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Desert Foothills Middle School

Q: Is Desert Foothills Middle School a good school?

Desert Foothills Middle School ranks 362 nd of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

362^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 34% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Desert Foothills Middle School is a public middle school serving 614 students in grades 7-8 in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Arizona middle schools over the past decade and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Desert Foothills Middle School struggles with performance across many student subgroups, with rankings for female, male, Hispanic, and white students all in the bottom half of Arizona middle schools. The school performs particularly poorly in English Language Arts, Math, and Science proficiency, lagging behind state and district averages. Additionally, the school has had relatively high dropout rates in recent years, ranging from 5.2% to 6.1% compared to the state average middle school dropout rate of around 3-4%. Over 57% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population.

However, the school stands out in its performance for English Language Learner (ELL) and Special Education students, ranking 1st and 66th out of over 600 Arizona middle schools for these subgroups, respectively, in the 2020-2021 school year. This suggests that the school may have successful strategies and practices that could be applied more broadly across the student population. Additionally, the school's proximity to other district middle schools, such as Palo Verde Middle School and Royal Palm Middle School, which perform similarly or slightly better, could allow for collaboration and sharing of best practices.

621

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,585

Per pupil spending ?

57.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3333 W Banff Ln
Phoenix, AZ 85053-4723

(602) 896-5500

District: Washington Elementary School District

Students who attend Desert Foothills Middle School usually attend:

High:

Greenway High School

Feeder schools for Desert Foothills Middle School:

Elementary:	Acacia Elementary School
	Chaparral Elementary School
	Ironwood Elementary School
	Sunburst School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

50.2%

White:

33.0%

African American:

8.4%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Desert Foothills Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2015 → 34th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (26% vs 33% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg26%

Arizona avg33%

362^nd of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 34%▼ down 16 pts since 2015

From top 50% (2015) to bottom 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Middle Schools in the Washington Elementary School District

212^th of 289Washington Elementary School 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	26.3	362 of 552	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.6	336 of 550	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	427 of 854	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.4	352 of 605	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.1	433 of 832	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.3	350 of 605	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.2	354 of 711	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	48.6	293 of 695	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	47.4	301 of 677	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	43.4	258 of 521	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.7	334 of 690	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	47.5	418 of 787	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.2	388 of 772	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	47.9	354 of 685	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	59.2	255 of 692	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	49.3	329 of 663	50.4%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.9	341 of 400	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.4	324 of 573	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.4	55 of 125	56.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	52.2	103 of 247	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.5	27 of 192	85.9%	★★★★☆
2021	46.0	241 of 404	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	85.4	1 of 606	99.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	18.3	316 of 395	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.2	281 of 386	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.3	383 of 806	52.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.1	344 of 494	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	461 of 820	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.9	298 of 466	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.5	319 of 624	48.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	23.0	260 of 345	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.1	209 of 329	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.2	435 of 760	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	267 of 392	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.9	380 of 802	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.3	224 of 387	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.6	256 of 543	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	52.7	21 of 64	67.2%	★★★★☆
2021	32.6	172 of 257	33.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	27.0	238 of 344	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.5	201 of 320	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.3	405 of 717	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.2	221 of 369	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.9	155 of 503	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	299 of 379	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	267 of 370	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.4	484 of 810	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.5	328 of 476	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.8	384 of 818	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	27.4	296 of 435	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.1	308 of 617	50.1%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.2	351 of 384	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	40.1	373 of 650	42.6%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	30.3	34 of 49	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.1	115 of 390	70.5%	★★★★☆
2018	91.8	3 of 62	95.2%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	34.1	70 of 108	35.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.7	349 of 363	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	70.5	66 of 789	91.6%	★★★★★
2018	23.4	153 of 178	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	17.3	232 of 277	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	244 of 288	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.6	425 of 675	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.3	389 of 446	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.7	502 of 780	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.6	283 of 337	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.0	331 of 436	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2021)100th percentile+52 vs school

Homeless (2023)67th percentile+17 vs school

Asian (2023)58th percentile+8 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)35th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile-4 vs school

Native American (2022)31st percentile-11 vs school

Hispanic (2025)25th percentile-10 vs school

Male (2025)21st percentile-13 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile-18 vs school

African American (2023)15th percentile-35 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)9th percentile-41 vs school

Special Education (2023)4th percentile-46 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts33%-8 vs state

