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Desert Mountain School

Q: Is Desert Mountain School a good school?

Desert Mountain School ranks 171 st of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

171^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 81% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Mountain School is a highly-ranked public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in the Deer Valley Unified District in Arizona, with 425 students and a consistent 4 or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Mountain School stands out for its exceptional academic performance, consistently outperforming the district and state averages across all grade levels and subjects. In 2024-2025, the school had 62% of 5th graders and 45% of 8th graders proficient or better in science, compared to 51% and 51% for the district, and 34% and 30% for the state. The school also excels in English Language Arts and Mathematics, with higher proficiency rates than the district and state. Desert Mountain School's performance is particularly impressive when compared to nearby Norterra Canyon School, Canyon Springs STEM Academy, and Union Park School, which all lag behind in academic achievement.

While Desert Mountain School's performance is exceptional, the presence of a nearby high-performing charter school, Stepping Stones Academy, suggests that families in the area have access to multiple quality educational options. Additionally, the school's relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 8.3% to 22.88% over the past few years, indicates that the school may serve a more affluent student population, which could contribute to its strong academic performance.

438

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,482

Per pupil spending ?

22.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

35959 N 7th Ave
Desert Hills, AZ 85086-6306

(623) 445-3500

District: Deer Valley Unified District

Students who attend Desert Mountain School usually attend:

High:

Boulder Creek High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

76.3%

Hispanic:

16.9%

Two or more races:

5.5%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Mountain School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 92nd percentile in 2023 → 81st in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (52% vs 36% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 19% of Arizona elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 92nd-percentile peak (2023) to 81st (2025)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg52%

Arizona avg36%

Elementary school

171^st of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 19%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From top 36% (2015) to top 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

175^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 32%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 40% (2015) to top 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 30Elementary Schools in the Deer Valley Unified District

84^th of 289Deer 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	78.6	171 of 909	81.2%	★★★★☆
2024	78.4	180 of 912	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	91.0	101 of 1245	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	82.7	135 of 1000	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	87.3	155 of 1226	87.4%	★★★★☆
2019	65.6	358 of 1039	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.8	267 of 1109	75.9%	★★★★☆
2017	71.1	312 of 1106	71.8%	★★★★☆
2016	81.3	200 of 1079	81.5%	★★★★☆
2015	60.0	341 of 955	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	72.1	304 of 1079	71.8%	★★★★☆
2013	64.0	409 of 1158	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.1	406 of 1141	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.4	360 of 1075	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.5	327 of 1090	70.0%	★★★★☆
2009	65.7	387 of 1062	63.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	39.7	474 of 975	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	77.9	95 of 589	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	113 of 602	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	84.3	162 of 1219	86.7%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	133 of 824	83.9%	★★★★☆
2021	86.7	146 of 1219	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	64.5	282 of 862	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	77.9	222 of 1023	78.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	87.8	79 of 1170	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	94.5	22 of 716	96.9%	★★★★★
2021	71.0	247 of 1198	79.4%	★★★★☆
2018	44.3	469 of 911	48.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	91.8	36 of 556	93.5%	★★★★★
2023	69.7	237 of 1116	78.8%	★★★★☆
2022	50.5	313 of 618	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	67.9	205 of 820	75.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	61.5	210 of 626	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	179 of 628	71.5%	★★★★☆
2023	93.0	62 of 1216	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	76.4	153 of 830	81.6%	★★★★☆
2021	84.1	176 of 1220	85.6%	★★★★☆
2019	60.4	315 of 850	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	69.2	309 of 1032	70.1%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	51.5	429 of 1027	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	65.6	175 of 820	78.7%	★★★★☆
2022	65.6	60 of 145	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	65.5	205 of 1201	82.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	283 of 465	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.9	278 of 486	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	77.9	172 of 1024	83.2%	★★★★☆
2022	68.7	190 of 800	76.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.4	208 of 1161	82.1%	★★★★☆
2019	49.2	313 of 595	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	62.7	281 of 720	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	60.8	175 of 552	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.2	175 of 550	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	71.3	191 of 854	77.6%	★★★★☆
2022	64.6	190 of 605	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.3	174 of 832	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	75.4	141 of 605	76.7%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	152 of 711	78.6%	★★★★☆
2017	67.4	183 of 695	73.7%	★★★★☆
2016	73.0	154 of 677	77.3%	★★★★☆
2015	52.4	210 of 521	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.0	241 of 690	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.7	261 of 787	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	70.5	206 of 772	73.3%	★★★★☆
2011	72.3	179 of 685	73.9%	★★★★☆
2010	69.9	196 of 692	71.7%	★★★★☆
2009	66.8	205 of 663	69.1%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	41.6	283 of 573	50.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	51.4	104 of 606	82.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	67.6	95 of 395	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	71.2	183 of 806	77.3%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	122 of 494	75.3%	★★★★☆
2021	72.8	181 of 820	77.9%	★★★★☆
2019	74.9	94 of 466	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	78.8	114 of 624	81.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	44.8	357 of 760	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.9	198 of 802	75.3%	★★★★☆
2018	54.7	188 of 543	65.4%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	53.7	252 of 717	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	45.2	182 of 369	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.5	157 of 503	68.8%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	153 of 379	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.0	112 of 370	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	66.3	218 of 810	73.1%	★★★★☆
2022	56.4	193 of 476	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.4	167 of 818	79.6%	★★★★☆
2019	62.4	146 of 435	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	64.9	178 of 617	71.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	70.5	114 of 650	82.5%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	73.2	51 of 363	86.0%	★★★★☆
2021	59.3	134 of 789	83.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	27.5	206 of 277	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.9	187 of 288	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.3	233 of 675	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.8	284 of 446	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	64.2	226 of 780	71.0%	★★★★☆
2019	51.0	169 of 337	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.9	175 of 436	59.9%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)94th percentile+13 vs school

