Best Public Schools in Scottsdale, AZ

The city of Scottsdale, Arizona is home to a diverse array of 54 schools, including 34 elementary schools, 6 middle schools, 10 high schools, and 4 alternative schools. These schools span across several school districts, with the majority belonging to the Scottsdale Unified District.

Among the standout schools in Scottsdale are BASIS Scottsdale, a public charter high school that consistently ranks among the top in the state, and Cheyenne Traditional School, an elementary school ranked among the top 10 in Arizona. Other high-performing schools include Sonoran Sky Elementary School and Copper Canyon Elementary School. These top-performing schools tend to have higher spending per student and lower student-teacher ratios.

While the majority of high schools in Scottsdale have graduation rates around the state average of 78.4%, there is a noticeable gap in performance between the highest and lowest-ranked schools, particularly in subjects like science and mathematics. Schools in the Scottsdale Unified District generally perform better than the state average, while schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District have more mixed results. Additionally, alternative and virtual schools in the area, such as Scottsdale Online Learning and Salt River Accelerated Learning Academy, have lower test scores but higher graduation rates compared to traditional high schools.