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Desert Willow Elementary School

Q: Is Desert Willow Elementary School a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary School ranks 280 th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

280^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Willow Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 759 students in grades K-5 within the Vail Unified District in Tucson, Arizona. The school consistently outperforms the state average in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across grades 3-5, and has strong performance across various student subgroups.

Over the past 10 years, Desert Willow Elementary has consistently ranked in the top 20% of Arizona elementary schools, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of that time period. When compared to other nearby schools in the Vail Unified District, such as Ocotillo Ridge Elementary, Senita Valley Elementary, and Mesquite Elementary, Desert Willow still stands out as a top performer in the district.

While Desert Willow excels in many areas, there are a few subgroups where the school's performance could be improved, such as for Asian students and Pacific Islander students. Additionally, the school's free and reduced-price lunch rate has increased from 15.69% in 2021-2022 to 33.85% in 2022-2023, suggesting a potential shift in the school's demographic makeup and socioeconomic status of the student population. As the school's demographics evolve, it will be important for the district and school leadership to ensure all students continue to receive the support and resources they need to succeed.

811

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,728

Per pupil spending ?

33.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

9400 E Esmond Loop
Tucson, AZ 85747-9195

(520) 879-2302

District: Vail Unified District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

47.3%

White:

36.5%

Two or more races:

8.1%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Willow Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 80th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (52% vs 39% meeting standards)

✓Above the Arizona median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2015

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

!Near the bottom of Vail Unified District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school52%

District avg61%

Arizona avg39%

280^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 11 pts since 2015

From top 20% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Vail Unified District

61^st of 289Vail 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	66.6	280 of 909	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.4	316 of 912	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	86.9	156 of 1245	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	83.1	126 of 1000	87.4%	★★★★☆
2021	78.4	261 of 1226	78.7%	★★★★☆
2019	81.8	180 of 1039	82.7%	★★★★☆
2018	84.8	159 of 1109	85.7%	★★★★☆
2017	83.1	183 of 1106	83.5%	★★★★☆
2016	85.6	149 of 1079	86.2%	★★★★☆
2015	78.2	188 of 955	80.3%	★★★★☆
2014	84.8	153 of 1079	85.8%	★★★★☆
2013	80.1	181 of 1158	84.4%	★★★★☆
2012	81.2	176 of 1141	84.6%	★★★★☆
2011	86.3	110 of 1075	89.8%	★★★★☆
2010	86.3	110 of 1090	89.9%	★★★★☆
2009	85.0	127 of 1062	88.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	79.3	82 of 607	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	59.6	135 of 289	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.7	129 of 895	85.6%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	19.6	553 of 620	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	52.9	161 of 451	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.2	151 of 975	84.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	41.5	326 of 589	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	325 of 602	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	88.9	99 of 1219	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	81.3	93 of 824	88.7%	★★★★☆
2021	73.5	296 of 1219	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.7	174 of 862	79.8%	★★★★☆
2018	86.2	128 of 1023	87.5%	★★★★☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	70.3	5 of 38	86.8%	★★★★☆
2021	90.4	4 of 306	98.7%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	57.1	187 of 496	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	45.4	238 of 486	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	86.8	90 of 1170	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.8	126 of 716	82.4%	★★★★☆
2021	76.4	180 of 1198	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	86.0	78 of 709	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.4	89 of 911	90.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	54.5	219 of 549	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.7	275 of 556	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	89.0	62 of 1116	94.4%	★★★★★
2022	90.4	25 of 618	96.0%	★★★★★
2018	85.0	77 of 820	90.6%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	56.5	248 of 626	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	41.9	341 of 628	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	80.2	209 of 1216	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	74.8	168 of 830	79.8%	★★★★☆
2021	78.9	230 of 1220	81.1%	★★★★☆
2019	76.3	175 of 850	79.4%	★★★★☆
2018	80.7	202 of 1032	80.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	33.1	2 of 3	33.3%	★★★★☆
2023	74.5	19 of 145	86.9%	★★★★☆
2022	80.6	13 of 101	87.1%	★★★★☆
2021	48.9	148 of 239	38.1%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	46.8	343 of 617	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.3	379 of 1027	63.1%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	22.0	146 of 171	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	64.4	183 of 820	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	59.8	284 of 1201	76.4%	★★★★☆
2018	63.6	93 of 417	77.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	51.1	219 of 465	52.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.0	174 of 486	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	87.3	70 of 1024	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	85.1	47 of 800	94.1%	★★★★★
2021	76.0	221 of 1161	81.0%	★★★★☆
2019	70.6	139 of 595	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.7	146 of 720	79.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Foster Care (2023)87th percentile~ school

African American (2023)86th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)78th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)64th percentile-23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)62nd percentile-7 vs school

Male (2025)60th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)60th percentile-9 vs school

White (2025)53rd percentile-16 vs school

Female (2025)45th percentile-25 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)44th percentile-43 vs school