Science25%-5 vs state

Mathematics20%-7 vs state

1.0

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Schools Near Desert Foothills Middle 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 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th 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 Foothills Middle School	Public	7-8	3333 W Banff Ln	Phoenix	85053	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 896-5500	621	41	15.1		205 (33.0%)	52 (8.4%)	312 (50.2%)	16 (2.6%)	9 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (4.2%)	26.3	362^nd of 552 public middle schools	34.4%		30.6	336^th of 550 public middle schools	38.9%	26			37.0	29.0			22.0	18.0	25.0	$7,585	$582	$243	$1,406	$5,460	$1,302	$6,761
Cholla Middle School	Public	5-8	3120 W Cholla St	Phoenix	85029	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 896-5400	681	38	17.8		146 (21.4%)	76 (11.2%)	385 (56.5%)	23 (3.4%)	21 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.4%)	20.3	413^th of 552 public middle schools	25.2%		30.5	337^th of 550 public middle schools	38.7%	76			30.0	25.0			22.0	20.0	15.0	$7,511	$638	$159	$1,434	$5,468	$1,246	$6,714
Vista College Preparatory - Metro North Middle	Public, Charter	5-8	2133 W Peoria Ave	Phoenix	85029	Maricopa County	Vista College Preparatory Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 612-3327	188	13	14.4		20 (10.6%)	35 (18.6%)	124 (66.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.3%)								(n/a)	28.0	26.0			30.0			26.0
Mountain Sky Middle School	Public	7-8	16225 N 7th Ave	Phoenix	85023	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 896-6100	672	32	21.1		235 (35.0%)	58 (8.6%)	320 (47.6%)	10 (1.5%)	17 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.5%)	36.6	293^rd of 552 public middle schools	46.9%		27.9	353^rd of 550 public middle schools	35.8%	60			42.0	38.0			24.0	26.0	30.0	$6,668	$408	$103	$919	$5,323	$834	$6,157
Desert Sky Middle School	Public	7-8	5130 W Grovers Ave	Glendale	85308	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 467-6500	640	28	22.5		333 (52.0%)	28 (4.4%)	234 (36.6%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	31 (4.8%)	32.6	313^th of 552 public middle schools	43.3%		39.3	281^st of 550 public middle schools	48.9%	32			41.0	35.0			26.0	17.0	29.0	$6,113	$515	$127	$1,157	$5,264	$206	$5,471
Imagine Cortez Park Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	3535 W Dunlap Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	Cortez Park Charter Middle School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 589-9840	252	12	21.0		13 (5.2%)	36 (14.3%)	134 (53.2%)	66 (26.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	13.4	495^th of 552 public middle schools	10.3%		22.7	393^rd of 550 public middle schools	28.5%	102		21.0	30.0	17.0		16.0	14.0		13.0		$00			$00
Deer Valley Middle School	Public	7-8	21100 N 27th Ave	Phoenix	85027	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 445-3300	448	27	16.5		143 (31.9%)	26 (5.8%)	230 (51.3%)	4 (0.9%)	10 (2.2%)	4 (0.9%)	31 (6.9%)	19.7	422^nd of 552 public middle schools	23.6%		20.6	418^th of 550 public middle schools	24.0%	4			26.0	32.0			10.0	13.0	26.0	$5,650	$520	$19	$1,059	$4,683	$428	$5,111
Royal Palm Middle School	Public	5-8	8520 N 19th Ave	Phoenix	85021	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 347-3200	465	27	17.2		54 (11.6%)	53 (11.4%)	304 (65.4%)	3 (0.6%)	31 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.3%)	31.7	319^th of 552 public middle schools	42.2%		27	359^th of 550 public middle schools	34.7%	40		27.0	36.0	41.0		28.0	27.0	28.0	23.0	$7,243	$1,692	$309	$3,694	$4,369	$872	$5,241
Palo Verde Middle School	Public	7-8	7502 N 39th Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 347-2500	797	44	18.1		80 (10.0%)	119 (14.9%)	518 (65.0%)	46 (5.8%)	14 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.5%)	15.3	478^th of 552 public middle schools	13.4%		14.1	484^th of 550 public middle schools	12.0%	6			25.0	24.0			13.0	14.0	18.0	$7,569	$743	$125	$1,611	$5,717	$984	$6,701
Greenway Middle School	Public	5-8	3002 E Nisbet Rd	Phoenix	85032	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 449-2400	646	38	17.0		62 (9.6%)	52 (8.0%)	497 (76.9%)	7 (1.1%)	15 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.7%)	12.6	507^th of 552 public middle schools	8.2%		11.4	515^th of 550 public middle schools	6.4%	8			21.0	21.0			13.0	15.0	12.0	$8,288	$510	$191	$1,210	$7,055	$533	$7,588

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Foothills Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Foothills Middle School?

Students at Desert Foothills Middle School are 50% Hispanic, 33% White, 8% African American, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Desert Foothills Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 621 students attended Desert Foothills Middle School.

Is Desert Foothills Middle School a good school?

Desert Foothills Middle School ranks 362^nd of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Desert Foothills Middle School in?

Washington Elementary School District

What high school do graduates of Desert Foothills Middle School attend?

Students who attend Desert Foothills Middle School usually go on to attend Greenway High School

Rate Desert Foothills 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.