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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

Stepping Stones Academy

Q: Is Stepping Stones Academy a good school?

Stepping Stones Academy ranks 164 th of 900 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades K-8

164^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 82% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Stepping Stones Academy is a K–8 school in Phoenix with 221 students, in an area with several nearby elementary and K–8 schools. Its most important difference from those neighbors is in ELA: its 48% proficiency rate is lower than every nearby school’s.

Compared with the state, the school is stronger in math than in ELA: 56% of students were proficient in math, 23 percentage points above the state’s 33%, while 48% were proficient in ELA, 7 points above the state’s 41%. Locally, math is around average: nearby schools averaged 56%, compared with the school’s 56%. ELA is a clearer concern: nearby schools averaged 61%, and their results ranged from 50% to 72%. The school’s reported district results match its own, so they offer no independent comparison. Nearby district figures were 55% ELA and 49% math in Deer Valley Unified District, and 61% ELA and 56% math in Cave Creek Unified District.

Results vary by grade and over time: third-grade math was 92%, the highest among nearby schools, while fourth-grade math was 48%, with only one nearby school lower. Fifth-grade science proficiency rose from 28% in 2022–2023 to 61% in 2023–2024, moving from 6 points below the state to 27 points above it. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking remains strong but has declined: the school went from the 98th percentile and 5 stars in 2023–2024 to the 82nd percentile and 4 stars in 2025–2026, still slightly above the nearby average percentile of 80. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure placed the school’s service to Special Education Students at the 66th percentile in 2021–2022, compared with the school’s overall 88th percentile; its measure for Multi-racial Students was at the 34th percentile in 2020–2021, versus 75th overall. Student–teacher ratio and free/reduced-lunch figures are not reported for the school.

221

Students ?

0.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

35812 N 7th St
Phoenix, AZ 85086-7410

(623) 465-4910

District: Stepping Stones Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.4%

Hispanic:

9.5%

Two or more races:

2.7%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Stepping Stones Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 87th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (52% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Arizona elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg52%

Arizona avg37%

Elementary school

164^th of 900

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 13% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

57^th of 536

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 12 pts since 2016

From top 22% (2016) to top 11% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

46^th of 267Stepping Stones Academy 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	77.7	164 of 900	81.8%	★★★★☆
2025	93.3	47 of 909	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	18 of 912	98.0%	★★★★★
2023	82.0	216 of 1245	82.7%	★★★★☆
2022	83.7	118 of 1000	88.2%	★★★★☆
2021	73.2	311 of 1226	74.6%	★★★★☆
2019	84.2	145 of 1039	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	82.5	183 of 1109	83.5%	★★★★☆
2017	83.5	180 of 1106	83.7%	★★★★☆
2016	86.5	136 of 1079	87.4%	★★★★☆
2015	83.8	135 of 955	85.9%	★★★★☆
2014	67.9	356 of 1079	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	75.4	263 of 1158	77.3%	★★★★☆
2012	67.6	351 of 1141	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	80.7	197 of 1075	81.7%	★★★★☆
2010	62.0	416 of 1090	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	67.6	364 of 1062	65.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	77.9	239 of 1219	80.4%	★★★★☆
2022	84.9	64 of 824	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	84.5	169 of 1219	86.1%	★★★★☆
2019	92.8	32 of 862	96.3%	★★★★★
2018	72.4	283 of 1023	72.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	83.3	134 of 1170	88.5%	★★★★☆
2022	80.5	99 of 716	86.2%	★★★★☆
2021	76.8	177 of 1198	85.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	97.4	5 of 628	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	78.7	228 of 1216	81.3%	★★★★☆
2022	76.7	151 of 830	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	52.9	501 of 1220	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	82.9	167 of 1032	83.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	35.3	680 of 1027	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	59.7	233 of 820	71.6%	★★★★☆
2022	71.4	49 of 145	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.0	176 of 1201	85.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	78.0	65 of 465	86.0%	★★★★☆
2024	91.7	14 of 486	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	72.1	237 of 1024	76.9%	★★★★☆
2022	84.2	54 of 800	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	60.1	413 of 1161	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.8	137 of 595	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	64.1	265 of 720	63.2%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	85.7	57 of 536	89.4%	★★★★☆
2025	86.3	59 of 552	89.3%	★★★★☆
2024	96.3	26 of 550	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	61.9	260 of 854	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	83.3	66 of 605	89.1%	★★★★☆
2021	65.8	215 of 832	74.2%	★★★★☆
2019	75.3	142 of 605	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	45.4	340 of 711	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2017	67.1	185 of 695	73.4%	★★★★☆
2016	73.2	152 of 677	77.5%	★★★★☆
2015	86.2	54 of 521	89.6%	★★★★☆
2014	67.3	210 of 690	69.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	61.7	285 of 787	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	52.9	353 of 772	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	66.3	213 of 685	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	74.0	163 of 692	76.4%	★★★★☆
2009	69.3	189 of 663	71.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	63.5	230 of 806	71.5%	★★★★☆
2022	72.0	98 of 494	80.2%	★★★★☆
2021	62.0	243 of 820	70.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	69.1	151 of 802	81.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	63.9	234 of 810	71.1%	★★★★☆
2022	75.6	71 of 476	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	51.2	312 of 818	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	64.0	91 of 789	88.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	84.4	28 of 277	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	90.9	25 of 288	91.3%	★★★★★
2023	45.0	347 of 675	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	82.9	35 of 446	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	46.5	386 of 780	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	35.1	288 of 436	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Male (2024)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2023)89th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)86th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2023)80th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)72nd percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)34th percentile-41 vs school

