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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Arizona do not yet include the AzSCI Science tests, which have not yet been released by the Arizona Department of Education

Sonoran Trails Middle School

Q: Is Sonoran Trails Middle School a good school?

Sonoran Trails Middle School ranks 132 nd of 536 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

132^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 536 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 75% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Sonoran Trails Middle School serves 615 students in grades 6–8 in Phoenix, among a group of nearby schools across the north Phoenix area. In 2025–26, 55% of students were proficient in English language arts (ELA) and 45% in math—both above Arizona’s rates, but below the reported all-grade rates for the Cave Creek Unified District. The most important takeaway for families comparing local options is that the school is around the middle of the nearby group, with several schools reporting substantially higher proficiency.

ELA is a modest relative bright spot, while math shows the larger gap with the district: Sonoran Trails was 14 percentage points above Arizona in ELA and 12 above in math, but 6 points below the district in ELA and 11 below in math. Its rates were just above nearby averages—55% versus 53% in ELA and 45% versus 44% in math—and it ranked fifth-lowest among the 11 schools in the comparison in both subjects. Grade 8 science was 39% proficient in 2024–25, 9 points above the state and equal to the district, but close to the nearby average of 40%. Grade-level district figures, unlike the all-grade comparison, match or slightly exceed Sonoran Trails’ results, so the district comparisons tell different stories.

SchoolDigger ranks Sonoran Trails at the 75th percentile statewide for 2025–26, with 4 stars; its percentile rose from 62 last year but remains below its earlier high of 91. Results also vary by grade: grade 8 proficiency was lower than grade 6 by 11 points in ELA and 10 in math, though remained above state rates; these are different student groups, not a record of the same students’ progress. SchoolDigger’s effectiveness ranking for White students was at the 45th percentile in 2025–26, compared with the school’s overall 75th; its ranking for African American students rose from the 46th percentile in 2020–21 to the 80th in 2022–23. The 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 19.4, above the nearby average of 17.7, and the school’s reported free/reduced-lunch rate was 7% in 2022–23; comparable nearby rates were not supplied.

615

Students ?

19.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,492

Per pupil spending ?

8.1%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

5555 East Pinnacle Vista Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85327

(480) 272-8600

District: Cave Creek Unified District

Students who attend Sonoran Trails Middle School usually attend:

High:

Cactus Shadows High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

79.0%

Hispanic:

14.3%

Two or more races:

4.6%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Sonoran Trails Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (50% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Arizona middle schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg58%

Arizona avg37%

132^nd of 536

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 25%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From top 9% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

