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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

Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts

Public Grades 6-8

493^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 536 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 8% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts is a 545-student, grades 6–8 school in Phoenix’s Cartwright Elementary District. Its latest all-grades results show 24% proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) and 6% in math. The clearest concern is math: Castro’s 6% is 12 percentage points below the district’s 18% and 27 points below Arizona’s 33%.

ELA is a relative strength, although the state comparison remains challenging: Castro’s 24% matches the district, is 17 points below Arizona’s 41%, and is higher than five of six nearby schools serving the same grades. In eighth-grade ELA, Castro scored 24%, the second-highest result among those peers, behind Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy. Math is weak compared with nearby schools, too: Castro’s 6% was below five of six peer results, which ranged from 4% to 49%; only Western Valley Middle School scored lower.

Eighth-grade science has improved steadily, from 5% proficient in 2022–23 to 9% in 2023–24 and 14% in 2024–25. The gap with Arizona narrowed from 22 points to 16, though the latest result remains below the state’s 30% and the district’s 16%; Castro was near the middle of nearby schools, whose average was 16%. SchoolDigger placed Castro at the 8th percentile with 0 stars in 2025–26. Its student-teacher ratio was 22.4 in 2024–25, the second-highest among nearby schools serving the same grades. SchoolDigger’s historical subgroup ranking placed the school at the 68th percentile for English Language Learner students in 2020–21, compared with its overall 7th percentile that year; the school’s latest Low Socio Economic Status ranking was at the 16th percentile, versus the overall 8th. Castro reported a 77% free/reduced-lunch rate in 2022–23, but comparable nearby figures were not supplied.

545

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,928

Per pupil spending ?

60.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

2730 N 79th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85035-1226

(623) 691-5300

District: Cartwright Elementary District

Students who attend Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts usually attend:

High:

Trevor Browne High School

Feeder schools for Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts:

Elementary:	Manuel Pena Junior School
	Peralta School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

85.0%

African American:

10.3%

White:

2.6%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2016 → 8th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (15% vs 37% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 27 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg21%

Arizona avg37%

493^rd of 536

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 8%▼ down 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 8% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Middle Schools in the Cartwright Elementary District

242^nd of 267Cartwright 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
2026	12.6	493 of 536	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.6	529 of 552	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	530 of 550	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.9	786 of 854	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.2	591 of 605	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.2	775 of 832	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.1	594 of 605	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	642 of 711	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.1	616 of 695	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	16.1	596 of 677	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.0	470 of 521	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	29.3	511 of 690	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	36.5	531 of 787	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.0	532 of 772	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.0	502 of 685	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	27.6	545 of 692	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.0	542 of 663	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.7	349 of 400	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.3	551 of 573	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	31.7	84 of 125	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	9.7	381 of 404	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	42.3	196 of 606	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	24.4	25 of 31	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	359 of 395	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.1	772 of 806	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.7	737 of 820	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	463 of 466	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.1	598 of 624	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	304 of 338	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.6	321 of 345	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	318 of 329	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.5	708 of 760	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	385 of 392	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	700 of 802	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.0	382 of 387	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.6	524 of 543	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.6	172 of 257	33.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	275 of 328	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.4	297 of 344	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.7	308 of 320	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.7	655 of 717	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	368 of 369	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.9	483 of 503	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	369 of 379	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	361 of 370	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	762 of 810	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	474 of 476	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.3	776 of 818	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	433 of 435	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.3	592 of 617	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	27.9	361 of 390	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	29.0	612 of 789	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.0	565 of 675	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	746 of 780	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)68th percentile+61 vs school

Homeless (2021)33rd percentile+26 vs school

Special Education (2021)22nd percentile+16 vs school

White (2023)16th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)16th percentile+8 vs school

African American (2023)13th percentile+5 vs school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)9th percentile+5 vs school

Native American (2021)7th percentile~ school

Asian (2021)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts24%-17 vs state

Mathematics6%-27 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Well I'd like to speak up about the fact that this school doesn't really know how to stop bullying and stuff (Tolerant). And sometimes the teachers assume alot of thinks (for example I reported a kid for bullying me and the teacher said "Your just assuming".) Please solve this issue. Close Quote

by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, February 25, 2011

Awful, awful, awful worst school ever almost fights everyday, bad kids, oh just HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Close Quote

