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Carson Junior High School

Public Grades 7-9

534^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 3% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Carson Junior High School is a public middle school located in Mesa, Arizona, serving grades 7-9 with a total enrollment of 922 students. The school is part of the Mesa Unified District, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger. Over the past 10 years, Carson Junior High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Arizona middle schools, with a ranking between 411 and 715 out of over 600-800 middle schools in the state.

Carson Junior High School consistently underperforms compared to the Mesa Unified District and the state of Arizona in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 10-20% of Carson students were proficient in English Language Arts and Mathematics, compared to 22-42% at the district and state levels. The school also has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 4.8% to 6.1%, which are higher than the district and state averages. Additionally, the school struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, such as Hispanic, African American, and Special Education students, who consistently rank in the bottom 25-35% of their respective subgroups statewide.

Interestingly, the nearby middle schools within the Mesa Unified District, such as Stapley Junior High, Taylor Junior High, Poston Junior High, and Rhodes Junior High, generally outperform Carson Junior High School in academic metrics, with higher test scores, lower dropout rates, and better rankings from SchoolDigger. This suggests that Carson Junior High School may need to focus on providing additional support and resources to address the unique needs of its student population and implement effective strategies to raise student achievement.

946

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,542

Per pupil spending ?

70%

Free/discounted lunch ?

525 N Westwood
Mesa, AZ 85201-5527

(480) 472-2900

District: Mesa Unified District

Students who attend Carson Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Westwood High School

Feeder schools for Carson Junior High School:

Elementary:	Adams Elementary School
	Emerson Elementary School
	Webster Elementary School
	Whitman Elementary School
	More...
	Whittier Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.9%

White:

16.0%

American Indian:

11.5%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Carson Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 21st percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (13% vs 33% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school13%

District avg29%

Arizona avg33%

534^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 21% (2015) to bottom 3% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 10Middle Schools in the Mesa Unified District

177^th of 289Mesa Unified 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	9.3	534 of 552	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	524 of 550	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	715 of 854	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.5	571 of 605	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.2	673 of 832	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.1	508 of 605	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	492 of 711	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	23.1	534 of 695	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.7	557 of 677	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.7	411 of 521	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.3	489 of 690	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.2	524 of 787	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	36.9	521 of 772	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2011	33.5	474 of 685	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	30.2	523 of 692	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	38.5	418 of 663	37.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	16.7	362 of 400	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.2	388 of 573	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.2	103 of 125	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	9.4	396 of 404	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	42.3	196 of 606	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	5.3	390 of 395	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	379 of 386	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	718 of 806	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.1	478 of 494	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.0	700 of 820	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	419 of 466	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	508 of 624	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	38.4	88 of 166	47.0%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	343 of 345	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.0	321 of 329	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	700 of 760	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	11.7	378 of 392	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.7	677 of 802	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.5	328 of 387	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.1	408 of 543	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.6	172 of 257	33.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.3	11 of 13	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	9.5	340 of 344	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	315 of 320	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	633 of 717	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.0	357 of 369	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.3	380 of 503	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	6.7	371 of 379	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.2	364 of 370	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	698 of 810	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.7	456 of 476	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.7	606 of 818	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	384 of 435	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.2	432 of 617	30.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	6.9	381 of 384	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.2	209 of 211	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.4	445 of 650	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	13.7	137 of 159	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.7	256 of 390	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.6	7 of 12	41.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	40.7	34 of 62	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	32.0	76 of 108	29.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	15.2	352 of 363	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	44.1	359 of 789	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	22.2	158 of 178	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	9.8	259 of 277	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	276 of 288	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	518 of 675	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	428 of 446	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	33.0	552 of 780	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.3	285 of 337	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.4	328 of 436	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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+49 vs school

Foster Care (2021)47th percentile+28 vs school

Homeless (2021)33rd percentile+14 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)30th percentile+11 vs school

Native American (2023)14th percentile~ school

African American (2023)10th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)6th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)3rd percentile-13 vs school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Asian (2021)2nd percentile-17 vs school

Female (2025)1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)1st percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)1st percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2025)1st percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts18%-22 vs state

Science10%-20 vs state

Mathematics9%-18 vs state

3.7

3 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, September 2, 2021

This is my son's first year at Carson and he loves it. He was nervous at first, just like any other kid going into 7th grade, but he has made friends and has gotten involved. He tells me about kids that aren't nice, but that can be found at any junior high school. I appreciate the communication from all the teachers and administrators. Everyone I have interacted with at the school seems to truly care about my son and they all seem happy to work at the school. 2 thumbs up! Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, September 5, 2015

My child has been enrolled for two weeks; we are withdrawing. This school is great if you feel your child would benefit from the following:

1) Kids who pull down their pants in class and twerk.
2) Out of control classrooms.
3) Dry humping and making out in the hallways
4) A majority of students are disrespectful, disruptive, and use foul language.
5) vulgar t-shirts/clothing
6) Fist fights
7) Low expectations on homework.

