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Desert Wind Middle School

Q: Is Desert Wind Middle School a good school?

Desert Wind Middle School ranks in the bottom 13.8% of Arizona middle schools.

Q: How many students attend Desert Wind Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 898 students attended Desert Wind Middle School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Desert Wind Middle School?

Students at Desert Wind Middle School are 45% Hispanic, 22% White, 19% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

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

Students who attend Desert Wind Middle School usually go on to attend Maricopa High School

Public Grades 6-8

476^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 14% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Desert Wind Middle School is a public middle school in Maricopa, Arizona, serving 903 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Maricopa Unified School District, which is ranked 225 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Wind Middle School consistently performs below the state and district averages in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 22% of 8th-grade students were proficient or better in Science, compared to 30% statewide. The school also has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 5.1% to 6.1% over the past few years, which are higher than the state and district averages. When compared to other middle schools in the surrounding area, such as Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School and Santan Junior High School, Desert Wind Middle School generally performs worse across various metrics, including test scores and dropout rates.

The school's low performance may be attributed to a combination of factors, such as the district's overall low ranking, the high proportion of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, and potential challenges in resource allocation and teacher quality. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying factors contributing to the school's struggles. While the school faces significant challenges, further investigation into the specific factors influencing its performance could provide valuable insights for improving the educational outcomes for its students.

898

Students ?

21.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,733

Per pupil spending ?

51.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

35565 W Honeycutt Rd
Maricopa, AZ 85139-2002

(520) 568-7110

District: Maricopa Unified School District

Students who attend Desert Wind Middle School usually attend:

High:

Maricopa High School

Feeder schools for Desert Wind Middle School:

Elementary:	Pima Butte Elementary School
	Santa Cruz Elementary School
	Santa Rosa Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.4%

White:

21.9%

African American:

19.0%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Desert Wind Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 28th percentile in 2015 → 14th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (19% vs 34% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (14th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 14 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg20%

Arizona avg34%

476^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 14%▼ down 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 28% (2015) to bottom 14% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

225^th of 289Maricopa 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	15.6	476 of 552	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.0	487 of 550	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	651 of 854	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	450 of 605	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	513 of 832	38.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.3	415 of 605	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.5	453 of 711	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.1	474 of 695	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.5	290 of 677	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	26.1	376 of 521	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.4	450 of 690	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.7	520 of 787	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.0	531 of 772	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.1	387 of 685	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	51.9	315 of 692	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	47.4	341 of 663	48.6%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	13.3	2 of 2	0.0%	★★★★☆
2023	14.1	375 of 400	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.6	382 of 573	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	77 of 125	38.4%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	9.5	240 of 247	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	188 of 192	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	45.9	243 of 404	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

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
2025	13.3	342 of 395	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.8	359 of 386	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.2	616 of 806	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	422 of 494	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.2	474 of 820	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.5	354 of 466	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.2	377 of 624	39.6%	★★☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	50.2	47 of 166	71.7%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	15.8	301 of 345	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.9	284 of 329	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.5	656 of 760	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.8	312 of 392	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.3	484 of 802	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.6	304 of 387	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	367 of 543	32.4%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.4	228 of 257	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	14.2	321 of 344	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	310 of 320	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.9	619 of 717	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.8	319 of 369	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	346 of 503	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	353 of 379	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	354 of 370	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.0	644 of 810	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	406 of 476	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	528 of 818	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.4	345 of 435	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	422 of 617	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	32.5	87 of 110	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	44.4	86 of 143	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.4	361 of 384	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.0	474 of 650	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.9	142 of 159	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.6	111 of 390	71.5%	★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	49.2	15 of 16	6.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.6	89 of 108	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	16.1	344 of 363	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	36.5	493 of 789	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.0	107 of 178	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	7.8	267 of 277	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	277 of 288	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.9	557 of 675	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.2	392 of 446	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.6	487 of 780	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.2	281 of 337	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.9	308 of 436	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Foster Care (2021)72nd percentile+33 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)51st percentile+12 vs school

Military Connected (2023)21st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)13th percentile~ school

Homeless (2021)11th percentile-27 vs school

Native American (2023)11th percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)7th percentile-7 vs school

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

Pacific Islander (2022)6th percentile-19 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)6th percentile-18 vs school

Special Education (2023)5th percentile-19 vs school

White (2025)4th percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2023)3rd percentile-21 vs school

African American (2025)<1st percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts27%-14 vs state