Military Connected (2024)33rd percentile-32 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)15th percentile-64 vs school

Asian (2021)11th percentile-68 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics56%+16 vs state

English Language Arts49%+9 vs state

Science47%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Willow 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
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	K-5	9400 E Esmond Loop	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-2302	811	46	17.7		296 (36.5%)	55 (6.8%)	384 (47.3%)	7 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	66 (8.1%)	66.6	280^th of 909 public elementary schools	69.2%		61.4	316^th of 912 public elementary schools	65.4%	36	45.0	53.0	48.0				57.0	52.0	59.0				47.0		$6,728	$622	$65	$1,309	$5,867	$175	$6,041
Mesquite Elementary School	Public	K-5	9455 E Rita Rd	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-2102	640	37	17.3		225 (35.2%)	34 (5.3%)	275 (43.0%)	27 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (12.3%)	89.7	71^st of 909 public elementary schools	92.2%		84.7	127^th of 912 public elementary schools	86.1%	56	71.0	69.0	59.0				75.0	73.0	67.0				59.0		$5,901	$130	$01	$262	$5,634	$135	$5,769
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	K-6	9950 E Rees Loop	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-2602	570	32	17.7		228 (40.0%)	19 (3.3%)	256 (44.9%)	9 (1.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	54 (9.5%)	77.7	183^rd of 909 public elementary schools	79.9%		72.5	224^th of 912 public elementary schools	75.4%	41	44.0	64.0	53.0				62.0	65.0	69.0				52.0		$7,555	$340	$38	$717	$7,017	$161	$7,178
Esmond Station School	Public	PK, KG-8	9400 S Atterbury Wash Way	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-3400	741	38	19.7		336 (45.3%)	24 (3.2%)	313 (42.2%)	12 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (7.4%)	84.7	120^th of 909 public elementary schools	86.8%		87.2	98^th of 912 public elementary schools	89.3%	22	53.0	59.0	64.0	63.0	68.0	76.0	62.0	68.0	79.0	62.0	44.0	60.0	59.0	66.0	$5,853	$137	$10	$285	$5,551	$154	$5,705
Senita Valley Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	10750 E Bilby Rd	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-3100	709	38	18.6		325 (45.8%)	26 (3.7%)	258 (36.4%)	14 (2.0%)	3 (0.4%)	2 (0.3%)	81 (11.4%)	94.8	37^th of 909 public elementary schools	95.9%		95.4	27^th of 912 public elementary schools	97.0%	10	66.0	78.0	82.0				76.0	67.0	87.0				74.0		$5,830	$26	$53	$104	$5,639	$112	$5,752
Civano Community K-8 School	Public	K-8	10625 E Drexel Rd	Tucson	85747	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-1700	145	12	12.1		68 (46.9%)	1 (0.7%)	60 (41.4%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (9.7%)								(n/a)				63.0	58.0	95.0						50.0		73.0	$7,204	$03	$152	$158	$6,554	$495	$7,049
Craycroft Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5455 E. Littletown Rd.	Tucson	85756	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2600	586	27	21.7		46 (7.8%)	52 (8.9%)	457 (78.0%)	7 (1.2%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.2%)	7.4	896^th of 909 public elementary schools	1.4%		8.7	887^th of 912 public elementary schools	2.7%	9	12.0	21.0	22.0					15.0	12.0				14.0		$6,907	$1,073	$22	$2,167	$5,496	$317	$5,813
Ocotillo Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10701 S. White Lightning	Vail	85641	Pima County	Vail Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 879-3600	723	52	13.7		389 (53.8%)	22 (3.0%)	244 (33.7%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (8.0%)	90.7	64^th of 909 public elementary schools	93.0%		91.8	60^th of 912 public elementary schools	93.4%	4	64.0	70.0	64.0				69.0	69.0	75.0				67.0		$5,834	$69	$50	$187	$5,640	$76	$5,716
Ford Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	8001 E Stella Rd	Tucson	85730	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 731-4300	182	17	10.4		62 (34.1%)	17 (9.3%)	94 (51.6%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.3%)								(n/a)		42.0											29.0			$00			$00
Legacy Traditional School - East Tucson	Public, Charter	K-6	9290 E Golf Links Rd	Tucson	85730	Pima County	Legacy Traditional School - East Tucson	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 428-3010	439	20	21.9		129 (29.4%)	37 (8.4%)	225 (51.3%)	8 (1.8%)	2 (0.5%)	6 (1.4%)	32 (7.3%)	40.5	467^th of 909 public elementary schools	48.6%		49.4	411^th of 912 public elementary schools	54.9%	56	29.0	50.0	42.0				31.0	34.0	43.0				41.0			$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Willow Elementary School

How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 811 students attended Desert Willow Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary School?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary School are 47% Hispanic, 36% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% African American.

What district is Desert Willow Elementary School in?

Vail Unified District

Is Desert Willow Elementary School a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary School ranks 280^th of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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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.