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Challenger Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

769^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 15% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Challenger Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Nogales, Arizona, serving 376 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Nogales Unified District, which is ranked 218 out of 289 districts in the state.

Challenger Elementary School consistently performs below the district and state averages on academic assessments, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics significantly lower than the surrounding schools. The school struggles to support the academic achievement of various student subgroups, ranking in the bottom half or quarter of Arizona elementary schools for the past several years. Despite having a relatively low student-teacher ratio and funding comparable to nearby schools, Challenger Elementary's unique challenges may be related to the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the specific needs of its diverse student population.

Interestingly, the nearby Robert Bracker Elementary and Francisco Vasquez De Coronado Elementary schools generally perform better than Challenger Elementary on academic assessments and have higher statewide rankings, suggesting that the challenges faced by Challenger may be specific to the school or its student population, rather than district-wide issues. Further investigation into the school's instructional practices, support services, and community engagement efforts could provide valuable insights into addressing these challenges and improving student outcomes.

380

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,420

Per pupil spending ?

84.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

901 E Calle Mayer
Nogales, AZ 85621-3410

(520) 377-0544

District: Nogales Unified District

Students who attend Challenger Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Shadows Middle School
High:	Nogales High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

99.7%

White:

0.3%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 34th percentile in 2015 → 15th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (25% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (15th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school25%

District avg33%

Arizona avg40%

769^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 15%▼ down 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 34% (2015) to bottom 15% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Nogales Unified District

218^th of 289Nogales 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	15.8	769 of 909	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	661 of 912	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.7	750 of 1245	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.9	671 of 1000	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	21.8	950 of 1226	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.7	752 of 1039	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.9	753 of 1109	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	30.4	746 of 1106	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	32.9	689 of 1079	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.2	627 of 955	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	41.0	646 of 1079	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	44.8	671 of 1158	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2012	66.4	369 of 1141	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	59.9	426 of 1075	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.8	409 of 1090	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.9	383 of 1062	63.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.8	372 of 451	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.9	826 of 975	15.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.2	112 of 155	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	25.1	896 of 1219	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.0	667 of 824	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.1	951 of 1219	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	698 of 862	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.8	743 of 1023	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	18.8	421 of 496	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	343 of 486	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.4	630 of 1170	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.1	517 of 716	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.7	888 of 1198	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.6	486 of 709	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.5	558 of 911	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	47.7	59 of 102	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.8	30 of 33	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	43.5	188 of 423	55.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	439 of 549	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	411 of 556	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.5	638 of 1116	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.2	469 of 618	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2024	30.9	424 of 628	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.0	621 of 1216	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.2	551 of 830	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.6	957 of 1220	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.1	729 of 850	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.1	687 of 1032	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.8	721 of 820	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	890 of 1201	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	25.1	957 of 1161	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)42nd percentile~ school

Male (2024)32nd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2023)26th percentile-13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)20th percentile+5 vs school

White (2021)18th percentile-5 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)18th percentile-22 vs school

Hispanic (2025)15th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)12th percentile-28 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts28%-12 vs state

Mathematics22%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Challenger Elementary 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 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
Challenger Elementary School	Public	K-5	901 E Calle Mayer	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 377-0544	380	24	15.8		1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	379 (99.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15.8	769^th of 909 public elementary schools	15.4%		22.3	661^st of 912 public elementary schools	27.5%	108	29.0	31.0	23.0				25.0	24.0	17.0					$8,420	$612	$61	$1,285	$7,252	$495	$7,747
Mexicayotl Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	2059 N Grand Ave	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Mexicayotl Academy Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 624-4018	168	14	12.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	167 (99.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	87	96^th of 909 public elementary schools	89.4%		93.8	47^th of 912 public elementary schools	94.8%	49	55.0			72.0	80.0		70.0							$14,147	$1,081	$2,342	$4,505	$7,465	$3,259	$10,724
Colegio Petite Arizona	Public, Charter	K-5	850 N Morley Ave	Nogales	85020	Maricopa County	Kaizen Education Foundation dba Colegio Petite Pho	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 222-9213	258	16	16.1		1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	257 (99.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)														$11,289	$2,031	$1,984	$6,045	$5,185	$2,090	$7,275
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	652 N Tyler Ave	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 287-0870	421	24	17.5		1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	419 (99.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12.2	843^rd of 909 public elementary schools	7.3%		22.6	657^th of 912 public elementary schools	28.0%	186		25.0	23.0				15.0	24.0	24.0					$7,577	$432	$146	$1,010	$6,403	$596	$6,999
A J Mitchell Elementary School	Public	K-5	855 N Bautista St	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 287-0840	301	18	16.7		1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	299 (99.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		29.0												$7,130	$450	$142	$1,043	$5,948	$589	$6,537
Little Red Schoolhouse	Public	PK, KG-8	7 Duquesne Rd	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 287-0737	131	9	14.2		3 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	127 (96.9%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)						50.0									$00			$00
Francisco Vasquez De Coronado Elementary School	Public	K-5	2301 N Al Harrison Rd	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 377-2885	508	26	19.5		4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	502 (98.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55.2	348^th of 909 public elementary schools	61.7%		59.7	334^th of 912 public elementary schools	63.4%	14	43.0	61.0	43.0				53.0	52.0	45.0			26.0		$6,391	$505	$39	$1,049	$5,367	$480	$5,847
Mary L Welty Elementary School	Public	K-5	1050 W Cimarron St	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 287-0880	381	19	20.0		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	381 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17.7	736^th of 909 public elementary schools	19.0%		13.9	805^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.7%	69	22.0	38.0	23.0				36.0	22.0	18.0			20.0		$6,707	$383	$71	$838	$5,772	$481	$6,253
Robert Bracker Elementary	Public	K-5	121 Camino Diez Mandamientos	Nogales	85621	Santa Cruz County	Nogales Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 397-7213	272	16	17.0		1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	269 (98.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	56.4	340^th of 909 public elementary schools	62.6%		52.2	390^th of 912 public elementary schools	57.2%	50	50.0	64.0	40.0				56.0	49.0	40.0			29.0		$7,928	$560	$80	$1,200	$6,714	$574	$7,288
Calabasas School	Public	PK, KG-8	1374 W Frontage Rd	Rio Rico	85648	Santa Cruz County	Santa Cruz Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 375-8600	917	42	21.9		4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	907 (98.9%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13.1	823^rd of 909 public elementary schools	9.5%		11.8	843^rd of 912 public elementary schools	7.6%	20	21.0	20.0	24.0	27.0	29.0	32.0	19.0		25.0	16.0	11.0	20.0	24.0	$7,405	$644	$199	$1,487	$5,750	$812	$6,562

Frequently Asked Questions about Challenger Elementary School

What district is Challenger Elementary School in?

Nogales Unified District

How many students attend Challenger Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended Challenger Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Challenger Elementary School?

Students at Challenger Elementary School are 100% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Challenger Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Challenger Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Shadows Middle School
High : Nogales High School

Is Challenger Elementary School a good school?

Challenger Elementary School ranks in the bottom 15.4% of Arizona elementary schools.

Rate Challenger Elementary 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.