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Zaharis Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6
215th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 900 Arizona Elementary Schools
Better than 76% of Arizona elementary schools
Summary

Zaharis Elementary is a 721-student, PK–6 school in Mesa, Arizona, in the Mesa Unified District and surrounded by other area schools. In 2025–26, 60% of students were proficient in ELA and 52% in math—well above both district and state results. The most important finding is that Zaharis ranks among the strongest nearby PK–6 schools in both subjects, with results that are substantially higher than local and state averages.

Zaharis ranks second of nine nearby same-district PK–6 schools in both ELA and math, behind Las Sendas Elementary School. Its ELA result is 21 percentage points above the district and 19 above the state; its math result is also 21 points above the district and 19 above the state. Compared with same-district peers, Zaharis is 19 points above their average in ELA and 16 points above in math. The all-grade math result, however, masks a weaker pattern in grades 3–4: third-grade math was 5 points above the state, and fourth grade matched the state. Results are notably stronger in grades 5–6, where math was 28 points above the state in each grade. ELA was above state results in every reported grade, with its largest lead in fifth grade at 26 points.

Fifth-grade science is a standout and has improved: proficiency rose from 45% in 2022–23 to 56% in 2024–25, an 11-point increase, while the state result stayed at 34%. Zaharis tied Las Sendas Elementary School for the highest nearby result that year. SchoolDigger gives Zaharis a four-star rating and a 76th-percentile ranking in 2025–26; it ranks third among nearby schools with current rankings and second among nearby PK–6 schools. Its 18.1 student–teacher ratio is above the 16.1 average for same-district PK–6 peers, even as its test results exceed their averages. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well schools serve student groups places White students at the 50th percentile, compared with 76 overall; in 2020–21, African American students were at the 1st percentile while the school overall was at the 83rd. ELA and math results cover one year, and subgroup counts are unavailable, so the older subgroup result should be treated as a question to explore, not evidence of a continuing pattern.

721
Students ?
18.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$7,143
Per pupil spending ?
16.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 9410 E McKellips Rd
       Mesa, AZ  85207-2631

(480) 308-7200

District: Mesa Unified District


Students who attend Zaharis Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Smith Junior High School
High:    Skyline High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
75.7%
Hispanic:
16.8%
Two or more races:
4.2%
more
 See top rated Arizona elementary schools

 Compare Zaharis Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2016 → 76th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Arizona average (56% vs 37% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 24% of Arizona elementary schools
✓Among the top-ranked schools in Mesa Unified District
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school56%
District avg35%
Arizona avg37%
215th of 900
Arizona public elementary schools ?
Top 24%▼ down 6 pts since 2016
From top 18% (2016) to top 24% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
9th of 50Elementary Schools in the Mesa Unified District
157th of 267Mesa 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202673.0215 of 90076.1%★★★★☆
202579.0165 of 90981.8%★★★★☆
202472.6222 of 91275.7%★★★★☆
202382.6211 of 124583.1%★★★★☆
202270.5249 of 100075.1%★★★★☆
202182.4214 of 122682.5%★★★★☆
201977.5231 of 103977.8%★★★★☆
201882.5186 of 110983.2%★★★★☆
201780.8203 of 110681.6%★★★★☆
201681.4198 of 107981.6%★★★★☆
201569.4262 of 95572.6%★★★★☆
201482.3185 of 107982.9%★★★★☆
201379.3193 of 115883.3%★★★★☆
201273.0291 of 114174.5%★★★★☆
201178.8225 of 107579.1%★★★★☆
201078.8223 of 109079.5%★★★★☆
200976.9246 of 106276.8%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202121.1885 of 8951.1%☆☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202654.4248 of 57957.2%★★★☆☆
202560.5202 of 58965.7%★★★☆☆
202455.6224 of 60262.8%★★★☆☆
202380.9203 of 121983.3%★★★★☆
202266.4237 of 82471.2%★★★★☆
202183.3189 of 121984.5%★★★★☆
201974.8187 of 86278.3%★★★★☆
201877.5226 of 102377.9%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202375.0215 of 117081.6%★★★★☆
202285.563 of 71691.2%★★★★★
202171.0248 of 119879.3%★★★★☆
201985.483 of 70988.3%★★★★☆
201870.6213 of 91176.6%★★★★☆

