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Explorer Middle School

Q: Is Explorer Middle School a good school?

Explorer Middle School ranks 74 th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

74^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 552 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 87% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Explorer Middle School is a public middle school located in Phoenix, Arizona, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 641 students. The school is part of the Paradise Valley Unified District, which is ranked 106 out of 289 districts in Arizona and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Explorer Middle School consistently performs above the district and state averages in standardized test scores across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 65% of 7th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 53% for the district and 42% for the state. Similarly, in 8th-grade Mathematics, Explorer Middle School had 59% proficiency, while the district and state had 43% and 27%, respectively. The school has maintained a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 15% of Arizona middle schools in recent years, and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

When compared to other middle schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District, Explorer Middle School outperforms its peers in academic measures, such as standardized test scores and statewide rankings. While the school is a high-performing institution, there are a few areas where it could potentially improve, such as the performance of African American and Native American students, as well as English Language Learners, which have lower rankings compared to other subgroups. Overall, Explorer Middle School is a standout performer within the district and the state, with a strong academic program and a focus on equity for all students.

607

Students ?

19.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,002

Per pupil spending ?

5.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

22401 N 40th St
Phoenix, AZ 85050-8732

(602) 449-4200

District: Paradise Valley Unified District

Students who attend Explorer Middle School usually attend:

High:

Pinnacle High School

Feeder schools for Explorer Middle School:

Elementary:	Desert Trails Elementary School
	Fireside Elementary School
	Grayhawk Elementary School
	Pinnacle Peak Preparatory
	More...
	Wildfire Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.9%

Hispanic:

12.9%

Two or more races:

4.4%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Explorer Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 95th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (57% vs 33% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Arizona middle schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Paradise Valley Unified District

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg45%

Arizona avg33%

74^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From top 5% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 6Middle Schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District

106^th of 289Paradise Valley 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	81.6	74 of 552	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.9	76 of 550	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	87.5	75 of 854	91.2%	★★★★★
2022	78.9	92 of 605	84.8%	★★★★☆
2021	87.9	72 of 832	91.3%	★★★★★
2019	87.6	59 of 605	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	48 of 711	93.2%	★★★★★
2017	93.4	31 of 695	95.5%	★★★★★
2016	95.4	24 of 677	96.5%	★★★★★
2015	93.1	27 of 521	94.8%	★★★★★
2014	92.6	25 of 690	96.4%	★★★★★
2013	88.8	42 of 787	94.7%	★★★★★
2012	87.0	49 of 772	93.7%	★★★★★
2011	90.4	34 of 685	95.0%	★★★★★
2010	91.0	33 of 692	95.2%	★★★★★
2009	88.2	47 of 663	92.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	46.5	192 of 400	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.6	65 of 129	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.1	260 of 573	54.6%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	70.7	58 of 247	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	59.8	70 of 192	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	75.5	60 of 404	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	26.7	27 of 31	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	45.2	29 of 42	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

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	70.4	79 of 395	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	73.6	70 of 386	81.9%	★★★★☆
2023	88.4	58 of 806	92.8%	★★★★★
2022	77.8	67 of 494	86.4%	★★★★☆
2021	84.7	85 of 820	89.6%	★★★★☆
2019	80.3	67 of 466	85.6%	★★★★☆
2018	91.3	36 of 624	94.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	73 of 345	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	65 of 329	80.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.9	93 of 760	87.8%	★★★★☆
2022	75.9	64 of 392	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.6	146 of 802	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	80.1	62 of 387	84.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.5	43 of 543	92.1%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	73.8	59 of 344	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	76.7	47 of 320	85.3%	★★★★☆
2023	64.5	168 of 717	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	82.0	59 of 503	88.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	77.4	58 of 379	84.7%	★★★★☆
2024	76.9	59 of 370	84.1%	★★★★☆
2023	84.8	81 of 810	90.0%	★★★★★
2022	74.9	74 of 476	84.5%	★★★★☆
2021	88.9	58 of 818	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	35 of 435	92.0%	★★★★★
2018	91.7	39 of 617	93.7%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	74.9	48 of 384	87.5%	★★★★☆
2022	55.2	84 of 211	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	81.9	51 of 650	92.2%	★★★★★
2019	63.2	4 of 14	71.4%	★★★★☆
2018	91.3	2 of 43	95.3%	★★★★★

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	46.0	150 of 390	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	34.7	208 of 363	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	74.4	49 of 789	93.8%	★★★★★
2018	61.2	37 of 178	79.2%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	61.2	89 of 277	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.9	93 of 288	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.5	106 of 675	84.3%	★★★★☆
2022	60.5	153 of 446	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	77.8	105 of 780	86.5%	★★★★☆
2019	72.9	71 of 337	78.9%	★★★★☆
2018	82.6	47 of 436	89.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Multi-racial (2023)88th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)83rd percentile-4 vs school

Female (2025)80th percentile-7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)79th percentile-8 vs school

Asian (2023)77th percentile-15 vs school

White (2025)68th percentile-19 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)68th percentile-24 vs school

Native American (2021)62nd percentile-30 vs school

African American (2023)52nd percentile-39 vs school

Special Education (2023)43rd percentile-49 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts61%+20 vs state

Mathematics60%+32 vs state

Science45%+15 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★0

4★1

3★0

2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, December 5, 2011

The teachers are great. The students are not what you would expect for the area. They are nasty, mean and low class. The administration? Pretty lackluster as far as protecting the better acting students. The academics, again, standard PVUSD; they teach towards high AIMS scores...so average in that area. Close Quote

by a student
Saturday, March 20, 2010

Judging by my time at Explorer Middle School, I am comfortable saying that it is a ''pretty good'' school. Yes, it possessed flaws, but really, what school doesn't? (For example: I am a student who struggles in math, and when I attended Explorer, there were so many students in my math class that my teacher found it difficult to assist me. Eventually, I did end up moving schools). Overall, it's not a bad school at all, perhaps just a bit ''crowded,'' as public schools tend to be. I have no grudges against it. Close Quote

