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Manuel Pena Junior School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

852^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 6% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Manuel Pena Junior School is an elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 730 students in grades PK-6. 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.

Manuel Pena Junior School consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of Arizona elementary schools, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics around 12-28%, significantly below the state averages of 36-46% and 29-42%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as Hispanic, African American, and English Language Learner students, who rank in the bottom 25-50% of their respective subgroups statewide. In contrast, the school's White and Multi-racial student subgroups perform relatively better, ranking in the middle 50% of their respective subgroups.

Despite the school's increased per-student spending, from $8,727 in 2019-2020 to $11,966 in 2021-2022, and a relatively high student-teacher ratio, the academic performance has not shown substantial improvement. The nearby Tomahawk School and Sunset School, which are also part of the Cartwright Elementary District, generally outperform Manuel Pena Junior School, suggesting opportunities to learn from their practices and strategies.

806

Students ?

19.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,966

Per pupil spending ?

67.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2550 N 79th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85035-1225

(623) 691-3100

District: Cartwright Elementary District

Students who attend Manuel Pena Junior School usually attend:

Middle:	Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts
High:	Trevor Browne High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

81.0%

African American:

11.5%

White:

2.9%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Manuel Pena Junior School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 11th percentile in 2015 → 6th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (19% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg20%

Arizona avg38%

852^nd of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 6%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 11% (2015) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 15Elementary 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	11.3	852 of 909	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	836 of 912	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	1038 of 1245	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.8	866 of 1000	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	970 of 1226	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	860 of 1039	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.4	945 of 1109	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	16.5	959 of 1106	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.4	895 of 1079	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.1	849 of 955	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	48.5	564 of 1079	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	51.2	577 of 1158	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	42.1	703 of 1141	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.4	592 of 1075	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.8	573 of 1090	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	49.4	548 of 1062	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	19.9	538 of 607	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	696 of 895	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	78 of 100	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	9.1	600 of 620	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.3	388 of 451	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.4	444 of 975	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	30.2	122 of 155	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	4.8	583 of 589	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.6	1121 of 1219	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	905 of 1219	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.6	796 of 862	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	944 of 1023	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	473 of 496	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	451 of 486	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	991 of 1170	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.4	613 of 716	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.5	862 of 1198	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	574 of 709	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	825 of 911	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	78.0	20 of 102	80.4%	★★★★☆
2021	49.7	122 of 423	71.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	15.9	514 of 549	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.1	486 of 556	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.7	913 of 1116	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	509 of 618	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.5	740 of 820	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	6.2	616 of 626	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.6	585 of 628	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.6	972 of 1216	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.3	753 of 830	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.7	1018 of 1220	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	761 of 850	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	12.0	972 of 1032	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	47.3	337 of 617	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.3	725 of 1027	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	27.0	641 of 654	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	19.2	760 of 820	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.7	1053 of 1201	12.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	39.7	617 of 1024	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	512 of 800	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.6	644 of 1161	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Homeless (2023)80th percentile+64 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)45th percentile+29 vs school

White (2023)40th percentile+23 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)14th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2023)11th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2023)7th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)5th percentile~ school

Asian (2021)3rd percentile-18 vs school

Native American (2021)2nd percentile-19 vs school

Male (2025)2nd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts20%-20 vs state

