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Saddle Mountain Unified School District

At a glance

239^thof 289 Arizona districts▲ 4

Better than 17% of Arizona districts

Elementary 3 High 1 Alternative 2Grades PK, KG-12

38201 W Indian School Rd
Tonopah, AZ 85354-7301·(623) 474-5115·All Arizona district rankings →

Statewide performance 2017–2025

2025: better than 17.3% of districts

Schools

3,265

Students

Top rankedTartesso Elementary School517^th of 909 Arizona elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Desert Sunset Elementary School up 33 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Tartesso Elementary School 18.3 students per teacher

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Summary:

The Saddle Mountain Unified School District in Arizona operates 5 schools, including 3 elementary schools, 1 high school, and 1 alternative school, serving students from preschool through 12th grade. The district as a whole is ranked 239 out of 289 districts in the state and is rated 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out. Tartesso Elementary School is the highest-ranked school in the district, ranking 517 out of 909 Arizona elementary schools. It has the highest proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics among the elementary schools, and a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 18.3. Desert Sunset Elementary School also has high projected proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics for the 2024-2025 school year, and a student-teacher ratio of 28.

However, the district as a whole faces significant challenges. Proficiency rates across all schools and grade levels are significantly below the state averages, indicating a systemic issue that needs to be addressed. The district's graduation rate at Tonopah Valley High School was 78.4% in 2023-2024, and the district's dropout rate was 5.2% in the same year. The district also shows variation in resource allocation, with spending per student ranging from $8,544 at Tartesso Elementary to $9,769 at Ruth Fisher Middle School.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 English Language Arts 11th 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	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th 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
Ruth Fisher Middle School	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	38201 W Indian School Rd	Tonopah	85354	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5500	745	39	19.3		191 (25.6%)	38 (5.1%)	497 (66.7%)	1 (0.1%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.2%)								(n/a)				17.0	30.0	25.0					15.0	15.0	21.0			19.0		$9,769	$563	$102	$1,227	$6,914	$2,191	$9,105
Tonopah Valley High School	Public	7-12	38201 W Indian School Rd	Tonopah	85354	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5201	869	41	21.0		200 (23.0%)	50 (5.8%)	591 (68.0%)	2 (0.2%)	11 (1.3%)	4 (0.5%)	11 (1.3%)	16.1	234^th of 271 public high schools	13.7%		17.3	229^th of 270 public high schools	15.2%	5							24.0							16.0			7.0	$9,150	$444	$298	$1,186	$5,946	$2,463	$8,408
Winters Well Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35220 W Buckeye Rd	Tonopah	85354	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5301	663	26	25.5		130 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	520 (78.4%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	13.9	807^th of 909 public elementary schools	11.2%		27.7	602^nd of 912 public elementary schools	34.0%	205	16.0	26.0	22.0					15.0	34.0	22.0					23.0			$8,738	$415	$136	$966	$6,352	$1,835	$8,187
Tartesso Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	29677 W Indianola Ave	Buckeye	85396	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5400	340	19	18.3		99 (29.1%)	27 (7.9%)	195 (57.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.1%)	34.7	517^th of 909 public elementary schools	43.1%		34.7	527^th of 912 public elementary schools	42.2%	10	40.0	46.0						35.0	38.0						22.0			$8,544	$364	$91	$819	$6,329	$1,759	$8,089
Saddle Mountain Online Academy	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	38201 W Indian School Rd	Tonopah	85354	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(623) 474-5110	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Desert Sunset Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	30919 W. White Tanks Vista Dr	Buckeye	85396	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(623) 474-5601	648	28	23.1		158 (24.4%)	66 (10.2%)	380 (58.6%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.2%)	5 (0.8%)	29 (4.5%)	25	623^rd of 909 public elementary schools	31.5%		22.7	656^th of 912 public elementary schools	28.1%	33	25.0	44.0	32.0					37.0	27.0	25.0					24.0

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
West-MEC - Western Maricopa Education Center	0.15 mi	63
Arlington Elementary District	9.61 mi	1
Palo Verde Elementary District	14.85 mi	1	206^th
Buckeye Elementary District	16.01 mi	9	227^th
Kaizen Education Foundation dba Skyview High School	17.1 mi	1

See the top AZ Arizona districts

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.