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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Arizona do not yet include the AzSCI Science tests, which have not yet been released by the Arizona Department of Education

South Mountain High School

Public Grades 9-12

242^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 256 Arizona High Schools

Better than 5% of Arizona high schools

Summary

South Mountain High School is a public school serving grades 9–12 in Phoenix, with 2,207 students, and is part of the Phoenix Union High School District. In 2025–2026, 10% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 8% in math, compared with 41% and 33% statewide. The most important finding for families is that results in both core subjects are substantially below state and district levels.

Test results are also among the lowest reported by nearby schools: South Mountain’s math proficiency was 8%, compared with 11%–34% at nearby schools with results, and its ELA rate was 10%, compared with 11%–45%. The nearby-school averages were 19% in math and 31% in ELA; district rates were 14% and 18%. Science is relatively closer to state and district results, but remains low: South Mountain had 6% proficiency in 11th-grade science in 2024–2025, versus 19% statewide and 9% in the district. Nearby ASU Preparatory Academy - Phoenix 7-12 and AAEC - SMCC Campus had 20% and 21%. Graduation is a clear bright spot: South Mountain’s 2024–2025 rate was 81%, above the state’s 80% and district’s 78%.

Graduation improved from 71% in 2020–2021 to 81% in 2024–2025, while science proficiency declined from 10% in 2022–2023 to 6% in 2024–2025. SchoolDigger’s overall ranking rose from the 1st percentile to the 5th over the past three years, but the school still ranked 242nd of 256 and received 0 stars in 2025–2026. It is also much larger than nearby schools: enrollment was 2,207, compared with 615 at the next-largest, and its student-teacher ratio was 20.7 versus a nearby average of 15.7. Its only reported free/reduced-lunch rate was 85% in 2022–2023. SchoolDigger’s group-specific rankings showed a sharp historical decline for English learner students, from the 92nd percentile in 2020–2021 to the 12th in 2022–2023, and for special education students, from the 52nd to the 5th percentile. Those subgroup figures stop in 2022–2023, and nearby test comparisons include only schools with reported results.

2,207

Students ?

20.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,998

Per pupil spending ?

50.8%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

5401 S 7th St
Phoenix, AZ 85040-3104

(602) 764-5000

District: Phoenix Union High School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

78.7%

African American:

15.0%

White:

2.9%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare South Mountain High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 27th percentile in 2016 → 5th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (9% vs 37% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg16%

Arizona avg37%

242^nd of 256

Arizona public high schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 21 pts since 2016

From bottom 27% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

14^th of 14High Schools in the Phoenix Union High School District

229^th of 267Phoenix Union High 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
2026	7.2	242 of 256	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.4	264 of 271	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.3	266 of 270	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.2	373 of 469	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.7	387 of 464	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.9	331 of 509	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	9.6	281 of 285	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	18.6	327 of 420	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.5	327 of 416	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	21.1	298 of 406	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.8	227 of 261	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.0	262 of 394	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	42.4	278 of 491	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.7	247 of 471	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2011	42.4	227 of 397	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	46.8	224 of 403	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	43.6	231 of 395	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	10.5	198 of 201	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	29.4	195 of 301	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	32.2	186 of 306	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	14.0	28 of 33	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.7	108 of 122	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	19.3	21 of 24	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.7	53 of 258	79.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	49.7	24 of 312	92.3%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	6.3	183 of 198	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.3	199 of 207	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	200 of 200	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.8	369 of 406	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.4	366 of 456	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.7	317 of 492	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.3	244 of 247	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	304 of 354	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Foster Care

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	30.5	48 of 116	58.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	8.6	156 of 170	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	11.1	174 of 176	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.6	168 of 170	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.0	312 of 379	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	360 of 441	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.6	284 of 479	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	12.1	182 of 183	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	21.5	246 of 311	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	73.6	14 of 60	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.1	14 of 150	90.7%	★★★★★
2021	31.1	69 of 168	58.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.2	25 of 26	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	9.5	173 of 176	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	13.4	177 of 180	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	169 of 172	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	23.6	283 of 347	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	158 of 168	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.4	195 of 253	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	5.6	196 of 215	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.7	222 of 223	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.5	217 of 219	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	334 of 429	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.0	384 of 455	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.2	322 of 492	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	8.5	238 of 238	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	313 of 370	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	19.8	64 of 102	37.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	26.3	157 of 199	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.2	229 of 282	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.1	248 of 374	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	44.2	96 of 255	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.0	67 of 256	73.8%	★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	27.2	41 of 94	56.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.9	164 of 172	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	32.4	192 of 380	49.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.7	204 of 422	51.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	23.2	293 of 371	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	51.5	165 of 409	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.6	185 of 448	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	21.2	231 of 291	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆

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)77th percentile+56 vs school

Native American (2022)62nd percentile+46 vs school

Foster Care (2022)59th percentile+42 vs school

Pacific Islander (2021)56th percentile+21 vs school

Military Connected (2021)37th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2023)21st percentile~ school

White (2023)21st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)12th percentile-8 vs school

Male (2026)9th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)8th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)5th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)2nd percentile-4 vs school