Science20%-14 vs state

Mathematics18%-19 vs state

★

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Schools Near Manuel Pena Junior 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
Manuel Pena Junior School	Public	PK, KG-6	2550 N 79th Ave	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-3100	806	42	19.1		23 (2.9%)	93 (11.5%)	653 (81.0%)	6 (0.7%)	15 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.0%)	11.3	852^nd of 909 public elementary schools	6.3%		12.2	836^th of 912 public elementary schools	8.3%	16	12.0	24.0	18.0	28.0			15.0	14.0	17.0	25.0			20.0		$11,966	$3,338	$436	$7,111	$6,782	$1,411	$8,193
Amberlea Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	8455 W Virginia Ave	Phoenix	85037	Maricopa County	Pendergast Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 772-2900	457	22	20.7		23 (5.0%)	46 (10.1%)	369 (80.7%)	8 (1.8%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)								(n/a)					31.0	22.0					26.0			19.0	$5,667	$794	$1,118	$2,706	$4,699		$3,754
Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School	Public	PK, KG-8	7960 W Osborn Rd	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-4700	703	41	17.2		11 (1.6%)	14 (2.0%)	661 (94.0%)	6 (0.9%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	9.9	878^th of 909 public elementary schools	3.4%		10.7	861^st of 912 public elementary schools	5.6%	17	14.0	21.0	18.0	18.0			26.0	19.0	26.0	13.0			11.0		$12,636	$3,339	$411	$7,089	$7,322	$1,563	$8,885
Peralta School	Public	PK, KG-6	7125 W Encanto Blvd	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5600	817	37	22.2		13 (1.6%)	38 (4.7%)	746 (91.3%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	11 (1.3%)	10.6	866^th of 909 public elementary schools	4.7%		9.7	871^st of 912 public elementary schools	4.5%	5	16.0	24.0	27.0	27.0			13.0	21.0	12.0	13.0			17.0		$11,898	$3,564	$391	$7,520	$6,692	$1,251	$7,943
Desert Horizon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	8525 W Osborn Rd	Phoenix	85037	Maricopa County	Pendergast Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 772-2430	690	39	17.6		33 (4.8%)	50 (7.2%)	585 (84.8%)	8 (1.2%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.0%)	9.7	881^st of 909 public elementary schools	3.1%					(n/a)		20.0	13.0	29.0	16.0	19.0	15.0								$6,537	$430	$1,090	$1,950	$5,681		$5,018
Desert Oasis Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	8802 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85037	Maricopa County	Tolleson Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 533-3901	738	35	21.2		19 (2.6%)	56 (7.6%)	620 (84.0%)	7 (0.9%)	14 (1.9%)	4 (0.5%)	18 (2.4%)	11.7	847^th of 909 public elementary schools	6.8%		19.6	706^th of 912 public elementary schools	22.6%	141	16.0	22.0		27.0	19.0	22.0	23.0					13.0		19.0	$10,552	$1,181	$921	$3,283	$6,266	$2,184	$8,450
G. Frank Davidson	Public	PK, KG-6	6935 W Osborn Rd	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-1500	629	32	19.8		10 (1.6%)	26 (4.1%)	583 (92.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	6.2	906^th of 909 public elementary schools	0.3%		4.8	911^th of 912 public elementary schools	0.1%	5	12.0	21.0	14.0	17.0			11.0	17.0							$12,193	$3,553	$396	$7,502	$6,801	$1,443	$8,244
ACCLAIM Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	7624 W Indian School Rd	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Acclaim Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-0919	249	17	14.6		19 (7.6%)	3 (1.2%)	227 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		65.0	32.0		46.0	35.0										$00			$00
Imagine Desert West Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	6738 W McDowell Rd	Phoenix	85035	Maricopa County	Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 344-7150	714	30	23.8		22 (3.1%)	39 (5.5%)	630 (88.2%)	9 (1.3%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	12 (1.7%)	15.1	786^th of 909 public elementary schools	13.5%		6.5	902^nd of 912 public elementary schools	1.1%	116	21.0	18.0	23.0				22.0	10.0	44.0				14.0			$00			$00
Tomahawk School	Public	PK, KG-6	7820 W Turney Ave	Phoenix	85033	Maricopa County	Cartwright Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 691-5800	718	32	22.3		18 (2.5%)	33 (4.6%)	646 (90.0%)	5 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.1%)	18.2	724^th of 909 public elementary schools	20.4%		11.4	849^th of 912 public elementary schools	6.9%	125	16.0	38.0	25.0	32.0			24.0	31.0	24.0	13.0			26.0		$12,361	$3,430	$388	$7,247	$6,831	$1,712	$8,543

Frequently Asked Questions about Manuel Pena Junior School

What is the racial makeup of Manuel Pena Junior School?

Students at Manuel Pena Junior School are 81% Hispanic, 12% African American, 3% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

What district is Manuel Pena Junior School in?

Cartwright Elementary District

How many students attend Manuel Pena Junior School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 806 students attended Manuel Pena Junior School.

What schools do graduates of Manuel Pena Junior School attend?

Students who attend Manuel Pena Junior School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts
High : Trevor Browne High School

Is Manuel Pena Junior School a good school?

Manuel Pena Junior School ranks in the bottom 6.3% of Arizona elementary schools.

Rate Manuel Pena Junior School!

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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.