Science22%-8 vs state

Mathematics11%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Wind 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 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th 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 Wind Middle School	Public	6-8	35565 W Honeycutt Rd	Maricopa	85139	Pinal County	Maricopa Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 568-7110	898	43	21.0		197 (21.9%)	171 (19.0%)	408 (45.4%)	20 (2.2%)	23 (2.6%)	4 (0.4%)	75 (8.4%)	15.6	476^th of 552 public middle schools	13.8%		14	487^th of 550 public middle schools	11.5%	11	28.0	25.0	27.0	12.0	8.0	13.0	22.0	$8,733	$267	$954	$1,489	$6,582	$929	$7,512
Maricopa Wells Middle School	Public	6-8	45725 W Honeycutt Ave	Maricopa	85139	Pinal County	Maricopa Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 568-7100	940	46	20.4		197 (21.0%)	167 (17.8%)	435 (46.3%)	14 (1.5%)	50 (5.3%)	11 (1.2%)	66 (7.0%)	19.2	431^st of 552 public middle schools	21.9%		17.1	460^th of 550 public middle schools	16.4%	29	26.0	37.0	34.0	8.0	15.0	11.0	19.0	$9,772	$291	$965	$1,548	$7,439	$1,076	$8,515
Sacaton Middle School	Public	5-8	92 Skill Center Rd	Sacaton	85147	Pinal County	Sacaton Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 562-8600	236	13	18.1		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (13.1%)	0 (0.0%)	203 (86.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)								(n/a)								$9,631	$2,035	$1,461	$5,530	$6,067	$69	$6,136
Villago Middle School	Public	6-8	574 E. Lakeside Parkway	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 423-0176	723	30	24.5		165 (22.8%)	52 (7.2%)	436 (60.3%)	5 (0.7%)	30 (4.1%)	2 (0.3%)	33 (4.6%)	14.5	486^th of 552 public middle schools	12.0%		14.6	481^st of 550 public middle schools	12.5%	5	21.0	23.0	28.0	11.0	10.0	15.0	21.0	$6,981	$561	$95	$1,216	$5,262	$1,063	$6,325
Santan Junior High School	Public	7-8	1550 E Chandler Heights Rd	Chandler	85249	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 883-4600	1,085	57	19.2		633 (58.3%)	60 (5.5%)	198 (18.2%)	81 (7.5%)	26 (2.4%)	2 (0.2%)	85 (7.8%)	83.2	66^th of 552 public middle schools	88.0%		77.9	101^st of 550 public middle schools	81.6%	35		67.0	60.0		54.0	52.0	55.0	$6,762	$333	$127	$792	$6,163	$140	$6,303
Bogle Junior High School	Public	7-8	1600 W Queen Creek Rd	Chandler	85248	Maricopa County	Chandler Unified District #80	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 883-5500	1,007	57	17.7		424 (42.1%)	63 (6.3%)	340 (33.8%)	78 (7.7%)	25 (2.5%)	5 (0.5%)	72 (7.1%)	70.6	133^rd of 552 public middle schools	75.9%		62.2	169^th of 550 public middle schools	69.3%	36		62.0	52.0		50.0	41.0	43.0	$6,893	$500	$81	$1,081	$6,042	$270	$6,312
Cactus Middle School	Public	6-8	1220 E Kortsen Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 421-3330	737	37	20.1		142 (19.3%)	40 (5.4%)	501 (68.0%)	5 (0.7%)	19 (2.6%)	2 (0.3%)	28 (3.8%)	8.7	541^st of 552 public middle schools	2.0%		10.8	519^th of 550 public middle schools	5.6%	22	12.0	16.0	20.0		7.0	5.0	16.0	$6,488	$592	$138	$1,322	$4,874	$884	$5,759
Casa Grande Middle School	Public	6-8	260 W McMurray Blvd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-7310	648	33	19.6		109 (16.8%)	64 (9.9%)	391 (60.3%)	2 (0.3%)	49 (7.6%)	5 (0.8%)	28 (4.3%)	8.9	540^th of 552 public middle schools	2.2%		7.4	546^th of 550 public middle schools	0.7%	6	22.0	13.0	16.0	12.0	6.0		14.0	$7,456	$696	$137	$1,529	$5,424	$1,200	$6,624
Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School	Public	4-8	360 S Twelve Oaks Blvd	Chandler	85226	Maricopa County	Kyrene Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 541-6800	565	31	18.1		268 (47.4%)	38 (6.7%)	162 (28.7%)	18 (3.2%)	20 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	58 (10.3%)	49.6	227^th of 552 public middle schools	58.9%		47	247^th of 550 public middle schools	55.1%	20	51.0	53.0	49.0	24.0	30.0	29.0	38.0	$6,753	$212	$04	$428	$6,032	$505	$6,537
Kyrene Akimel A-Al Middle School	Public	4-8	2720 E Liberty Ln	Phoenix	85048	Maricopa County	Kyrene Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 541-5800	792	42	18.9		300 (37.9%)	72 (9.1%)	278 (35.1%)	24 (3.0%)	36 (4.5%)	6 (0.8%)	76 (9.6%)	52.9	213^th of 552 public middle schools	61.4%		50.6	234^th of 550 public middle schools	57.5%	21	47.0	47.0	47.0	37.0	35.0	35.0	38.0	$5,640	$230	$00	$461	$5,084	$326	$5,410

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Wind Middle School

How many students attend Desert Wind Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 898 students attended Desert Wind Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Wind Middle School?

Students at Desert Wind Middle School are 45% Hispanic, 22% White, 19% African American, 8% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Desert Wind Middle School attend?

Students who attend Desert Wind Middle School usually go on to attend Maricopa High School

What district is Desert Wind Middle School in?

Maricopa Unified School District

Is Desert Wind Middle School a good school?

Desert Wind Middle School ranks in the bottom 13.8% of Arizona middle schools.

Rate Desert Wind 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.