Schools Near Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts

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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 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 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
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	60.7%	14 (2.6%)	56 (10.3%)	463 (85.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.3%)	12.6	493^rd of 536 public middle schools	8.0%		10.6	529^th of 552 public middle schools	4.2%	36			24.0	24.0	24.0				8.0	6.0	$6,928	$292	$968	$1,259	$5,814		$5,668
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	61.8%	11 (1.7%)	22 (3.4%)	608 (93.5%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	9.9	509^th of 536 public middle schools	5.0%		10.7	528^th of 552 public middle schools	4.3%	19			23.0	16.0	20.0			10.0	9.0	10.0	$7,508	$702	$1,171	$1,873	$6,197		$5,636
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	63.2%	7 (1.6%)	32 (7.3%)	380 (87.0%)	3 (0.7%)	2 (0.5%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.3%)	9.8	511^th of 536 public middle schools	4.7%		7.4	548^th of 552 public middle schools	0.7%	37		20.0	17.0	16.0	18.0		17.0		12.0	11.0
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	60.6%	14 (2.7%)	43 (8.4%)	437 (85.7%)	3 (0.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	8.8	519^th of 536 public middle schools	3.2%		8.1	545^th of 552 public middle schools	1.3%	26			20.0	17.0	18.0			9.0	7.0	8.0	$8,891	$319	$1,087	$1,406	$7,672		$7,485
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	59.0%	10 (4.9%)	8 (3.9%)	181 (88.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.0%)	80.5	82^nd of 536 public middle schools	84.7%		71.5	124^th of 552 public middle schools	77.5%	42			70.0	68.0	69.0			34.0	69.0	49.0	$8,488	$74	$1,255	$1,329	$7,268		$7,159
Santa Maria Middle School	Public	6-8	7250 W Lower Buckeye Rd	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Fowler Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 707-1100	591	26	22.7	43.1%	25 (4.2%)	87 (14.7%)	449 (76.0%)	8 (1.4%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.2%)	12.4	495^th of 536 public middle schools	7.6%		9.1	537^th of 552 public middle schools	2.7%	42		28.0	24.0	13.0	21.0		17.0	10.0		11.0	$7,030	$334	$1,073	$1,407	$5,853		$5,623
Western Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	6250 W Durango St	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Fowler Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 707-2200	553	28	19.7	55.9%	19 (3.4%)	60 (10.8%)	440 (79.6%)	6 (1.1%)	10 (1.8%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (2.9%)	8.6	523^rd of 536 public middle schools	2.4%		4.8	552^nd of 552 public middle schools	0.0%	29		14.0	24.0	16.0	17.0					4.0	$6,614	$407	$1,117	$1,524	$5,404		$5,090
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	64.3%	3 (0.6%)	61 (11.3%)	467 (86.8%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	36.3	287^th of 536 public middle schools	46.5%		31.5	322^nd of 552 public middle schools	41.7%	35	17.0	24.0	38.0	34.0	29.0	29.0	40.0	22.0	40.0	33.0
Kings Ridge School	Public	2-8	3650 S 64th Ln	Phoenix	85043	Maricopa County	Riverside Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 477-8960	371	20	18.5	58.2%	13 (3.5%)	68 (18.3%)	270 (72.8%)	5 (1.3%)	11 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	28.8	340^th of 536 public middle schools	36.6%		12.7	503^rd of 552 public middle schools	8.9%	163	16.0	47.0	24.0	25.0	28.0	25.0	28.0			18.0	$14,124	$648	$171	$820	$9,528	$3,776	$13,304
Morris K. Udall Escuela de Bellas Artes	Public	5-8	3348 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85009	Maricopa County	Isaac Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 442-2700	553	27	20.4	61.1%	7 (1.3%)	16 (2.9%)	526 (95.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12.9	491^st of 536 public middle schools	8.4%		14.1	490^th of 552 public middle schools	11.2%	1	19.0	15.0	27.0	19.0	20.0	26.0		15.0	14.0	14.0	$8,765	$1,334	$19	$1,353	$6,306	$1,106	$7,412

Frequently Asked Questions about Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts

What high school do graduates of Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts attend?

Students who attend Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts usually go on to attend Trevor Browne High School

What district is Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts in?

Cartwright Elementary District

Is Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts a good school?

Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts ranks in the bottom 8.0% of Arizona middle schools.

How many students attend Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 545 students attended Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts.

What is the racial makeup of Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts?

Students at Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts are 85% Hispanic, 10% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races.

Rate Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts!

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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.