountain 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 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th 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
Desert Mountain High School	Public	9-12	12575 E. Via Linda	Scottsdale	85259	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-7000	1,905	93	20.5		1,327 (69.7%)	61 (3.2%)	185 (9.7%)	240 (12.6%)	21 (1.1%)	9 (0.5%)	62 (3.3%)	78.8	52^nd of 271 public high schools	80.8%		83.4	40^th of 270 public high schools	85.2%	12				77.0				66.0		27.0	$6,149	$11	$08	$30	$5,311	$819	$6,130
EVIT - Desert Mountain High School	Public	9-12	12575 E. Via Linda	Scottsdale	85259	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-7000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)												$00			$00
Fountain Hills High School	Public	9-12	16100 E Palisades Blvd	Fountain Hills	85268	Maricopa County	Fountain Hills Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 664-5510	347	24	14.4		207 (59.7%)	6 (1.7%)	47 (13.5%)	7 (2.0%)	50 (14.4%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (8.4%)	55.8	102^nd of 271 public high schools	62.4%		37.1	153^rd of 270 public high schools	43.3%	51				47.0				54.0		18.0	$7,608	$729	$159	$1,617	$4,754	$1,965	$6,720
Great Hearts Academies - Scottsdale Prep	Public, Charter	5-12	16537/16576 N. 92nd Street	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 776-1970	898	73	12.3		623 (69.4%)	3 (0.3%)	93 (10.4%)	123 (13.7%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	54 (6.0%)	98	8^th of 271 public high schools	97.0%		98.6	8^th of 270 public high schools	97.0%		68.0	67.0	63.0	97.0	50.0	57.0	51.0	93.0	39.0	60.0		$00			$00
Great Hearts Academies - Cicero Prep	Public, Charter	6-12	7205 N Pima Rd	Scottsdale	85258	Maricopa County	Cicero Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 424-1790	507	46	10.9		320 (63.1%)	18 (3.6%)	101 (19.9%)	24 (4.7%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (6.7%)	86.6	35^th of 271 public high schools	87.1%		81.2	46^th of 270 public high schools	83.0%	11	35.0	57.0	53.0	82.0	35.0	51.0	38.0	60.0	44.0	41.0		$00			$00
Salt River Accelerated Learning Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	4827 N Country Club Dr	Scottsdale	85256	Maricopa County	Salt River Pima-Maricopa Community Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 362-2130	76	11	7.2		0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	11 (14.5%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (82.9%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$00			$00
EVIT - Fountain Hills Vocational Center	Public	9-12	14605 N Del Cambre Ave	Fountain Hills	85268	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
EVIT North Fountain Hills	Public	9-12	17300 E Calaveras Ave	Fountain Hills	85268	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
EVIT - Saguaro High School	Public	9-12	6250 N 82nd St	Scottsdale	85250	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-7100	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)												$00			$00
Saguaro High School	Public	9-12	6250 N 82nd St	Scottsdale	85250	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-7100	1,300	70	18.5		721 (55.5%)	72 (5.5%)	320 (24.6%)	60 (4.6%)	62 (4.8%)	5 (0.4%)	60 (4.6%)	74.8	57^th of 271 public high schools	79.0%		61.7	92^nd of 270 public high schools	65.9%	35				65.0				56.0		31.0	$6,274	$02	$25	$30	$5,317	$929	$6,247

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Mountain High School

What schools feed into Desert Mountain High School?

Desert Mountain High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Anasazi Elementary
Elementary : Cheyenne Traditional School
Elementary : Desert Canyon Elementary
Elementary : Laguna Elementary School
Elementary : Redfield Elementary School
Middle : Desert Canyon Middle School
Middle : Mountainside Middle School

How many students attend Desert Mountain High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,905 students attended Desert Mountain High School.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Mountain High School?

Students at Desert Mountain High School are 70% White, 13% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 3% African American, 1% American Indian.

What district is Desert Mountain High School in?

Scottsdale Unified District

Is Desert Mountain High School a good school?

Desert Mountain High School ranks 52^nd of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate 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.