Schools Near Explorer Middle 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
Explorer Middle School	Public	5-8	22401 N 40th St	Phoenix	85050	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4200	607	31	19.5		473 (77.9%)	8 (1.3%)	78 (12.9%)	19 (3.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (4.4%)	81.6	74^th of 552 public middle schools	86.6%		81.9	76^th of 550 public middle schools	86.2%	2		65.0	57.0		60.0	59.0	45.0	$6,002	$187	$138	$512	$5,487	$190	$5,677
Mountain Trail Middle School	Public	5-8	2323 E Mountain Gate Pass	Phoenix	85024	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-4600	835	39	21.4		461 (55.2%)	14 (1.7%)	250 (29.9%)	58 (6.9%)	6 (0.7%)	5 (0.6%)	41 (4.9%)	77.6	94^th of 552 public middle schools	83.0%		65.8	151^st of 550 public middle schools	72.5%	57		66.0	59.0		50.0	47.0	47.0	$6,163	$525	$176	$1,226	$5,094	$367	$5,462
Sonoran Trails Middle School	Public	6-8	5555 East Pinnacle Vista Drive	Phoenix	85054	Maricopa County	Cave Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 272-8600	615	32	19.4		486 (79.0%)	4 (0.7%)	88 (14.3%)	4 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	28 (4.6%)	55	207^th of 552 public middle schools	62.5%		70	131^st of 550 public middle schools	76.2%	76		47.0	44.0		40.0	36.0	39.0	$2,721	$60	$60	$181	$2,035	$566	$2,600
Sunrise Middle School	Public	5-8	4960 E Acoma Dr	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6100	390	25	15.7		192 (49.2%)	16 (4.1%)	133 (34.1%)	22 (5.6%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.2%)	65.3	155^th of 552 public middle schools	71.9%		72.5	125^th of 550 public middle schools	77.3%	30		53.0	53.0		41.0	42.0	43.0	$9,127	$870	$218	$1,959	$7,702	$337	$8,039
Greenway Middle School	Public	5-8	3002 E Nisbet Rd	Phoenix	85032	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 449-2400	646	38	17.0		62 (9.6%)	52 (8.0%)	497 (76.9%)	7 (1.1%)	15 (2.3%)	2 (0.3%)	11 (1.7%)	12.6	507^th of 552 public middle schools	8.2%		11.4	515^th of 550 public middle schools	6.4%	8		21.0	21.0		13.0	15.0	12.0	$8,288	$510	$191	$1,210	$7,055	$533	$7,588
Desert Shadows Middle School	Public	5-8	5858 E Sweetwater Ave	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6800	791	39	20.1		547 (69.2%)	14 (1.8%)	139 (17.6%)	26 (3.3%)	13 (1.6%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.4%)	81	75^th of 552 public middle schools	86.4%		74.4	115^th of 550 public middle schools	79.1%	40		63.0	58.0		56.0	61.0	45.0	$6,111	$194	$100	$487	$5,382	$436	$5,818
Mountain Sky Middle School	Public	7-8	16225 N 7th Ave	Phoenix	85023	Maricopa County	Washington Elementary School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 896-6100	672	32	21.1		235 (35.0%)	58 (8.6%)	320 (47.6%)	10 (1.5%)	17 (2.5%)	2 (0.3%)	30 (4.5%)	36.6	293^rd of 552 public middle schools	46.9%		27.9	353^rd of 550 public middle schools	35.8%	60		42.0	38.0		24.0	26.0	30.0	$6,668	$408	$103	$919	$5,323	$834	$6,157
Cocopah Middle School	Public	6-8	6615 E Cholla St	Scottsdale	85254	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4400	861	44	19.5		654 (76.0%)	29 (3.4%)	104 (12.1%)	46 (5.3%)	4 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	23 (2.7%)	92	37^th of 552 public middle schools	93.3%		92.2	38^th of 550 public middle schools	93.1%	1	72.0	71.0	67.0	74.0	69.0	69.0	54.0	$6,404	$81	$437	$599	$5,468	$418	$5,886
Mission Montessori Academy's Middle Years Program	Public, Charter	4-8	4530 E Gold Dust Ave	Phoenix	85028	Maricopa County	The Farm at Mission Montessori Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 699-4950	43	4	10.7		25 (58.1%)	1 (2.3%)	12 (27.9%)	1 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (9.3%)								(n/a)	89.0		80.0						$00			$00
Shea Middle School	Public	5-8	2728 E Shea Blvd	Phoenix	85028	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-3500	476	33	14.4		227 (47.7%)	20 (4.2%)	187 (39.3%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	31 (6.5%)	38.5	279^th of 552 public middle schools	49.5%		31.1	331^st of 550 public middle schools	39.8%	52		40.0	39.0		29.0	21.0	35.0	$9,578	$632	$185	$1,449	$8,078	$683	$8,761

Frequently Asked Questions about Explorer Middle School

Is Explorer Middle School a good school?

Explorer Middle School ranks 74^th of 552 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Explorer Middle School attend?

Students who attend Explorer Middle School usually go on to attend Pinnacle High School

What is the racial makeup of Explorer Middle School?

Students at Explorer Middle School are 78% White, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 1% African American.

What district is Explorer Middle School in?

Paradise Valley Unified District

How many students attend Explorer Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 607 students attended Explorer Middle School.

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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.