56^th of 267Cave Creek Unified 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
2026	68.8	132 of 536	75.4%	★★★★☆
2025	55.0	207 of 552	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.0	131 of 550	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	132 of 854	84.5%	★★★★☆
2022	69.7	155 of 605	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	126 of 832	84.9%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	135 of 605	77.7%	★★★★☆
2018	86.0	80 of 711	88.7%	★★★★☆
2017	86.9	70 of 695	89.9%	★★★★★
2016	89.6	59 of 677	91.3%	★★★★★
2015	84.7	65 of 521	87.5%	★★★★☆
2014	88.7	58 of 690	91.6%	★★★★★
2013	66.7	230 of 787	70.8%	★★★★☆
2012	81.6	100 of 772	87.0%	★★★★☆
2011	85.0	79 of 685	88.5%	★★★★☆
2010	79.1	131 of 692	81.1%	★★★★☆
2009	82.6	98 of 663	85.2%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	69.3	80 of 400	80.0%	★★★★☆
2021	38.6	308 of 573	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	28.8	204 of 247	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.8	161 of 404	60.1%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	49.6	48 of 145	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	61.2	116 of 370	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	42.1	199 of 395	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.2	138 of 386	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	79.6	124 of 806	84.6%	★★★★☆
2022	69.3	111 of 494	77.5%	★★★★☆
2021	81.4	111 of 820	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	73.4	105 of 466	77.5%	★★★★☆
2018	84.4	72 of 624	88.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	59.7	93 of 338	72.5%	★★★★☆
2025	52.5	123 of 345	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.5	105 of 329	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	47.4	324 of 760	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.1	133 of 802	83.4%	★★★★☆
2019	59.1	120 of 387	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	148 of 543	72.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	57.8	94 of 328	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	65.4	119 of 503	76.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	129 of 370	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	45.9	187 of 379	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.9	101 of 370	72.7%	★★★★☆
2023	76.3	139 of 810	82.8%	★★★★☆
2022	63.5	148 of 476	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.9	133 of 818	83.7%	★★★★☆
2019	67.3	126 of 435	71.0%	★★★★☆
2018	81.9	95 of 617	84.6%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	46.4	79 of 143	44.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	52.5	178 of 384	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.5	84 of 650	87.1%	★★★★☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	72.2	14 of 49	71.4%	★★★★☆
2021	91.0	6 of 390	98.5%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	60.3	5 of 16	68.8%	★★★★☆
2021	80.9	5 of 108	95.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	42.8	155 of 363	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.7	118 of 789	85.0%	★★★★☆
2019	46.0	3 of 5	40.0%	★★★★☆
2018	59.4	41 of 178	77.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	42.0	148 of 270	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.7	216 of 277	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.2	153 of 288	46.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	69.0	152 of 675	77.5%	★★★★☆
2022	49.9	228 of 446	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	69.9	184 of 780	76.4%	★★★★☆
2019	55.3	150 of 337	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.0	108 of 436	75.2%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2023)80th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile-3 vs school

Native American (2022)71st percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Pacific Islander (2022)69th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile-7 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)67th percentile-18 vs school

Male (2026)65th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2023)57th percentile-27 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)54th percentile-31 vs school

White (2026)45th percentile-30 vs school

Military Connected (2021)45th percentile-40 vs school

Asian (2023)17th percentile-67 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts55%+14 vs state

Mathematics45%+12 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Sonoran trails does not allocate funds properly or test students for learning disabilities efficiently. Teachers are not prepared to deal with the adolescent behavior of the children at this school and the choice to remove an elective and add 15 mins to each class time instead is unreasonable. Close Quote

