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Horseshoe Trails Elementary School

Q: Is Horseshoe Trails Elementary School a good school?

Horseshoe Trails Elementary School ranks 101 st of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

101^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 89% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Horseshoe Trails Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 416 students in grades PK-6. The school is part of the Cave Creek Unified District, which is ranked 77 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Horseshoe Trails Elementary School has consistently ranked in the top 10-15% of Arizona elementary schools, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2020-2021 school year and maintaining a 4-star rating in the 2024-2025 school year. The school's academic performance is exceptional, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science significantly exceeding state and district averages. Notably, the school's performance across various student subgroups, including special education and military-connected students, is particularly strong, with rankings in the top 1-2% of Arizona elementary schools.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Black Mountain Elementary, Desert Willow Elementary, and Lone Mountain Elementary within the Cave Creek Unified District, as well as schools in the neighboring Paradise Valley Unified District, Horseshoe Trails Elementary School maintains a strong academic standing and consistently outperforms its peers.

424

Students ?

17.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$2,778

Per pupil spending ?

3.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5405 E. Pinnacle Vista Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85054

(480) 272-8500

District: Cave Creek Unified District

Students who attend Horseshoe Trails Elementary School usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.0%

Hispanic:

9.0%

Two or more races:

6.4%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Horseshoe Trails Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2015 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (67% vs 38% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Arizona elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Cave Creek Unified District

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school67%

District avg61%

Arizona avg38%

101^st of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 11%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 5% (2015) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 5Elementary Schools in the Cave Creek Unified District

77^th of 289Cave 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
2025	86.7	101 of 909	88.9%	★★★★☆
2024	86.7	104 of 912	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	90.8	106 of 1245	91.5%	★★★★★
2022	87.1	82 of 1000	91.8%	★★★★★
2021	96.6	27 of 1226	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	95.8	23 of 1039	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	35 of 1109	96.8%	★★★★★
2017	93.7	51 of 1106	95.4%	★★★★★
2016	95.2	32 of 1079	97.0%	★★★★★
2015	92.3	48 of 955	95.0%	★★★★★
2014	92.3	39 of 1079	96.4%	★★★★★
2013	89.6	46 of 1158	96.0%	★★★★★
2012	85.1	99 of 1141	91.3%	★★★★★
2011	88.1	85 of 1075	92.1%	★★★★★
2010	89.4	66 of 1090	93.9%	★★★★★
2009	88.4	61 of 1062	94.3%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	77.9	67 of 620	89.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	80.2	81 of 589	86.2%	★★★★☆
2024	83.9	63 of 602	89.5%	★★★★☆
2023	85.8	143 of 1219	88.3%	★★★★☆
2022	82.6	82 of 824	90.0%	★★★★★
2021	95.4	29 of 1219	97.6%	★★★★★
2019	93.5	27 of 862	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	92.9	49 of 1023	95.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	84.7	121 of 1170	89.7%	★★★★☆
2022	64.3	253 of 716	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	96.6	14 of 1198	98.8%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	134 of 626	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	77 of 628	87.7%	★★★★☆
2023	91.9	74 of 1216	93.9%	★★★★★
2022	82.1	100 of 830	88.0%	★★★★☆
2021	96.1	26 of 1220	97.9%	★★★★★
2019	94.3	24 of 850	97.2%	★★★★★
2018	95.7	22 of 1032	97.9%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	88.9	10 of 239	95.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	66.9	125 of 617	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	80.0	46 of 444	89.6%	★★★★☆
2021	89.8	17 of 1027	98.3%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	68.8	70 of 654	89.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	60.7	217 of 820	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	96.9	14 of 1201	98.8%	★★★★★
2018	95.1	15 of 417	96.4%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	66.6	132 of 465	71.6%	★★★★☆
2024	67.8	134 of 486	72.4%	★★★★☆
2023	78.5	164 of 1024	84.0%	★★★★☆
2022	75.1	122 of 800	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	88.8	45 of 1161	96.1%	★★★★★
2019	90.7	19 of 595	96.8%	★★★★★
2018	88.5	45 of 720	93.8%	★★★★★

