Desert Sun Academy

Public PK, KG-6

 27880 N. 64th Street
       Scottsdale, AZ  85266


(480) 575-2900

District: Cave Creek Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
392nd of 1,245 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $2,495 Help


Students who attend Desert Sun Academy usually attend:

Middle:    Sonoran Trails Middle School
High:    Cactus Shadows High School

Student/teacher ratio:  13.4 Help
Number of students:  322

Racial breakdown:

White:
75.2%
Hispanic:
17.1%
Two or more races:
4.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  13.7% Help


 See top rated Arizona elementary schools

 Compare Desert Sun Academy to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Desert Sun Academy ranks better than 68.5% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks last among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 64.92. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Desert Sun Academy has the smallest elementary school student body size in the Cave Creek Unified District. Racial makeup is: White (75.2%), Hispanic (17.1%), two or more races (4.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 13.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Cave Creek Unified District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Sun Academy is 13.4, which is the lowest among 5 elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Desert Sun Academy employs 24 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Sun Academy is $2,495. 3 elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Desert Sun Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Sun Academy 392nd of 1245 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Desert Sun Academy in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Cave Creek Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Cave Creek Unified District 88th of 540 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Desert Sun Academy.

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Rank History for Desert Sun Academy

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 87.39 80th 1062 92.5%
2010 88.49 83rd 1090 92.4%
2011 82.63 166th 1075 84.6%
2012 84.48 115th 1141 89.9%
2013 75.24 265th 1158 77.1%
2014 85.37 142nd 1079 86.8%
2015 74.97 213th 955 77.7%
2016 76.49 251st 1079 76.7%
2017 68.73 341st 1106 69.2%
2018 75.77 266th 1109 76.0%
2019 72.76 279th 1039 73.1%
2021 80.83 232nd 1226 81.1%
2022 50.27 438th 1000 56.2%
2023 64.92 392nd 1245 68.5%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 47.54 490th 1027 52.3%
2023 38.71 423rd 617 31.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 39.24 754th 975 22.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 66.94 190th 1201 84.2%
2023 37.29 500th 820 39.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.17 336th 820 59.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 76.20 238th 1023 76.7%
2019 62.05 305th 862 64.6%
2021 80.90 216th 1219 82.3%
2022 55.78 353rd 824 57.2%
2023 62.62 402nd 1219 67.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.21 280th 1032 72.9%
2019 68.16 248th 850 70.8%
2021 79.51 222nd 1220 81.8%
2022 49.74 409th 830 50.7%
2023 63.84 387th 1216 68.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 23.50 791st 895 11.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 71.05 246th 1198 79.5%
2022 55.59 316th 716 55.9%
2023 48.70 533rd 1170 54.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Sun Academy

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.70 250th 720 65.3%
2019 51.05 298th 595 49.9%
2021 71.91 277th 1161 76.1%
2022 35.72 560th 800 30.0%
2023 49.20 503rd 1024 50.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Desert Sun Academy Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

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Reviews:
by a parent
Friday, March 12, 2021

Open Quote Staff and teachers are extremely helpful and kind! Principal really cares about the kids and works hard to make sure they have the things they need for their classes. Language program is amazing!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Desert Sun Academy

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1997 626 5 8 45 2 n/a n/a 0 686
1998 651 2 9 49 5 n/a n/a 0 716
1999 720 4 11 60 4 n/a n/a 0 799
2000 619 6 10 38 3 n/a n/a 0 676
2001 649 8 11 57 3 n/a n/a 0 728
2002 580 14 21 59 5 n/a n/a 0 679
2003 580 14 21 59 5 n/a n/a 0 679
2004 611 16 30 58 4 n/a n/a 0 719
2005 610 10 33 42 0 n/a n/a 0 695
2006 423 5 24 35 2 n/a n/a 0 489
2007 412 4 18 27 1 n/a n/a 0 462
2008 405 3 16 26 1 n/a n/a 0 451
2009 400 8 18 61 0 n/a n/a 0 487
2010 365 7 15 55 1 n/a n/a 0 443
2011 504 7 18 54 2 0 2 0 587
2012 547 7 17 57 2 0 7 0 637
2013 424 6 11 48 0 0 4 0 493
2014 361 5 16 52 0 0 9 0 443
2015 332 4 13 60 0 0 7 0 416
2016 294 6 7 64 0 0 10 0 381
2017 307 5 5 61 0 0 15 0 393
2018 266 5 6 51 0 0 17 0 345
2019 319 8 6 50 1 1 16 0 401
2020 309 8 5 53 1 0 17 0 393
2021 249 10 3 57 1 0 17 0 337
2022 286 5 5 54 1 0 17 0 368
2023 242 5 5 55 0 0 15 0 322