Hispanic (2023)93rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)84th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)79th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)66th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)58th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile-36 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile-42 vs school

Middle school

Special Education (2023)86th percentile+8 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)83rd percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)82nd percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)65th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)60th percentile-9 vs school

Hispanic (2023)53rd percentile-25 vs school

African American (2021)51st percentile-28 vs school

White (2025)26th percentile-43 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Science54%+22 vs state

English Language Arts53%+12 vs state

Mathematics51%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Mountain 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 English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th 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 Mountain School	Public	PK, KG-8	35959 N 7th Ave	Desert Hills	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-3500	438	28	15.9		334 (76.3%)	3 (0.7%)	74 (16.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.5%)	78.6	171^st of 909 public elementary schools	81.2%		78.4	180^th of 912 public elementary schools	80.3%	9	59.0	53.0	53.0	55.0	54.0	42.0	66.0	58.0	64.0	55.0	41.0	22.0	62.0	45.0	$7,482	$263	$20	$546	$7,019	$179	$7,198
Stepping Stones Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	35812 N 7th St	Phoenix	85086	Maricopa County	Stepping Stones Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 465-4910	221				191 (86.4%)	1 (0.5%)	21 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	93.3	47^th of 909 public elementary schools	94.8%		96.4	18^th of 912 public elementary schools	98.0%	29	92.0	66.0	96.0	59.0	48.0		87.0	81.0		77.0	96.0	88.0				$00			$00
Sonoran Foothills School	Public	PK, KG-8	32150 N North Foothills Dr	Phoenix	85085	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8400	921	51	18.0		571 (62.0%)	28 (3.0%)	155 (16.8%)	101 (11.0%)	12 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (5.6%)	87.8	88^th of 909 public elementary schools	90.3%		92	59^th of 912 public elementary schools	93.5%	29	57.0	66.0	76.0	63.0	83.0	79.0	70.0	74.0	79.0	47.0	70.0	54.0	70.0	66.0	$6,098	$437	$12	$885	$5,355	$295	$5,650
Diamond Canyon School	Public	PK, KG-8	40004 N Liberty Bell Way	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8000	740	45	16.6		581 (78.5%)	12 (1.6%)	84 (11.4%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.7%)	90.8	63^rd of 909 public elementary schools	93.1%		90.3	69^th of 912 public elementary schools	92.4%	6	58.0	76.0	77.0	80.0	68.0	71.0	61.0	68.0	71.0	61.0	51.0	66.0	72.0	61.0	$6,000	$249	$13	$511	$5,524	$214	$5,738
Sunset Ridge School	Public	PK, KG-8	35707 N 33rd Ln	Phoenix	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-7800	563	34	16.3		387 (68.7%)	20 (3.6%)	100 (17.8%)	5 (0.9%)	8 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	40 (7.1%)	65.1	284^th of 909 public elementary schools	68.8%		79.5	169^th of 912 public elementary schools	81.5%	115	48.0	52.0	52.0	63.0	62.0	51.0	53.0	35.0	51.0	58.0	50.0	45.0	44.0	47.0	$7,762	$616	$20	$1,252	$6,855	$271	$7,126