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)

Military Connected (2021)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)90th percentile~ school

Native American (2021)89th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2021)89th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)80th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2025)79th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2023)74th percentile-18 vs school

White (2025)72nd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Science70%+36 vs state

Mathematics69%+32 vs state

English Language Arts64%+24 vs state

2.3

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 27, 2021

Horseshoe Trails was once an excellent school. The teachers went above and beyond. They offered a top notch education, which I was proud of. There were cracks in the school that needed to be fixed, but not every school is perfect.

We decided not to return for many reasons. The problems my child had with being bullied and excluded at school were not effectively dealt with. We met with the current principal multiple times, but nothing changed. My child also had an IEP that was not being followed. It caused a lot of stress and anxiety for my kid to be there because of this. Lastly, the Chinese immersion program has been reduced to an extracurricular activity offered at the school. It is a misfortune as the mandarin teachers were amazing.

There appears to be a lack of follow through from leaders and a lack of willingness to work with the school’s families.
The community at the school was strong, but many feel shunned by their leaders. For these reasons, and more, many have decided to move on. Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, May 23, 2021

No confidence in Principal Pettinato! He eliminated Immersion stating he needed to kill the program to be fair to ALL students, declared immersion not equitable due to varying class sizes, which COVID upset. He became less visible & harder to reach. He seemed to frown upon extra work of leading an immersion school & shared he felt like he had to run two schools. He rejected donations, grants, etc. as not sustainable. He stated he was nervous over hiring Mandarin speaking teachers when two retired & two(or three) planned to reject their contracts. If immersion was already killed, he had no need to hire, if not, why did these teachers feel the need to reject their contracts under Mr.P’s leadership? He stated he did not want to RIF an English-speaking teacher. An anti-Mandarin immersion attitude grew among some non-immersion parents & took root in the entering PTO. So unfortunate for a school with such low diversity. The Horseshoe Trails community needed a strong leader. Mr.P let us down! Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, January 31, 2012

COMPARABLE TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL:
As a previous private school parent in another city, I was wary of sending my children to a public school. However, when I visited this school, I found the Principal is very engaged in each aspect of the schools inner workings. Principal Marlowe is in each classroom everyday, leading tours through the school, and even directing afterschool traffic. She is also very accessible and the front office staff is very pleasant and informed.

Pros - the school has smart boards in every classroom, a well-rounded gifted program (my daughter is not "gifted" but is learning multiplication at second grade), Mandarin, and an equine program. Caveats: small minority population and the learnyes.org campaigns towards the first half of the year. Close Quote

