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Walker Butte Middle School

Public Grades PK, KG-8

779^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 14% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Walker Butte K-8 is a public elementary school in San Tan Valley, Arizona, serving 764 students in grades PK-8 as part of the Florence Unified School District. However, the school consistently underperforms compared to state and district averages across various academic measures.

Walker Butte K-8's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are significantly lower than the state and district averages, with some grades performing 10-20 percentage points below. The school also struggles with high dropout rates, ranging from 3.2% to 6.1% over the past few years, which are higher than the state and district averages. Additionally, the school's student-teacher ratio is relatively high, ranging from 15.5 to 17.5 students per teacher, which is higher than the recommended ratio for effective instruction.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Circle Cross K8 STEM Academy, Skyline Ranch Elementary School, and San Tan Heights Elementary, as well as local charter schools like Schnepf Elementary School and American Leadership Academy San Tan Valley K-6, Walker Butte K-8 consistently underperforms in academic achievement. This suggests the school may be facing unique challenges that are not shared by its neighboring schools.

718

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,080

Per pupil spending ?

57.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

29697 N Desert Willow Blvd
San Tan Valley, AZ 85143-3917

(480) 987-5360

District: Florence Unified School District

Students who attend Walker Butte Middle School usually attend:

High:

San Tan Foothills High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.1%

Hispanic:

39.4%

African American:

7.0%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Walker Butte Middle School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 46th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (23% vs 38% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 32 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg24%

Arizona avg38%

Elementary school

779^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 46% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

493^rd of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 33 pts since 2015

From bottom 44% (2015) to bottom 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 7Elementary Schools in the Florence Unified School District

248^th of 289Florence Unified School 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	779 of 909	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.3	776 of 912	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	794 of 1245	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	19.0	779 of 1000	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.3	682 of 1226	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	18.2	856 of 1039	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	825 of 1109	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	870 of 1106	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.4	683 of 1079	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.9	512 of 955	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	42.5	628 of 1079	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.7	712 of 1158	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.6	797 of 1141	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	41.0	644 of 1075	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	41.8	645 of 1090	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	37.1	687 of 1062	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	30.2	456 of 607	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.0	257 of 289	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	47.5	365 of 895	59.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	39.3	545 of 975	44.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	11.5	539 of 589	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.1	512 of 602	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.6	813 of 1219	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.3	743 of 824	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.4	718 of 1219	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.0	627 of 862	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.6	786 of 1023	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	29.4	839 of 1170	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	935 of 1198	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	751 of 911	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	19.6	472 of 549	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	440 of 556	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.6	726 of 1116	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.8	505 of 618	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	611 of 820	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	11.3	568 of 626	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.6	758 of 1216	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.3	664 of 1220	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.8	764 of 850	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.2	783 of 1032	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	38.5	428 of 617	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	704 of 1027	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	46.1	248 of 654	62.1%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.4	118 of 171	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.0	548 of 820	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.5	501 of 1201	58.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.6	259 of 417	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	5.4	453 of 465	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.9	868 of 1024	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.4	747 of 800	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	41.0	705 of 1161	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	6.1	581 of 595	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	674 of 720	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	493 of 552	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	446 of 550	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.8	595 of 854	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	15.8	519 of 605	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.4	546 of 832	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	15.5	523 of 605	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.8	512 of 711	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.1	533 of 695	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.6	478 of 677	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.5	292 of 521	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.9	396 of 690	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.2	475 of 787	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	45.2	433 of 772	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.8	341 of 685	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2010	48.3	345 of 692	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	43.7	373 of 663	43.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.9	305 of 400	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.4	449 of 573	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	41.7	298 of 606	50.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	16.9	319 of 386	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	546 of 806	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.5	523 of 820	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	17.9	377 of 466	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.6	501 of 624	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	24.1	590 of 760	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.2	609 of 802	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	467 of 543	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	22.4	585 of 717	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.8	335 of 369	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.5	396 of 503	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	27.5	575 of 810	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.9	542 of 818	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	10.4	404 of 435	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.1	457 of 617	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	92.8	1 of 143	99.3%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	47.7	207 of 384	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.1	372 of 650	42.8%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.8	285 of 390	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	48.4	288 of 789	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	32.6	114 of 178	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.8	600 of 675	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.3	594 of 780	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	3.2	333 of 337	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.9	407 of 436	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Native American (2021)62nd percentile+18 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)44th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)33rd percentile-3 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)31st percentile-13 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)31st percentile-6 vs school

Hispanic (2023)28th percentile-8 vs school

African American (2023)25th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile~ school

Male (2025)9th percentile-5 vs school

Female (2025)8th percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-12 vs school

Middle school

Military Connected (2021)99th percentile+65 vs school

Special Education (2021)63rd percentile+29 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)46th percentile+16 vs school

Male (2023)29th percentile~ school

Native American (2021)27th percentile-7 vs school

African American (2023)24th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2023)22nd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)18th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2024)17th percentile~ school

White (2023)11th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics24%-13 vs state

English Language Arts23%-17 vs state

Science22%-10 vs state

2.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 9, 2014

The school is substandard. Transportation cut routes and the bus drivers violate regulations. Teachers do not pay enough attention to the students. Tutors are not giving their all or they are not trained enough, therefore tutoring is ineffective. I will try to take my kids out of this school and move them to another one. Close Quote