Gavilan Peak School	Public	PK, KG-8	2701 W Memorial Dr	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-7400	473	36	13.1		331 (70.0%)	6 (1.3%)	70 (14.8%)	22 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.3%)	84	127^th of 909 public elementary schools	86.0%		89.4	76^th of 912 public elementary schools	91.7%	51	55.0	71.0	62.0	71.0	58.0	62.0	77.0	44.0	65.0	58.0	48.0	58.0	68.0	61.0	$7,929	$664	$12	$1,340	$7,077	$176	$7,253
Anthem School	Public	PK, KG-8	41020 N Freedom Way	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 376-3700	400	27	14.8		301 (75.3%)	6 (1.5%)	62 (15.5%)	9 (2.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.0%)	77.9	181^st of 909 public elementary schools	80.1%		71.9	230^th of 912 public elementary schools	74.8%	49	52.0	52.0	68.0	58.0	59.0	64.0	75.0	78.0	66.0	34.0	49.0	62.0	55.0	61.0	$7,781	$680	$27	$1,386	$6,809	$265	$7,074
Norterra Canyon School	Public	PK, KG-8	2200 W Maya Way	Phoenix	85085	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8200	601	37	16.4		366 (60.9%)	34 (5.7%)	120 (20.0%)	40 (6.7%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (5.3%)	71.8	237^th of 909 public elementary schools	73.9%		84.6	128^th of 912 public elementary schools	86.0%	109	65.0	63.0	45.0	69.0	60.0	51.0	59.0	58.0	57.0	42.0	34.0	30.0	37.0	41.0	$7,996	$484	$16	$985	$7,218	$277	$7,495
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4322 E Desert Willow Parkway	Cave Creek	85331	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2800	338	23	14.7		237 (70.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (21.0%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	75.2	204^th of 909 public elementary schools	77.6%		83	144^th of 912 public elementary schools	84.2%	60	66.0	61.0	60.0	60.0			39.0	46.0	70.0	58.0			54.0		$2,222	$129	$50	$308	$1,544	$499	$2,043
Canyon Springs STEM Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	42901 N 45th Ave	Anthem	85087	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 376-5200	805	49	16.5		562 (69.8%)	11 (1.4%)	126 (15.7%)	19 (2.4%)	14 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	72 (8.9%)	74.2	212^th of 909 public elementary schools	76.7%		73.4	214^th of 912 public elementary schools	76.5%	2	56.0	61.0	61.0	44.0	61.0	57.0	59.0	60.0	66.0	34.0	34.0	52.0	65.0	66.0	$6,746	$512	$13	$1,036	$6,049	$173	$6,222

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Mountain School

What schools do graduates of Desert Mountain School attend?

Students who attend Desert Mountain School usually go on to attend:

High : Boulder Creek High School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Mountain School?

Students at Desert Mountain School are 76% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Desert Mountain School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 438 students attended Desert Mountain School.

Is Desert Mountain School a good school?

Desert Mountain School ranks 171^st of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Desert Mountain School in?

Deer 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.