Schools Near Horseshoe Trails Elementary School

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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th 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
Horseshoe Trails Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5405 E. Pinnacle Vista Drive	Phoenix	85054	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 272-8500	424	24	17.7		339 (80.0%)	8 (1.9%)	38 (9.0%)	11 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.4%)	86.7	101^st of 909 public elementary schools	88.9%		86.7	104^th of 912 public elementary schools	88.6%	3	57.0	79.0	73.0	46.0			68.0	78.0	78.0	52.0			70.0		$2,778	$105	$60	$271	$1,959	$653	$2,612
Desert Sun Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	27880 N. 64th Street	Scottsdale	85266	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2900	191	14	13.2		139 (72.8%)	3 (1.6%)	39 (20.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.2%)	46.2	418^th of 909 public elementary schools	54.0%		63.8	298^th of 912 public elementary schools	67.3%	120		55.0	37.0						39.0				35.0		$2,495	$80	$57	$216	$1,867	$491	$2,358
Lone Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5250 E. Montgomery Rd.	Cave Creek	85331	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 437-3000	376	25	14.9		304 (80.9%)	2 (0.5%)	36 (9.6%)	7 (1.9%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	24 (6.4%)	86.3	105^th of 909 public elementary schools	88.4%		84.4	129^th of 912 public elementary schools	85.9%	24	70.0	67.0	54.0	85.0			81.0	62.0	63.0	66.0			48.0		$2,966	$130	$36	$296	$2,132	$668	$2,801
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4322 E Desert Willow Parkway	Cave Creek	85331	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2800	338	23	14.7		237 (70.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (21.0%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	75.2	204^th of 909 public elementary schools	77.6%		83	144^th of 912 public elementary schools	84.2%	60	66.0	61.0	60.0	60.0			39.0	46.0	70.0	58.0			54.0		$2,222	$129	$50	$308	$1,544	$499	$2,043
Wildfire Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3997 E Lockwood Dr	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4300	394	29	13.8		304 (77.2%)	5 (1.3%)	53 (13.5%)	9 (2.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	21 (5.3%)	92.4	54^th of 909 public elementary schools	94.1%		90.3	68^th of 912 public elementary schools	92.5%	14	86.0	88.0	65.0	76.0			80.0	78.0	68.0	56.0			56.0		$8,321	$181	$170	$533	$7,526	$444	$7,970
Desert Trails Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	4315 E Cashman Dr	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4100	590	41	14.2		425 (72.0%)	8 (1.4%)	71 (12.0%)	38 (6.4%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	44 (7.5%)	97.1	9^th of 909 public elementary schools	99.0%		97.5	9^th of 912 public elementary schools	99.0%		72.0	76.0	80.0	93.0			81.0	80.0	94.0	96.0			66.0		$8,573	$387	$135	$908	$7,715	$337	$8,052
Candeo North Scottsdale	Public, Charter	K-8	7191 E Ashler Hills Dr	Scottsdale	85266	Maricopa County	Candeo Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 923-9963	70	16	4.3		55 (78.6%)	1 (1.4%)	4 (5.7%)	4 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.6%)								(n/a)																$00			$00
Sky Crossing Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	3300 E. Sky Crossing Way	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-5900	628	42	14.7		461 (73.4%)	7 (1.1%)	58 (9.2%)	50 (8.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.0%)	95.3	30^th of 909 public elementary schools	96.7%		94.7	33^rd of 912 public elementary schools	96.4%	3	67.0	74.0	82.0	83.0			74.0	79.0	78.0	68.0			70.0		$9,058	$234	$220	$688	$7,519	$1,085	$8,604
Black Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	33606 N 60th St	Scottsdale	85266	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2100	496	32	15.5		382 (77.0%)	7 (1.4%)	66 (13.3%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.7%)	85.3	114^th of 909 public elementary schools	87.5%		81.7	151^st of 912 public elementary schools	83.4%	37	67.0	81.0	65.0	51.0			69.0	75.0	75.0	48.0			52.0		$2,686	$103	$48	$254	$2,064	$470	$2,535
Pinnacle Peak Preparatory	Public	PK, KG-8	7690 E Williams Dr	Scottsdale	85255	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6700	474	32	15.0		355 (74.9%)	9 (1.9%)	54 (11.4%)	10 (2.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	41 (8.6%)	88.2	83^rd of 909 public elementary schools	90.9%		88.8	80^th of 912 public elementary schools	91.2%	3	76.0	85.0	49.0	69.0	65.0	70.0	80.0	89.0	75.0	66.0	50.0	71.0	44.0	71.0	$7,997	$315	$131	$762	$7,067	$484	$7,551

Frequently Asked Questions about Horseshoe Trails Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Horseshoe Trails Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Horseshoe Trails Elementary School usually go on to attend:

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

What is the racial makeup of Horseshoe Trails Elementary School?

Students at Horseshoe Trails Elementary School are 80% White, 9% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend Horseshoe Trails Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 424 students attended Horseshoe Trails Elementary School.

Is Horseshoe Trails Elementary School a good school?

Horseshoe Trails Elementary School ranks 101^st of 909 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What district is Horseshoe Trails Elementary School in?

Cave Creek Unified District

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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.

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.