Middle school

White (2025)90th percentile~ school

Special Education (2021)88th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2021)81st percentile+7 vs school

Female (2023)71st percentile~ school

Male (2023)71st percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics56%+23 vs state

English Language Arts48%+7 vs state

5.0

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★3

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, May 31, 2018

My kids have all graduated from SSA and were very well prepared for high school. They were surrounded by many friends and excellent teachers, which made going to school actually kind of fun. I highly recommend this amazing school! Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 31, 2018

I love Stepping Stones Academy! All of the teachers are so caring and are experts at what they teach. I love the caring/friendly/loving atmosphere as well as what they do academically. The best of both worlds coming from a parent. This school is a dream come true! Close Quote

by a parent
Sunday, May 27, 2018

Thank you Stepping Stones Academy, my children had an awesome year. We are excited for next year. Close Quote

Schools Near Stepping Stones Academy

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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 (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	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 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 All Grades	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 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
Stepping Stones Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	35812 N 7th St	Phoenix	85086	Maricopa County	Stepping Stones Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 465-4910	221			—	191 (86.4%)	1 (0.5%)	21 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.7%)	77.7	164^th of 900 public elementary schools	81.8%		93.3	47^th of 909 public elementary schools	94.8%	117	58.0	61.0			67.0		48.0	92.0	48.0			58.0	53.0	56.0		$00			$00
Desert Mountain School	Public	PK, KG-8	35959 N 7th Ave	Desert Hills	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-3500	438	28	15.9	26.9%	334 (76.3%)	3 (0.7%)	74 (16.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	24 (5.5%)	71.3	231^st of 900 public elementary schools	74.3%		78.6	171^st of 909 public elementary schools	81.2%	60	70.0	58.0	36.0	58.0	38.0	46.0	50.0	79.0	53.0	36.0	60.0	40.0	44.0	52.0	$7,482	$263	$20	$546	$7,019	$179	$7,198
Diamond Canyon School	Public	PK, KG-8	40004 N Liberty Bell Way	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8000	740	45	16.6	16.1%	581 (78.5%)	12 (1.6%)	84 (11.4%)	20 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.7%)	89.9	78^th of 900 public elementary schools	91.3%		90.8	63^rd of 909 public elementary schools	93.1%	15	74.0	74.0	65.0	82.0	71.0	65.0	72.0	69.0	80.0	50.0	78.0	57.0	57.0	65.0	$6,000	$249	$13	$511	$5,524	$214	$5,738
Sonoran Foothills School	Public	PK, KG-8	32150 N North Foothills Dr	Phoenix	85085	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8400	921	51	18.0	13.5%	571 (62.0%)	28 (3.0%)	155 (16.8%)	101 (11.0%)	12 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	52 (5.6%)	82.7	132^nd of 900 public elementary schools	85.3%		87.8	88^th of 909 public elementary schools	90.3%	44	48.0	70.0	59.0	67.0	62.0	84.0	66.0	56.0	70.0	74.0	54.0	53.0	64.0	62.0	$6,098	$437	$12	$885	$5,355	$295	$5,650
