Best Public Schools in Sun City, AZ

The city of Sun City, Arizona is home to two elementary schools: Zuni Hills Elementary School and Peoria Traditional School, both serving students in the Peoria Unified School District. While both schools are performing reasonably well, Peoria Traditional School stands out as an exceptional institution, consistently ranking among the top 5% of elementary schools in Arizona.

Peoria Traditional School's test scores significantly outshine both the district and state averages across various subjects and grade levels. For instance, in 4th grade English Language Arts, the school boasts a 90% proficiency rate, compared to 52% for the district and 46% for the state. Similarly, in 8th grade Mathematics, Peoria Traditional School achieves a 69% proficiency rate, while Zuni Hills Elementary School lags behind at 29% and the district at 34%. This exceptional performance has earned Peoria Traditional School a coveted 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

In contrast, while Zuni Hills Elementary School is still performing well, its test scores and rankings are not as impressive as its counterpart. The school spends slightly less per student ($6,994) compared to Peoria Traditional School ($7,393), which may contribute to the performance gap. Both schools, however, share a concerning 5.2% dropout rate, which is higher than the desired low rate. The district should investigate the underlying causes and implement strategies to address this issue across all schools in the area.