Schools Near Walker Butte Middle School

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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 (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
Walker Butte Middle School	Public	PK, KG-8	29697 N Desert Willow Blvd	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 987-5360	718	44	16.3		302 (42.1%)	50 (7.0%)	283 (39.4%)	6 (0.8%)	20 (2.8%)	13 (1.8%)	44 (6.1%)	15.3	779^th of 909 public elementary schools	14.3%		15.3	776^th of 912 public elementary schools	14.9%	3	20.0	30.0	21.0	16.0		28.0	34.0	28.0	21.0	12.0			26.0	18.0	$8,080	$785	$353	$1,922	$6,547	$395	$6,942
Early Childhood Learning Center	Public	PK-K	29895 N Desert Willow Blvd	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-5380	164	13	13.0		70 (42.7%)	9 (5.5%)	72 (43.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.3%)								(n/a)																$00			$00
Champion San Tan	Public, Charter	K-8	1846 E Bella Vista Rd	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Fit Kids Inc. dba Champion Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 765-2223	458	26	17.6		157 (34.3%)	56 (12.2%)	201 (43.9%)	3 (0.7%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.6%)	41.2	459^th of 909 public elementary schools	49.5%		27.9	599^th of 912 public elementary schools	34.3%	140		54.0		32.0	42.0	33.0		52.0	21.0							$00			$00
Copper Basin	Public	PK, KG-8	28682 N Main St	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 888-7500	557	35	16.1		200 (35.9%)	40 (7.2%)	264 (47.4%)	3 (0.5%)	16 (2.9%)	5 (0.9%)	29 (5.2%)	13.9	811^th of 909 public elementary schools	10.8%		19.9	698^th of 912 public elementary schools	23.5%	113	18.0	33.0		18.0	28.0	22.0	22.0			21.0					$7,584	$459	$392	$1,311	$5,900	$832	$6,732
Skyline Ranch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1084 San Tan Hills Dr	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 888-7520	583	39	14.9		211 (36.2%)	41 (7.0%)	273 (46.8%)	6 (1.0%)	12 (2.1%)	8 (1.4%)	32 (5.5%)	27.1	595^th of 909 public elementary schools	34.5%		16.7	756^th of 912 public elementary schools	17.1%	161	32.0	40.0	31.0	26.0	33.0	35.0	26.0	32.0	33.0	24.0	24.0	19.0	36.0	27.0	$8,461	$361	$529	$1,251	$6,691	$880	$7,571
San Tan Heights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	2500 W San Tan Heights Blvd	San Tan Valley	85142	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 888-7555	669	41	16.5		278 (41.6%)	71 (10.6%)	262 (39.2%)	9 (1.3%)	17 (2.5%)	5 (0.7%)	27 (4.0%)	19.4	713^th of 909 public elementary schools	21.6%		17.5	748^th of 912 public elementary schools	18.0%	35	26.0	41.0	18.0	20.0	27.0	34.0	32.0	39.0	19.0	18.0			20.0	24.0	$6,392	$333	$296	$962	$5,127	$637	$5,764
American Leadership Academy San Tan Valley K-6	Public, Charter	K-6	34696 N Village Ln	San Tan Valley	85142	Pinal County	American Leadership Academy Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 420-2101	637	42	15.1		322 (50.5%)	39 (6.1%)	208 (32.7%)	8 (1.3%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	55 (8.6%)	62.1	306^th of 909 public elementary schools	66.3%		66	274^th of 912 public elementary schools	70.0%	32	47.0	57.0	46.0	59.0			61.0	40.0	55.0	37.0			40.0		$6,456	$502	$1,797	$2,802	$3,841	$315	$4,156
Eduprize School	Public, Charter	K-8	4567 W Roberts Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Pinal County	Eduprize Schools LLC	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 888-1610	1,733	101	17.1		1,088 (62.8%)	34 (2.0%)	476 (27.5%)	13 (0.8%)	3 (0.2%)	9 (0.5%)	110 (6.3%)	67.8	269^th of 909 public elementary schools	70.4%		63.3	301^st of 912 public elementary schools	67.0%	32	52.0	61.0	52.0	60.0	59.0	45.0	51.0	51.0	48.0	41.0	26.0	43.0	49.0	39.0	$7,179	$540	$79	$1,158	$4,689	$1,871	$6,561
Circle Cross K8 STEM Academy	Public	K-8	35900 N Charbray Dr	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Florence Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 987-7600	728	38	19.4		312 (42.9%)	38 (5.2%)	307 (42.2%)	14 (1.9%)	21 (2.9%)	7 (1.0%)	29 (4.0%)	21.6	679^th of 909 public elementary schools	25.3%		24	640^th of 912 public elementary schools	29.8%	39	20.0	30.0	24.0	23.0	32.0	38.0	43.0	24.0	34.0	16.0	16.0	24.0	32.0	25.0	$6,667	$399	$273	$1,072	$5,463	$531	$5,994
Legacy Traditional-San Tan	Public, Charter	K-8	1679 W. Empire Blvd	San Tan Valley	85143	Pinal County	Legacy Traditional School-San Tan	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(480) 576-4600	749	28	26.7		291 (38.9%)	80 (10.7%)	283 (37.8%)	26 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.8%)	63 (8.4%)	42.6	451^st of 909 public elementary schools	50.4%		39.7	480^th of 912 public elementary schools	47.4%	29	48.0	44.0	48.0	50.0	47.0	63.0	36.0	36.0	29.0	26.0	27.0	32.0	35.0	36.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Walker Butte Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Walker Butte Middle School?

Students at Walker Butte Middle School are 42% White, 39% Hispanic, 7% African American, 6% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Walker Butte Middle School attend?

Students who attend Walker Butte Middle School usually go on to attend:

High : San Tan Foothills High School

How many students attend Walker Butte Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 718 students attended Walker Butte Middle School.

Is Walker Butte Middle School a good school?

Walker Butte Middle School ranks in the bottom 14.3% of Arizona elementary schools.

What district is Walker Butte Middle School in?

Florence Unified School District

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 2025

2024–25 AASA & AzSCI test scoresOct 10, 2025

2023–24 dropout ratesJun 30, 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.