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Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism

Public Grades 6-8

545^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 1% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is a public middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 518 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Cartwright Elementary District, which is ranked 262 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Sands Academy has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Arizona middle schools over the past 10 years, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger indicating very poor performance compared to other schools in the state. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are consistently well below the state and district averages, often less than half the state's proficiency levels. Additionally, the school has experienced high dropout rates, ranging from 2.0% to 6.1% over the past few years, which are significantly higher than the state average.

While the school's spending and student-teacher ratio are relatively high, these inputs do not appear to be translating into improved student outcomes. However, the school's performance for English Language Learner and Special Education students is a notable bright spot, indicating that the school may be providing effective support and interventions for these student populations. In contrast, the consistently low performance for male, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students suggests that the school may need to focus on addressing the unique needs and challenges faced by these student groups. Nearby schools within the Cartwright Elementary District, such as Raul H. Castro Middle School and Estrella Middle School, perform similarly to Desert Sands Academy, while Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy, also in the Cartwright District, stands out with much higher performance.

510

Students ?

18.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,529

Per pupil spending ?

71.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6308 W Campbell Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85033-2731

(623) 691-4900

District: Cartwright Elementary District

Students who attend Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism usually attend:

High:

Trevor Browne High School

Feeder schools for Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism:

Elementary:	Heatherbrae School
	Holiday Park School
	Sunset School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.7%

African American:

8.4%

White:

2.7%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 6th percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (12% vs 35% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg18%

Arizona avg35%

545^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 6% (2015) to bottom 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Cartwright Elementary District

262^nd of 289Cartwright Elementary 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	8.1	545 of 552	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.0	548 of 550	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.2	781 of 854	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.5	552 of 605	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	44.4	378 of 832	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	9.9	575 of 605	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.3	608 of 711	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.9	551 of 695	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.2	530 of 677	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.8	488 of 521	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	32.4	477 of 690	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.1	477 of 787	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.9	571 of 772	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.6	498 of 685	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	31.5	512 of 692	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	23.1	547 of 663	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	9.4	397 of 400	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.1	348 of 573	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.7	99 of 125	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.1	212 of 247	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	9.7	381 of 404	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	62.7	21 of 606	96.5%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.3	735 of 806	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.9	455 of 494	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	752 of 820	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.3	449 of 466	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	556 of 624	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	31.2	129 of 166	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	8.0	342 of 345	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.5	326 of 329	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	692 of 760	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	371 of 392	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	50.6	293 of 802	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	14.0	363 of 387	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	449 of 543	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	33.3	143 of 257	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	10.5	334 of 344	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	318 of 320	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.1	636 of 717	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	338 of 369	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	417 of 503	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	7.1	366 of 379	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.3	368 of 370	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.3	775 of 810	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	462 of 476	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	48.0	334 of 818	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	6.6	426 of 435	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	536 of 617	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	24.1	539 of 650	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	47.8	125 of 390	67.9%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	62.2	107 of 789	86.4%	★★★★☆
2018	16.1	175 of 178	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.1	626 of 675	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	13.3	731 of 780	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2021)97th percentile+42 vs school

Special Education (2021)86th percentile+32 vs school

Native American (2021)68th percentile+13 vs school

Homeless (2021)44th percentile-10 vs school

Foster Care (2021)22nd percentile-32 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)17th percentile-37 vs school

Asian (2023)14th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2023)9th percentile~ school

White (2023)7th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile~ school

African American (2023)1st percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts14%-27 vs state