Sunset Ridge School	Public	PK, KG-8	35707 N 33rd Ln	Phoenix	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-7800	563	34	16.3	25.6%	387 (68.7%)	20 (3.6%)	100 (17.8%)	5 (0.9%)	8 (1.4%)	3 (0.5%)	40 (7.1%)	69	249^th of 900 public elementary schools	72.3%		65.1	284^th of 909 public elementary schools	68.8%	35	60.0	55.0	51.0	53.0	53.0	53.0	54.0	81.0	44.0	48.0	54.0	48.0	47.0	52.0	$7,762	$616	$20	$1,252	$6,855	$271	$7,126
Gavilan Peak School	Public	PK, KG-8	2701 W Memorial Dr	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-7400	473	36	13.1	11.6%	331 (70.0%)	6 (1.3%)	70 (14.8%)	22 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (9.3%)	74	202^nd of 900 public elementary schools	77.6%		84	127^th of 909 public elementary schools	86.0%	75	64.0	66.0	57.0	59.0	67.0	63.0	63.0	57.0	50.0	47.0	54.0	49.0	47.0	50.0	$7,929	$664	$12	$1,340	$7,077	$176	$7,253
Anthem School	Public	PK, KG-8	41020 N Freedom Way	Anthem	85086	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 376-3700	400	27	14.8	17.3%	301 (75.3%)	6 (1.5%)	62 (15.5%)	9 (2.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.0%)	77.1	170^th of 900 public elementary schools	81.1%		77.9	181^st of 909 public elementary schools	80.1%	11	49.0	70.0	41.0	66.0	48.0	48.0	53.0	64.0	61.0	57.0	64.0	36.0	54.0	56.0	$7,781	$680	$27	$1,386	$6,809	$265	$7,074
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	4322 E Desert Willow Parkway	Cave Creek	85327	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2800	338	23	14.7	10.1%	237 (70.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (21.0%)	9 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.2%)	59.6	319^th of 900 public elementary schools	64.6%		75.2	204^th of 909 public elementary schools	77.6%	115	46.0	66.0	50.0				55.0	48.0	50.0	36.0				45.0	$2,222	$129	$50	$308	$1,544	$499	$2,043
Norterra Canyon School	Public	PK, KG-8	2200 W Maya Way	Phoenix	85085	Maricopa County	Deer Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 445-8200	601	37	16.4	25.1%	366 (60.9%)	34 (5.7%)	120 (20.0%)	40 (6.7%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	32 (5.3%)	72.7	218^th of 900 public elementary schools	75.8%		71.8	237^th of 909 public elementary schools	73.9%	19	58.0	65.0	51.0	55.0	64.0	60.0	59.0	52.0	53.0	53.0	55.0	42.0	31.0	47.0	$7,996	$484	$16	$985	$7,218	$277	$7,495
Black Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	33606 N 60th St	Scottsdale	85327	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 575-2100	496	32	15.5	10.5%	382 (77.0%)	7 (1.4%)	66 (13.3%)	7 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (6.7%)	89.7	79^th of 900 public elementary schools	91.2%		85.3	114^th of 909 public elementary schools	87.5%	35	69.0	70.0	69.0				69.0	64.0	68.0	70.0				68.0	$2,686	$103	$48	$254	$2,064	$470	$2,535

Frequently Asked Questions about Stepping Stones Academy

What is the racial makeup of Stepping Stones Academy?

Students at Stepping Stones Academy are 86% White, 10% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Stepping Stones Academy in?

Stepping Stones Academy

Is Stepping Stones Academy a good school?

Stepping Stones Academy ranks 164^th of 900 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Stepping Stones Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 221 students attended Stepping Stones Academy.

Rate Stepping Stones Academy!

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2025–26 AASA test scoresNewOct 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 2025

2024–25 AASA & AzSCI test scoresOct 10, 2025

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.