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Desert Sun Academy

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 686 41.0 16.7 n/a
1998 716 39.0 18.4 n/a
1999 799 43.5 18.4 n/a
2000 676 34.1 19.8 n/a
2001 728 38.2 19.1 n/a
2002 679 34.6 19.6 8
2003 679 34.6 19.6 8
2004 719 34.8 20.7 7.9
2005 695 38.8 17.9 6.2
2006 489 30.9 15.8 1.6
2007 462 26.3 17.6 2.2
2008 451 27.0 16.7 3.1
2009 487 28.2 17.3 8.6
2010 443 27.0 16.4 12.9
2011 587 32.4 18.1 9.5
2012 637 36.0 17.6 10.7
2013 493 26.2 18.8 3
2014 443 26.5 16.7 14.4
2015 416 22.0 18.9 17.8
2016 381 22.0 17.3 17.8
2017 393 20.0 19.6 12.5
2018 345 16.7 20.6 15.7
2019 401 19.7 20.3 13
2020 393 21.7 18.1 16.5
2021 337 21.7 15.5 n/a
2022 368 21.6 17.0 6
2023 322 24.0 13.4 13.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Desert Sun Academy

Help
Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1997 686 41.0 16.7 n/a
1998 716 39.0 18.4 n/a
1999 799 43.5 18.4 n/a
2000 676 34.1 19.8 n/a
2001 728 38.2 19.1 n/a
2002 679 34.6 19.6 8
2003 679 34.6 19.6 8
2004 719 34.8 20.7 7.9
2005 695 38.8 17.9 6.2
2006 489 30.9 15.8 1.6
2007 462 26.3 17.6 2.2
2008 451 27.0 16.7 3.1
2009 487 28.2 17.3 8.6
2010 443 27.0 16.4 12.9
2011 587 32.4 18.1 9.5
2012 637 36.0 17.6 10.7
2013 493 26.2 18.8 3
2014 443 26.5 16.7 14.4
2015 416 22.0 18.9 17.8
2016 381 22.0 17.3 17.8
2017 393 20.0 19.6 12.5
2018 345 16.7 20.6 15.7
2019 401 19.7 20.3 13
2020 393 21.7 18.1 16.5
2021 337 21.7 15.5 n/a
2022 368 21.6 17.0 6
2023 322 24.0 13.4 13.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Desert Sun Academy

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $429 (3.5%) $28 (0.2%) $885 (7.3%) $7,194 (59.3%) $4,472 (36.9%) $11,666 (96.2%) $12,123
2020 $683 (6.3%) $225 (2.1%) $1,591 (14.7%) $8,930 (82.6%) $974 (9.0%) $9,904 (91.6%) $10,812
2021 $1,219 (13.5%) $33 (0.4%) $2,470 (27.4%) $6,549 (72.6%) $1,225 (13.6%) $7,774 (86.1%) $9,026
2022 $80 (3.2%) $57 (2.3%) $216 (8.7%) $1,867 (74.8%) $491 (19.7%) $2,358 (94.5%) $2,495

Data source: Arizona Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Sun Academy

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 279th of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 392nd of 1245 Elementary schools
 4.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students401322
 19.7%
African American85
 37.5%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian65
 16.7%
Hispanic5055
 10%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White319242
 24.1%
Two or More Races1615
 6.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients13%13.7%
 0.7%


Schools Near Desert Sun Academy









Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Sun Academy

Students at Desert Sun Academy are 75% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.

Desert Sun Academy ranks 392nd of 1245 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Desert Sun Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sonoran Trails Middle School
High : Cactus Shadows High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 322 students attended Desert Sun Academy.


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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. School Attendance Areas provided by ATTOM.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that school and district boundary data 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.





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