African American (2023)1st percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts10%-31 vs state

Mathematics8%-25 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Mountain High 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 (2026)				Ranking (2025)				AASA English Language Arts (2026)				AASA Mathematics (2026)				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	Directly certified (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA English Language Arts All Grades	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics All Grades	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
South Mountain High School	Public	9-12	5401 S 7th St	Phoenix	85040	Maricopa County	Phoenix Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 764-5000	2,207	107	20.7	50.8%	64 (2.9%)	332 (15.0%)	1,737 (78.7%)	10 (0.5%)	28 (1.3%)	5 (0.2%)	31 (1.4%)	7.2	242^nd of 256 public high schools	5.5%		10.4	264^th of 271 public high schools	2.6%	22			10.0	10.0			8.0	8.0	$9,998	$803	$252	$1,858	$8,107	$836	$8,943
International Commerce High School - Phoenix	Public, Charter	9-12	432 E Southern	Phoenix	85040	Maricopa County	International Commerce Secondary Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 317-5900	202	14	14.0	—	7 (3.5%)	16 (7.9%)	172 (85.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (2.0%)								(n/a)									$9,900	$1,202	$126	$2,530	$4,975	$3,598	$8,572
ASU Preparatory Academy - South Phoenix 7-12	Public, Charter	7-12	4445 S 12th St	Phoenix	85287	Maricopa County	ASU Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(602) 842-1722	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)	27.0	28.0	28.0	27.0		26.0		19.0
Hope College and Career Readiness Academy	Public	9-12	1938 E Apache Blvd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	Maricopa County Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 875-5265	0	4	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)			10.0	10.0						$00			$00
Paideia Liberal Arts Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	1535 E Baseline Rd	Phoenix	85042	Maricopa County	The Paideia Academies Inc	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 343-3043	266	21	12.6	51.5%	29 (10.9%)	41 (15.4%)	183 (68.8%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)								(n/a)	33.0	31.0		34.0		13.0		11.0		$00			$00
NFL YET College Prep Academy	Public, Charter	7-12	4848 S 2nd St	Phoenix	85040	Maricopa County	Espiritu Community Development Corp.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 243-7788	368	20	18.0	50.3%	7 (1.9%)	12 (3.3%)	343 (93.2%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	46.0	44.0	22.0	38.0	37.0	45.0		34.0		$00			$00
Kaizen Education Foundation dba Quest High School	Public, Charter	9-12	217 E Olympic Dr	Phoenix	85042	Maricopa County	Kaizen Education Foundation dba Tempe Accelerated	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 243-8496	84	7	12.0	67.9%	5 (6.0%)	11 (13.1%)	66 (78.6%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)								(n/a)									$14,719	$2,946	$1,747	$7,638	$4,880	$5,146	$10,027
AAEC - SMCC Campus	Public, Charter	9-12	2002 E Baseline Rd	Phoenix	85012	Maricopa County	Arizona Agribusiness & Equine Center Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 323-9890	426	20	21.3	—	16 (3.8%)	22 (5.2%)	379 (89.0%)	3 (0.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	39.3	135^th of 256 public high schools	47.3%		48.4	119^th of 271 public high schools	56.1%	16			45.0	45.0			21.0	21.0		$00			$00
South Pointe High School	Public, Charter	9-12	8325 S Central Ave	Phoenix	85042	Maricopa County	American Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. South P	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 243-0600	615	28	21.9	65.2%	21 (3.4%)	132 (21.5%)	438 (71.2%)	3 (0.5%)	14 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.1%)	8.9	236^th of 256 public high schools	7.8%		7.4	270^th of 271 public high schools	0.4%	34			11.0	11.0			11.0	11.0	$10,668	$1,556	$1,127	$4,240	$3,620	$4,365	$7,985
ASU Preparatory Academy - Phoenix 7-12	Public, Charter	7-12	735 E Fillmore St	Phoenix	85006	Maricopa County	ASU Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 496-3100	360	28	12.8	—	20 (5.6%)	60 (16.7%)	254 (70.6%)	9 (2.5%)	10 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	19.2	191^st of 256 public high schools	25.4%		27	187^th of 271 public high schools	31.0%	4	30.0	29.0	23.0	28.0	13.0	16.0	19.0	16.0		$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about South Mountain High School

What district is South Mountain High School in?

Phoenix Union High School District

What is the racial makeup of South Mountain High School?

Students at South Mountain High School are 79% Hispanic, 15% African American, 3% White, 1% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend South Mountain High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,207 students attended South Mountain High School.

What schools feed into South Mountain High School?

South Mountain High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : C O Greenfield School
Elementary : Cloves C Campbell Senior Elementary School
Elementary : Irene Lopez School
Elementary : John F Kennedy Elementary School
Elementary : Percy L Julian School
Elementary : T G Barr School

Is South Mountain High School a good school?

South Mountain High School ranks in the bottom 5.5% of Arizona high schools.

Rate South Mountain High School!

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2015–16 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 AASA test scoresOct 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesDec 2, 2025

2024–25 graduation ratesNov 7, 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.