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Pistor Middle School

Q: Is Pistor Middle School a good school?

Pistor Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Arizona middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Pistor Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 579 students attended Pistor Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Pistor Middle School?

Students at Pistor Middle School are 82% Hispanic, 9% American Indian, 5% White, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Q: What high school do graduates of Pistor Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pistor Middle School usually go on to attend Pueblo High School

Public Grades 6-8

551^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 0% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Pistor Middle School is a public middle school located in Tucson, Arizona, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 629 students. The school is part of the Tucson Unified District, which is ranked 208 out of 289 districts in Arizona and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Pistor Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Arizona middle schools over the past several years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the recent school years.

Pistor Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the Tucson Unified District and the state of Arizona in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 9% of 8th-grade students at Pistor were proficient or better in Science, compared to 17% in the district and 30% statewide. The school also struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, with particularly low rankings for female, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students. Additionally, Pistor Middle School has had consistently high dropout rates, ranging from 3.9% to 6.6% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average.

The data reveals a stark contrast in academic performance between Pistor Middle School and some of the nearby schools, such as Wakefield Middle School. While Pistor struggles with low proficiency rates, Wakefield excels, with 46-57% of students proficient or better in various subject areas. The differences in per-student spending between Pistor Middle School and some of the higher-performing nearby schools suggest that resource disparities may be a contributing factor to the school's underperformance. Pistor Middle School's consistent low performance and high dropout rates over several years indicate that the school may be facing systemic challenges that require a comprehensive, long-term approach to address.

579

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

73.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5455 S Cardinal Ave
Tucson, AZ 85746-2168

(520) 908-5400

District: Tucson Unified District

Students who attend Pistor Middle School usually attend:

High:	Pueblo High School
	University High School
Alternative:	Tucson Unified Virtual Academy

Feeder schools for Pistor Middle School:

Elementary:	Frances J Warren Elementary School
	John E White Elementary School
	Miller Elementary School
	Raul Grijalva Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.7%

American Indian:

8.6%

White:

5.4%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Pistor Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2015 → <1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (10% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (<1st percentile)

!Dropout rate above the Arizona average (11% vs 5%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school10%

District avg22%

Arizona avg36%

551^st of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Middle Schools in the Tucson Unified District

208^th of 289Tucson 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	5.5	551 of 552	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.6	550 of 550	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	800 of 854	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.8	576 of 605	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	718 of 832	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.1	573 of 605	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.4	605 of 711	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.5	612 of 695	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.1	470 of 677	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	25.8	380 of 521	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	38.3	423 of 690	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.9	515 of 787	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.6	526 of 772	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	29.4	509 of 685	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.2	476 of 692	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	35.9	440 of 663	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.1	400 of 573	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	15.6	362 of 404	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	41.7	298 of 606	50.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	2.6	395 of 395	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.9	773 of 806	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	486 of 494	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.4	694 of 820	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	8.3	443 of 466	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.4	560 of 624	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	6.1	344 of 345	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	328 of 329	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.0	711 of 760	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	373 of 392	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	645 of 802	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	365 of 387	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	445 of 543	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	61.9	37 of 257	85.6%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	344 of 344	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.8	320 of 320	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	702 of 717	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	362 of 369	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	13.3	761 of 810	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	461 of 476	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.4	685 of 818	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	423 of 435	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.4	515 of 617	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	16.4	129 of 159	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.9	238 of 390	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.0	27 of 62	56.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.2	333 of 363	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	48.4	287 of 789	63.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	10.8	647 of 675	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	585 of 780	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.5	420 of 436	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2021)86th percentile+72 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile+37 vs school

African American (2021)30th percentile+16 vs school

Native American (2023)19th percentile+13 vs school

Asian (2021)10th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2023)8th percentile~ school

Male (2023)6th percentile~ school

White (2023)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Female (2025)<1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts12%-29 vs state

Science9%-21 vs state

Mathematics7%-22 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, September 29, 2015

My son is in the all day contained gate program and he has amazing teachers who show concern for his understanding of the materials. The school is lacking in extra curricular activities but with the lack of funding that is being seen everywhere. Close Quote