Homeless

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202378.59 of 10291.2%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202583.762 of 54988.7%★★★★☆
202481.565 of 55688.3%★★★★☆
202373.0198 of 111682.3%★★★★☆
202280.687 of 61885.9%★★★★☆
201869.3194 of 82076.3%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202665.5171 of 59171.1%★★★★☆
202569.6155 of 62675.2%★★★★☆
202460.1222 of 62864.6%★★★☆☆
202380.3208 of 121682.9%★★★★☆
202265.8238 of 83071.3%★★★★☆
202178.5233 of 122080.9%★★★★☆
201967.6253 of 85070.2%★★★★☆
201883.0161 of 103284.4%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202363.1154 of 61775.0%★★★★☆
202263.7130 of 44470.7%★★★★☆
202163.1283 of 102772.4%★★★★☆

Native American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202129.4488 of 65425.4%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202340.2453 of 82044.8%★★☆☆☆
202158.6305 of 120174.6%★★★★☆
201844.8187 of 41755.2%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankArizona percentileRating
202649.7217 of 43750.3%★★★☆☆
202555.0193 of 46558.5%★★★☆☆
202437.8326 of 48632.9%★★☆☆☆
202368.8277 of 102472.9%★★★★☆
202253.5354 of 80055.8%★★★☆☆
202172.1271 of 116176.7%★★★★☆
201952.7286 of 59551.9%★★★☆☆
201867.7228 of 72068.3%★★★☆☆
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)91st percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)89th percentile+7 vs school
Hispanic (2023)82nd percentile~ school
Multi-racial (2023)75th percentile-8 vs school
Male (2026)71st percentile-5 vs school
Female (2026)57th percentile-19 vs school
White (2026)50th percentile-26 vs school
Special Education (2023)45th percentile-38 vs school
Native American (2021)25th percentile-57 vs school
African American (2021)1st percentile-81 vs school
By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts60%+19 vs state
Mathematics52%+19 vs state

3.0
5 ratings · 3 written reviews
5★2
4★0
3★0
2★2
1★1
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What people are saying
by a parent
Saturday, November 21, 2015

Open Quote Mr. Oliver is fantastic, too bad he is a temporary worker. My kids have been bullied and inappropriately touched by older kids. Another kids had a nasty cut and got stitches and I found by a very late night phone call by the parent's mother saying my child was involved. He has learned many swear words at this school and now hates school. Many other kids don't even do recess more Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, March 3, 2011

Open Quote This is probably the worst environment I have ever seen for a child in my life. Children do not learn at this school. They leave the school without the skills to be successful in life. They focus on holding children's hands and catering to a growing population entitled parents and children. From my interaction the teachers are hand picked by a principal that runs the school like a dictator. Placing church members and friends in high ranking spots that back stab each other while plastering their faces with fake smiles. Zaharis holds itself up like it is a fine establishment for learning and talks about all that they do for furthering education, but in reality their scores are low and the children come out with weak skill sets and are lacking in knowledge. Close Quote


by a parent
Saturday, August 7, 2010

Open Quote Zaharis is a wonderful school and provides a well rounded atmosphere for learning. The teachers are wonderful. We have two children attending Zaharis this year and we're looking forward to another great year. Close Quote





Schools Near Zaharis Elementary

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Frequently Asked Questions about Zaharis Elementary

Zaharis Elementary ranks 215th of 900 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Zaharis Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Smith Junior High School
High : Skyline High School

Students at Zaharis Elementary are 76% White, 17% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 721 students attended Zaharis Elementary.

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Latest Arizona data All new data »
2025–26 AASA test scoresNewOct 13, 2026
2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025
2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 2025
2024–25 AASA & AzSCI test scoresOct 10, 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.

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