Schools Near Sonoran Trails 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				AASA English Language Arts (2026)				AASA Mathematics (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA English Language Arts All Grades	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics All Grades	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
Sonoran Trails Middle School	Public	6-8	5555 East Pinnacle Vista Drive	Phoenix	85327	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 272-8600	615	32	19.4	8.1%	486 (79.0%)	4 (0.7%)	88 (14.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	28 (4.6%)	68.8	132^nd of 536 public middle schools	75.4%		55	207^th of 552 public middle schools	62.5%	75	59.0	60.0	48.0	55.0	50.0	43.0	40.0	45.0	$10,492	$274	$250	$524	$6,872	$3,096	$9,968
Explorer Middle School	Public	5-8	22401 N 40th St	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4200	607	31	19.5	8.9%	473 (77.9%)	8 (1.3%)	78 (12.9%)	19 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.4%)	89.2	45^th of 536 public middle schools	91.6%		81.6	74^th of 552 public middle schools	86.6%	29		67.0	62.0	64.0		61.0	67.0	64.0	$11,013	$446	$354	$800	$7,354	$2,859	$10,213
Mountain Trail Middle School	Public	5-8	2323 E Mountain Gate Pass	Phoenix	85024	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4600	835	39	21.4	21.4%	461 (55.2%)	14 (1.7%)	250 (29.9%)	58 (6.9%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.6%)	41 (4.9%)	82.3	69^th of 536 public middle schools	87.1%		77.6	94^th of 552 public middle schools	83.0%	25		64.0	64.0	64.0		45.0	59.0	52.0	$9,118	$392	$261	$653	$6,329	$2,136	$8,465
Sunrise Middle School	Public	5-8	4960 E Acoma Dr	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6100	390	25	15.7	28.5%	192 (49.2%)	16 (4.1%)	133 (34.1%)	22 (5.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	63.1	156^th of 536 public middle schools	70.9%		65.3	155^th of 552 public middle schools	71.9%	1		56.0	48.0	52.0		40.0	40.0	40.0	$13,717	$600	$360	$960	$9,452	$3,305	$12,757
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	59.4%	62 (9.6%)	52 (8.0%)	497 (76.9%)	7 (1.1%)	15 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.7%)	11.6	498^th of 536 public middle schools	7.1%		12.6	507^th of 552 public middle schools	8.2%	9		21.0	19.0	21.0		12.0	13.0	12.0	$11,499	$1,203	$315	$1,518	$7,368	$2,614	$9,982
Desert Shadows Middle School	Public	5-8	5858 E Sweetwater Ave	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6800	791	39	20.1	13.4%	547 (69.2%)	14 (1.8%)	139 (17.6%)	26 (3.3%)	13 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.4%)	81.4	76^th of 536 public middle schools	85.8%		81	75^th of 552 public middle schools	86.4%	1		69.0	54.0	61.0		58.0	51.0	54.0	$10,489	$476	$284	$759	$7,170	$2,559	$9,729
Desert Canyon Middle School	Public	6-8	10203 E McDowell Mtn Ranch Rd	Scottsdale	85255	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4600	423	28	15.1	13.5%	296 (70.0%)	20 (4.7%)	51 (12.1%)	35 (8.3%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	16 (3.8%)	86.5	53^rd of 536 public middle schools	90.1%		89.6	44^th of 552 public middle schools	92.0%	9	64.0	71.0	59.0	65.0	57.0	60.0	59.0	59.0	$10,910	$00	$193	$193	$9,357	$1,360	$10,717
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	51.1%	143 (31.9%)	26 (5.8%)	230 (51.3%)	4 (0.9%)	10 (2.2%)	4 (0.9%)	31 (6.9%)	15.9	451^st of 536 public middle schools	15.9%		19.7	422^nd of 552 public middle schools	23.6%	29		27.0	26.0	27.0		14.0	13.0	14.0	$9,676	$906	$51	$957	$7,861	$858	$8,718
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	44.3%	235 (35.0%)	58 (8.6%)	320 (47.6%)	10 (1.5%)	17 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.5%)	29.6	334^th of 536 public middle schools	37.7%		36.6	293^rd of 552 public middle schools	46.9%	41		38.0	27.0	33.0		27.0	23.0	25.0	$15,689	$1,965	$07	$1,972	$11,278	$2,440	$13,717
Cocopah Middle School	Public	6-8	6615 E Cholla St	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4400	861	44	19.5	8.1%	654 (76.0%)	29 (3.4%)	104 (12.1%)	46 (5.3%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.7%)	92.6	32^nd of 536 public middle schools	94.0%		92	37^th of 552 public middle schools	93.3%	5	73.0	68.0	66.0	69.0	71.0	67.0	67.0	69.0	$7,676	$161	$65	$226	$6,473	$977	$7,450

Frequently Asked Questions about Sonoran Trails Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Sonoran Trails Middle School?

Students at Sonoran Trails Middle School are 79% White, 14% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Sonoran Trails Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 615 students attended Sonoran Trails Middle School.

What district is Sonoran Trails Middle School in?

Cave Creek Unified District

Is Sonoran Trails Middle School a good school?

Sonoran Trails Middle School ranks 132^nd of 536 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Sonoran Trails Middle School attend?

Students who attend Sonoran Trails Middle School usually go on to attend Cactus Shadows High School

Rate Sonoran Trails Middle School!

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2022–23 through 2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 2, 2026

2018–19 through 2021–22 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

2015–16 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 AASA test scoresOct 13, 2026

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.