Schools Near Pistor Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 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
Pistor Middle School	Public	6-8	5455 S Cardinal Ave	Tucson	85746	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 908-5400	579	44	13.1		31 (5.4%)	9 (1.6%)	473 (81.7%)	5 (0.9%)	50 (8.6%)	2 (0.3%)	9 (1.6%)	5.5	551^st of 552 public middle schools	0.2%		6.6	550^th of 550 public middle schools	0.0%	1	11.0	12.0	13.0	7.0				9.0		$00			$00
Valencia Middle School	Public	6-8	4400 W Irvington Rd	Tucson	85746	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 908-4500	520	36	14.4		33 (6.3%)	19 (3.7%)	421 (81.0%)	1 (0.2%)	37 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	11.7	518^th of 552 public middle schools	6.2%		8	542^nd of 550 public middle schools	1.5%	24	17.0	23.0	23.0		9.0	14.0		12.0		$00			$00
Anna Lawrence Intermediate School	Public	3-8	4850 W Jeffrey Rd	Tucson	85757	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 908-3900	215	20	10.8		10 (4.7%)	3 (1.4%)	100 (46.5%)	1 (0.5%)	95 (44.2%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)								(n/a)							33.0			$00			$00
Apollo Middle School	Public	6-8	265 West Nebraska Street	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-4500	480	33	14.5		7 (1.5%)	6 (1.3%)	442 (92.1%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	7.8	547^th of 552 public middle schools	0.9%		9.6	529^th of 550 public middle schools	3.8%	18		17.0	17.0		6.0			9.0	$8,739	$942	$65	$1,950	$7,035	$697	$7,732
Wakefield Middle School	Public	6-8	101 W 44th St	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-6280	295	21	13.9		29 (9.8%)	3 (1.0%)	243 (82.4%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.4%)	57.7	194^th of 552 public middle schools	64.9%		42.9	265^th of 550 public middle schools	51.8%	71	57.0	50.0	53.0	42.0	18.0	36.0		46.0		$00			$00
Challenger Middle School	Public	6-8	100 E Elvira Rd	Tucson	85756	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-4600	590	30	19.5		21 (3.6%)	21 (3.6%)	508 (86.1%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.0%)	8.3	543^rd of 552 public middle schools	1.6%		6.8	549^th of 550 public middle schools	0.2%	6		13.0	18.0		6.0	7.0		13.0	$6,510	$574	$39	$1,187	$5,393	$504	$5,897
Las Puertas Community School	Public, Charter	6-10	100 W 37th St	Tucson	85713	Pima County	StrengthBuilding Partners	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 546-9296	40	5	7.4		1 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (60.0%)	1 (2.5%)	14 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)										$00			$00
Utterback Middle School	Public	6-8	3233 S Pinal Vis	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-3500	270	22	12.3		20 (7.4%)	24 (8.9%)	216 (80.0%)	5 (1.9%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)								(n/a)			17.0			12.0				$00			$00
Paulo Freire Freedom School - Downtown	Public, Charter	6-8	47 E Pennington St	Tucson	85701	Pima County	CITY Center for Collaborative Learning	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 352-0057	54	4	13.5		18 (33.3%)	1 (1.9%)	27 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (9.3%)								(n/a)									$8,340	$1,073	$622	$2,769	$6,428	$217	$6,644
Paulo Freire Freedom School - University	Public, Charter	6-8	300 E. University Blvd.	Tucson	85705	Pima County	CITY Center for Collaborative Learning	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 624-7552	73	8	9.7		37 (50.7%)	4 (5.5%)	27 (37.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.1%)	72.5	118^th of 552 public middle schools	78.6%		69.6	132^nd of 550 public middle schools	76.0%	14	50.0		55.0					55.0	$9,564	$1,107	$520	$2,734	$6,850	$1,087	$7,937

Frequently Asked Questions about Pistor Middle School

What district is Pistor Middle School in?

Tucson Unified District

What high school do graduates of Pistor Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pistor Middle School usually go on to attend Pueblo High School

How many students attend Pistor Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 579 students attended Pistor Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Pistor Middle School?

Students at Pistor Middle School are 82% Hispanic, 9% American Indian, 5% White, 2% African American, 2% Two or more races.

Is Pistor Middle School a good school?

Pistor Middle School ranks in the bottom 0.2% of Arizona middle schools.

Rate Pistor Middle 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.