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Cooley Middle School

Q: Is Cooley Middle School a good school?

Cooley Middle School ranks 190 th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Q: How many students attend Cooley Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 795 students attended Cooley Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Cooley Middle School?

Students at Cooley Middle School are 53% White, 26% Hispanic, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Q: What high school do graduates of Cooley Middle School attend?

Students who attend Cooley Middle School usually go on to attend Williams Field High School

Public Grades 6-8

190^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 66% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Cooley Middle School is a public middle school located in Gilbert, Arizona, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 850 students. It is part of the Higley Unified School District, which is ranked 68 out of 289 districts in Arizona and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. However, Cooley Middle School has seen fluctuations in its statewide ranking over the past decade, ranging from a high of 58th out of 695 Arizona middle schools in 2016-2017 to a low of 222nd out of 550 in 2023-2024, and its current rating is 3 out of 5 SchoolDigger stars.

Cooley Middle School's test scores are generally lower than the Higley Unified School District and the state of Arizona averages. For example, in 2024-2025, Cooley's 8th-grade science proficiency rate is 36%, compared to 48% for the district and 30% for the state. Similarly, Cooley's 7th-grade English Language Arts proficiency rate is 47%, compared to 58% for the district and 42% for the state. Additionally, Cooley Middle School has seen a steady increase in its dropout rate, from 3.3% in 2019-2020 to 6.1% in 2022-2023, which is higher than the district and state averages.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Sossaman Middle School, which is also part of the Higley Unified School District, Cooley Middle School generally performs worse on test scores and has higher dropout rates. The school's overall performance has declined over the past few years, and it faces challenges in effectively serving its student population, which has seen an increase in the number of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, as evidenced by the rise in the free and reduced lunch rate from 8.22% in 2021-2022 to 23.94% in 2022-2023.

795

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,360

Per pupil spending ?

23.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 S Recker Rd
Gilbert, AZ 85296-1432

(480) 279-8300

District: Higley Unified School District

Students who attend Cooley Middle School usually attend:

High:

Williams Field High School

Feeder schools for Cooley Middle School:

Elementary:	Chaparral Elementary School
	Coronado Elementary School
	Gateway Pointe Elementary
	Higley Traditional Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

52.6%

Hispanic:

26.4%

African American:

7.7%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Cooley Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 73rd percentile in 2015 → 66th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (43% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Above the Arizona median (66th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg51%

Arizona avg33%

190^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 34%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 27% (2015) to top 34% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Higley Unified School District

68^th of 289Higley 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	58.1	190 of 552	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	52.9	222 of 550	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.4	207 of 854	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	64.4	191 of 605	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	78.1	152 of 832	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	76.0	130 of 605	78.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.1	128 of 711	82.0%	★★★★☆
2017	88.9	58 of 695	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	85.4	84 of 677	87.6%	★★★★☆
2015	69.0	140 of 521	73.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	33.8	263 of 400	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.6	174 of 573	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	77.9	2 of 9	77.8%	★★★★☆
2018	70.9	19 of 125	84.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	65.1	70 of 247	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	56.0	78 of 192	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.7	131 of 404	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	16.9	29 of 31	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.0	38 of 42	9.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	56.8	51 of 606	91.6%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	47.1	179 of 395	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	218 of 386	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.1	220 of 806	72.7%	★★★★☆
2022	55.7	202 of 494	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.1	150 of 820	81.7%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	109 of 466	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	76.7	132 of 624	78.8%	★★★★☆

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	50.4	136 of 345	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.5	149 of 329	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.0	277 of 760	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.7	172 of 392	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.6	145 of 802	81.9%	★★★★☆
2019	69.6	89 of 387	77.0%	★★★★☆
2018	70.1	108 of 543	80.1%	★★★★☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	82.4	5 of 64	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	45.1	93 of 257	63.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	46.3	144 of 344	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	35.1	182 of 320	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.0	214 of 717	70.2%	★★★★☆
2022	44.1	186 of 369	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	80.5	65 of 503	87.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	50.3	164 of 379	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.2	168 of 370	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.1	211 of 810	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	59.7	168 of 476	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.7	144 of 818	82.4%	★★★★☆
2019	67.7	125 of 435	71.3%	★★★★☆
2018	75.5	127 of 617	79.4%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	35.0	84 of 110	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	47.6	37 of 68	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	45.3	82 of 143	42.7%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	8.6	23 of 23	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	33.3	283 of 384	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	43.3	149 of 211	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	58.0	200 of 650	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.8	9 of 14	35.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	85.6	5 of 43	88.4%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	78.9	25 of 159	84.3%	★★★★☆
2021	59.2	64 of 390	83.6%	★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	38.8	11 of 19	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	52.0	40 of 108	63.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.9	279 of 363	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	59.0	138 of 789	82.5%	★★★★☆
2019	56.9	2 of 5	60.0%	★★★★☆
2018	62.9	32 of 178	82.0%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	40.7	169 of 277	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.2	189 of 288	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.7	215 of 675	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.4	218 of 446	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.9	149 of 780	80.9%	★★★★☆
2019	62.7	111 of 337	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.9	154 of 436	64.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

Homeless (2023)92nd percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)92nd percentile+10 vs school

Native American (2023)84th percentile+9 vs school

Asian (2023)72nd percentile-4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)58th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2025)57th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)55th percentile-11 vs school

Pacific Islander (2023)42nd percentile-34 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile-27 vs school

African American (2023)34th percentile-42 vs school

Military Connected (2023)24th percentile-52 vs school

Special Education (2023)23rd percentile-53 vs school

Foster Care (2021)22nd percentile-59 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)<1st percentile-66 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts50%+8 vs state