The honor's classes are fine; if they have room for your student. The general classes are terrible because of student behavior not the teacher's. Close Quote

by a citizen
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

SEEM TO BE A VERY GOOD SCHOOL, LOOK OUT FOR THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. THE PRICIPLE SEEMS TO BE AN OUTSTANDING PERSON. THE STAFF SEEM TO BE ON POINT. LOT OF DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND VERY DIVERSE. EXCELLENT Close Quote

Schools Near Carson Junior High 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 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
Carson Junior High School	Public	7-9	525 N Westwood	Mesa	85201	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2900	946	50	18.7		151 (16.0%)	63 (6.7%)	557 (58.9%)	12 (1.3%)	109 (11.5%)	14 (1.5%)	40 (4.2%)	9.3	534^th of 552 public middle schools	3.3%		10	524^th of 550 public middle schools	4.7%	10		20.0	17.0		8.0	10.0	10.0	$6,542	$470	$142	$1,083	$5,177	$752	$5,929
Kino Junior High School	Public	7-8	848 N Horne	Mesa	85203	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2400	805	40	20.3		63 (7.8%)	45 (5.6%)	638 (79.3%)	4 (0.5%)	37 (4.6%)	4 (0.5%)	14 (1.7%)	7.8	546^th of 552 public middle schools	1.1%		8	541^st of 550 public middle schools	1.6%	5		19.0	17.0		6.0	5.0	8.0	$6,995	$500	$39	$1,040	$6,041	$415	$6,456
Connolly Middle School	Public	6-8	2002 E Concorda Dr	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Tempe School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 967-8933	923	59	15.6		187 (20.3%)	127 (13.8%)	465 (50.4%)	19 (2.1%)	49 (5.3%)	29 (3.1%)	47 (5.1%)	21.5	407^th of 552 public middle schools	26.3%		26.7	361^st of 550 public middle schools	34.4%	46	27.0	34.0	33.0	14.0	18.0	17.0	23.0		$00			$00
Rhodes Junior High School	Public	7-9	1860 S Longmore	Mesa	85202	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2300	599	32	18.7		78 (13.0%)	48 (8.0%)	384 (64.1%)	6 (1.0%)	50 (8.3%)	7 (1.2%)	26 (4.3%)	12.1	510^th of 552 public middle schools	7.6%		14.1	485^th of 550 public middle schools	11.8%	25		25.0	20.0		9.0	13.0	12.0	$8,139	$797	$35	$1,629	$6,848	$459	$7,307
New School for the Arts Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	1216 E Apache Blvd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	New School for the Arts Middle School	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 481-9235	75				35 (46.7%)	6 (8.0%)	21 (28.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (14.7%)								(n/a)		71.0	45.0						$00			$00
Poston Junior High School	Public	7-9	2433 E Adobe St	Mesa	85213	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 472-2100	782	40	19.5		301 (38.5%)	35 (4.5%)	384 (49.1%)	2 (0.3%)	21 (2.7%)	10 (1.3%)	29 (3.7%)	26.8	361^st of 552 public middle schools	34.6%		19.9	426^th of 550 public middle schools	22.5%	65		36.0	29.0		25.0	16.0	26.0	$7,415	$371	$57	$798	$6,292	$695	$6,987
McKemy Academy of International Studies	Public	6-8	2250 S College Ave	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Tempe School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 459-5048	334	18	19.0		120 (35.9%)	17 (5.1%)	152 (45.5%)	5 (1.5%)	12 (3.6%)	1 (0.3%)	27 (8.1%)	76.8	101^st of 552 public middle schools	81.7%		66.2	149^th of 550 public middle schools	72.9%	48	68.0	79.0	74.0	44.0	38.0	47.0	44.0		$00			$00
Fees College Preparatory Middle School	Public	6-8	1600 E Watson Dr	Tempe	85283	Maricopa County	Tempe School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 897-6063	645	51	12.6		61 (9.5%)	80 (12.4%)	377 (58.4%)	11 (1.7%)	88 (13.6%)	3 (0.5%)	25 (3.9%)	8.9	538^th of 552 public middle schools	2.5%		12.1	505^th of 550 public middle schools	8.2%	33	21.0	22.0	14.0	6.0		10.0	10.0		$00			$00
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
Stapley Junior High School	Public	7-9	3250 E Hermosa Vista Dr	Mesa	85213	Maricopa County	Mesa Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 472-2700	899	46	19.4		594 (66.1%)	10 (1.1%)	190 (21.1%)	5 (0.6%)	64 (7.1%)	3 (0.3%)	33 (3.7%)	63.5	161^st of 552 public middle schools	70.8%		62.4	165^th of 550 public middle schools	70.0%	4		50.0	42.0		46.0	50.0	41.0	$6,541	$52	$85	$190	$6,053	$351	$6,404

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Junior High School

Is Carson Junior High School a good school?

Carson Junior High School ranks in the bottom 3.3% of Arizona middle schools.

How many students attend Carson Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 946 students attended Carson Junior High School.

What high school do graduates of Carson Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Carson Junior High School usually go on to attend Westwood High School

What district is Carson Junior High School in?

Mesa Unified District

What is the racial makeup of Carson Junior High School?

Students at Carson Junior High School are 59% Hispanic, 16% White, 12% American Indian, 7% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander, 1% Asian.

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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.