Science11%-19 vs state

Mathematics10%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism

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 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th 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
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism	Public	6-8	6308 W Campbell Ave	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-4900	510	28	18.5		14 (2.7%)	43 (8.4%)	437 (85.7%)	3 (0.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	8.1	545^th of 552 public middle schools	1.3%		7	548^th of 550 public middle schools	0.4%	3			12.0	16.0				10.0		11.0	$14,529	$2,484	$477	$5,445	$9,954	$1,614	$11,568
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy	Public	6-8	4315 N Maryvale Pkwy	Phoenix	85031	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-1700	205	13	16.0		10 (4.9%)	8 (3.9%)	181 (88.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	71.5	124^th of 552 public middle schools	77.5%		76.6	108^th of 550 public middle schools	80.4%	16			76.0	60.0			38.0	45.0		39.0	$14,152	$3,715	$436	$7,865	$8,443	$1,559	$10,002
Estrella Middle School College and Career Prep	Public	6-8	3733 N 75th Ave	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5400	650	32	20.3		11 (1.7%)	22 (3.4%)	608 (93.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	10.7	528^th of 552 public middle schools	4.3%		10.9	518^th of 550 public middle schools	5.8%	10			18.0	21.0				6.0		16.0	$11,768	$3,000	$403	$6,404	$6,958	$1,407	$8,365
Imagine Desert West Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	6738 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Imagine Desert West Middle Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 469-2024	437	21	20.8		7 (1.6%)	32 (7.3%)	380 (87.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.3%)	7.4	548^th of 552 public middle schools	0.7%		9.9	526^th of 550 public middle schools	4.4%	22		10.0	13.0	19.0						12.0		$00			$00
Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts	Public	6-8	2730 N 79th Ave	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5300	545	24	22.4		14 (2.6%)	56 (10.3%)	463 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	10.6	529^th of 552 public middle schools	4.2%		9.6	530^th of 550 public middle schools	3.6%	1			25.0	20.0			7.0	4.0		14.0	$12,164	$1,785	$486	$4,055	$8,362	$1,532	$9,894
Sevilla Elementary School-West Campus	Public	4-8	3851 W Missouri Ave	Phoenix	85019	Maricopa County	Alhambra Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 347-0232	666	34	19.5		18 (2.7%)	58 (8.7%)	532 (79.9%)	35 (5.3%)	10 (1.5%)	3 (0.5%)	10 (1.5%)	20.6	411^th of 552 public middle schools	25.5%		28.5	346^th of 550 public middle schools	37.1%	65	17.0	20.0	26.0	26.0	19.0	22.0	10.0	26.0	14.0	29.0	$7,894	$1,382	$45	$2,808	$5,717	$750	$6,467
Vista College Prep Sueno Park	Public, Charter	5-8	1720 N 45th Ave.	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Vista College Preparatory Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 237-6273	538	28	19.2		3 (0.6%)	61 (11.3%)	467 (86.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	31.5	322^nd of 552 public middle schools	41.7%		19.7	427^th of 550 public middle schools	22.4%	105	13.0	25.0	44.0	41.0	15.0	34.0	27.0	20.0		13.0	$8,083	$463	$1,412	$2,337	$4,809	$1,399	$6,208
Granada Elementary School-East Campus	Public	4-8	3022 W Campbell Ave	Phoenix	85017	Maricopa County	Alhambra Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 589-0110	683	35	19.5		11 (1.6%)	62 (9.1%)	566 (82.9%)	23 (3.4%)	11 (1.6%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.2%)	15.1	480^th of 552 public middle schools	13.0%		11.9	508^th of 550 public middle schools	7.6%	28	13.0	15.0	19.0	29.0	13.0	8.0	16.0	18.0	14.0	23.0	$7,878	$1,347	$229	$2,923	$5,624	$678	$6,302
Palo Verde Middle School	Public	7-8	7502 N 39th Ave	Phoenix	85051	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 347-2500	797	44	18.1		80 (10.0%)	119 (14.9%)	518 (65.0%)	46 (5.8%)	14 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (2.5%)	15.3	478^th of 552 public middle schools	13.4%		14.1	484^th of 550 public middle schools	12.0%	6			25.0	24.0			13.0	14.0		18.0	$7,569	$743	$125	$1,611	$5,717	$984	$6,701
Isaac Middle School	Public	6-8	3402 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85009	Maricopa County	Isaac Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 455-6800	474	23	20.6		4 (0.8%)	15 (3.2%)	451 (95.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9.3	536^th of 552 public middle schools	2.9%		9.1	534^th of 550 public middle schools	2.9%	2		17.0	13.0	22.0		10.0		14.0		9.0		$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism

Is Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism a good school?

Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism ranks in the bottom 1.3% of Arizona middle schools.

What district is Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism in?

Cartwright Elementary District

How many students attend Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism?

In the 2024-25 school year, 510 students attended Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism.

What high school do graduates of Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism attend?

Students who attend Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism usually go on to attend Trevor Browne High School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism?

Students at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism are 86% Hispanic, 8% African American, 3% White, 2% American Indian.

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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.