Mathematics40%+12 vs state

Science36%+6 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Please do not send your child here if they have any mental health or social issues! This school is wholly unprepared to meet the needs of children who dont fit their definition of "normal." They intentionally agitated a child then suspended him for a mental health crisis they handled wrong. They set them up to fail then punish them for failing. Irresponsible and disappointing on every level. Close Quote

Schools Near Cooley 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 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
Cooley Middle School	Public	6-8	1100 S Recker Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8300	795	52	15.3		418 (52.6%)	61 (7.7%)	210 (26.4%)	34 (4.3%)	5 (0.6%)	8 (1.0%)	59 (7.4%)	58.1	190^th of 552 public middle schools	65.6%		52.9	222^nd of 550 public middle schools	59.6%	32			47.0	52.0			38.0	41.0		36.0	$6,360	$203	$85	$491	$5,417	$654	$6,071
Greenfield Junior High School	Public	6-8	101 S Greenfield Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 813-1770	1,160	56	20.7		756 (65.2%)	25 (2.2%)	270 (23.3%)	23 (2.0%)	8 (0.7%)	4 (0.3%)	74 (6.4%)	78.7	89^th of 552 public middle schools	83.9%		75.5	113^th of 550 public middle schools	79.5%	24			61.0	55.0			48.0	54.0		54.0	$5,512	$01	$335	$338	$5,275		$5,176
ASU Preparatory Academy-Polytechnic Middle School	Public, Charter	5-8	6950 E Williams Field Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	ASU Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 727-5700	328	33	9.9		144 (43.9%)	12 (3.7%)	122 (37.2%)	12 (3.7%)	4 (1.2%)	2 (0.6%)	32 (9.8%)	71.7	123^rd of 552 public middle schools	77.7%		63.6	158^th of 550 public middle schools	71.3%	35	59.0	74.0	59.0		47.0	45.0	35.0		55.0			$00			$00
Highland Junior High School	Public	6-8	6915 E Guadalupe Rd	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 632-4739	961	52	18.4		602 (62.6%)	26 (2.7%)	229 (23.8%)	30 (3.1%)	13 (1.4%)	3 (0.3%)	58 (6.0%)	82.6	69^th of 552 public middle schools	87.5%		72.7	124^th of 550 public middle schools	77.5%	55			67.0	61.0			54.0	54.0		50.0	$5,857	$33	$532	$599	$5,509		$5,291
South Valley Junior High	Public	7-8	2034 S Lindsay Rd	Gilbert	85295	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 855-0015	875	43	20.4		502 (57.4%)	45 (5.1%)	224 (25.6%)	28 (3.2%)	9 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	65 (7.4%)	77.2	96^th of 552 public middle schools	82.6%		81.2	79^th of 550 public middle schools	85.6%	17			62.0	56.0			52.0	54.0		44.0	$6,311	$70	$463	$604	$6,025		$5,778
Franklin Junior High School	Public	7-9	4949 E Southern Ave	Mesa	85206	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 472-8990	288	16	18.4		179 (62.2%)	3 (1.0%)	82 (28.5%)	5 (1.7%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	15 (5.2%)	97.9	14^th of 552 public middle schools	97.5%		97.8	16^th of 550 public middle schools	97.1%	2			91.0	89.0			71.0	70.0		77.0	$6,931	$20	$09	$49	$6,045	$857	$6,902
Mesquite Junior High School	Public	6-8	130 W Mesquite St	Gilbert	85233	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 926-1433	648	43	15.2		247 (38.1%)	41 (6.3%)	278 (42.9%)	19 (2.9%)	20 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	41 (6.3%)	35.7	297^th of 552 public middle schools	46.2%		33.4	315^th of 550 public middle schools	42.7%	18			45.0	33.0			30.0	24.0		25.0	$7,437	$561	$473	$1,595	$6,507		$6,403
Sossaman Middle School	Public	7-8	18655 E Jacaranda Blvd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Higley Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 279-8500	1,094	55	19.8		721 (65.9%)	35 (3.2%)	235 (21.5%)	31 (2.8%)	6 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	63 (5.8%)	83	67^th of 552 public middle schools	87.9%		77.8	103^rd of 550 public middle schools	81.3%	36			66.0	62.0			52.0	51.0		56.0	$6,310	$284	$67	$635	$5,238	$721	$5,959
Taylor Junior High School	Public	7-9	705 S 32nd St	Mesa	85204	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-1500	908	46	19.6		229 (25.2%)	39 (4.3%)	565 (62.2%)	10 (1.1%)	20 (2.2%)	10 (1.1%)	35 (3.9%)	19.1	435^th of 552 public middle schools	21.2%		20.7	416^th of 550 public middle schools	24.4%	19			35.0	26.0			17.0	8.0		19.0	$7,417	$458	$84	$1,000	$6,512	$363	$6,875
Desert Ridge Junior High	Public	7-8	10211 E Madero Ave	Mesa	85209	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 635-2025	925	48	19.4		530 (57.3%)	34 (3.7%)	277 (29.9%)	18 (1.9%)	4 (0.4%)	4 (0.4%)	58 (6.3%)	60.5	178^th of 552 public middle schools	67.8%		59	194^th of 550 public middle schools	64.7%	16			58.0	50.0			46.0	34.0		33.0	$6,110	$02	$530	$533	$5,910		$5,578

Frequently Asked Questions about Cooley Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Cooley Middle School?

Students at Cooley Middle School are 53% White, 26% Hispanic, 8% African American, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What high school do graduates of Cooley Middle School attend?

Students who attend Cooley Middle School usually go on to attend Williams Field High School

What district is Cooley Middle School in?

Higley Unified School District

Is Cooley Middle School a good school?

Cooley Middle School ranks 190^th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cooley Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 795 students attended Cooley Middle School.

Rate Cooley Middle School!

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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.