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Van Buskirk Elementary School

Q: Is Van Buskirk Elementary School a good school?

Van Buskirk Elementary School ranks 625 th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

625^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 31% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Van Buskirk Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 301 students in grades PK-5 within the Tucson Unified District in Tucson, Arizona. The school has been rated 2 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger for the past several years, with its statewide ranking fluctuating between the 400s to 700s among Arizona elementary schools.

Van Buskirk's student performance on state assessments is generally higher than the Tucson Unified District average, but lower than the state average. The school's performance is particularly strong in 5th grade mathematics, where 42% of students were proficient in 2022-2023, compared to 25% for the district and 36% statewide. However, the school faces challenges in serving its economically disadvantaged population, with 83.64% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. Additionally, the school's performance for English Language Learners and Special Education students is significantly lower, ranking in the bottom quarter of Arizona elementary schools.

When compared to nearby schools, Van Buskirk's performance is generally better than other schools within the Tucson Unified District, such as Mission View Elementary, Cavett Elementary, and Holladay Intermediate Magnet School. However, when compared to schools in the Sunnyside Unified District, such as Esperanza Elementary and Drexel Elementary, Van Buskirk's performance is more mixed, with some grades performing better and others performing worse.

287

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

83.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

725 E Fair St
Tucson, AZ 85714-1626

(520) 225-3700

District: Tucson Unified District

Students who attend Van Buskirk Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

93.4%

White:

3.5%

African American:

1.4%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Van Buskirk Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 36th percentile in 2015 → 31st in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (30% vs 39% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

!English Language Arts scores 11 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

District avg28%

Arizona avg39%

625^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 31%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 36% (2015) to bottom 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^th of 34Elementary 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	24.9	625 of 909	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.7	561 of 912	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	713 of 1245	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.0	441 of 1000	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	20.1	995 of 1226	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.0	763 of 1039	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.5	690 of 1109	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	42.7	578 of 1106	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	30.9	715 of 1079	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	32.1	609 of 955	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	36.0	701 of 1079	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.0	877 of 1158	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	29.0	906 of 1141	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	32.1	765 of 1075	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	42.0	639 of 1090	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.0	602 of 1062	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.8	318 of 451	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.1	879 of 1219	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	1032 of 1219	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.4	577 of 1023	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	36.1	288 of 496	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.9	281 of 486	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.7	658 of 1170	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	42.8	415 of 716	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.5	1034 of 1198	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.4	527 of 709	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.8	441 of 911	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	37.2	328 of 556	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	56.2	408 of 1116	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	44.4	601 of 1216	50.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.8	930 of 1220	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.1	627 of 1032	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	40.2	338 of 654	48.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	22.8	1150 of 1201	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	29.5	880 of 1161	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Male (2023)51st percentile+8 vs school

Native American (2021)48th percentile+29 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)41st percentile+3 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)29th percentile-13 vs school

Female (2023)28th percentile-15 vs school

White (2021)24th percentile+5 vs school

Special Education (2021)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics33%-4 vs state

English Language Arts29%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Van Buskirk 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 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
Van Buskirk Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	725 E Fair St	Tucson	85714	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-3700	287	25	11.6		10 (3.5%)	4 (1.4%)	268 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	24.9	625^th of 909 public elementary schools	31.2%		31.7	561^st of 912 public elementary schools	38.5%	64	34.0	23.0	30.0						33.0							$00			$00
Hollinger K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	150 W Ajo Way	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1700	542	35	15.5		21 (3.9%)	8 (1.5%)	502 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17	748^th of 909 public elementary schools	17.7%		14.1	798^th of 912 public elementary schools	12.5%	50	26.0	30.0	22.0			13.0		27.0	25.0				23.0			$00			$00
Rivera Elementary	Public	K-6	5102 S Cherry Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3900	454	24	18.9		8 (1.8%)	5 (1.1%)	427 (94.1%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	16.4	760^th of 909 public elementary schools	16.4%		8.7	886^th of 912 public elementary schools	2.9%	126	27.0	22.0		28.0			26.0								$8,065	$1,161	$25	$2,348	$6,313	$566	$6,879
C E Rose Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	710 W Michigan St	Tucson	85714	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 908-4400	766	42	18.4		12 (1.6%)	3 (0.4%)	723 (94.4%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (2.3%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.0%)	14.2	802^nd of 909 public elementary schools	11.8%		17.6	746^th of 912 public elementary schools	18.2%	56	16.0	30.0	20.0	37.0	36.0	30.0	14.0	24.0	13.0	25.0	17.0	18.0	15.0	18.0		$00			$00
Drexel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	801 E Drexel Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2700	515	25	21.0		13 (2.5%)	17 (3.3%)	454 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	9.1	883^rd of 909 public elementary schools	2.9%					(n/a)	21.0	21.0	19.0	16.0			18.0	19.0							$7,085	$934	$01	$1,870	$5,549	$600	$6,150
Liberty Elementary School	Public	K-6	5495 S Liberty Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3100	490	23	21.6		11 (2.2%)	8 (1.6%)	450 (91.8%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	13.7	815^th of 909 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.3	792^nd of 912 public elementary schools	13.2%	23	22.0	17.0		33.0			18.0								$7,429	$846	$07	$1,698	$6,164	$412	$6,576
Mission View Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2600 S 8th Ave	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-2300	232	23	10.1		8 (3.4%)	4 (1.7%)	210 (90.5%)	2 (0.9%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)								(n/a)																$00			$00
Cavett Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2120 E Naco Vis	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1300	227	19	12.0		11 (4.8%)	12 (5.3%)	192 (84.6%)	3 (1.3%)	6 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.3%)								(n/a)			33.0						40.0							$00			$00
Holladay Intermediate Magnet School	Public	PK, KG-5	1110 E 33rd St	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1600	186	17	10.7		11 (5.9%)	31 (16.7%)	121 (65.1%)	2 (1.1%)	11 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.4%)								(n/a)																$00			$00
Esperanza Elementary School	Public	K-6	2353 E Bantam Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2900	437	26	16.8		25 (5.7%)	3 (0.7%)	393 (89.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.6%)	9.9	879^th of 909 public elementary schools	3.3%		13.4	811^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.1%	68		20.0		24.0			19.0								$7,921	$725	$00	$1,451	$6,808	$387	$7,195

Frequently Asked Questions about Van Buskirk Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Van Buskirk Elementary School?

Students at Van Buskirk Elementary School are 93% Hispanic, 3% White, 1% African American, 1% Two or more races.

Is Van Buskirk Elementary School a good school?

Van Buskirk Elementary School ranks 625^th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Van Buskirk Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Van Buskirk Elementary School usually go on to attend:

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

What district is Van Buskirk Elementary School in?

Tucson Unified District

How many students attend Van Buskirk Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 287 students attended Van Buskirk Elementary 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.