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Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-6

19^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary serves 908 students in prekindergarten through Grade 6 in Queen Creek, within the Queen Creek Unified District. SchoolDigger gives the district four stars and a statewide rank at the 72nd percentile, while the school earns five stars and ranks at the 98th percentile. The most important finding for families is that the school led the supplied nearby-school group in both all-grades ELA and math in 2025–26, with proficiency rates of 78% and 81%.

The school’s strongest comparative edge is in math: its 81% proficiency rate was 48 points above the state, 27 points above the district, and 38 points above the nearby-school average of 43%. In ELA, its 78% rate was 37 points above the state, 23 above the district, and 30 above the nearby average of 48%. Grade 5 ELA is the school’s relative soft spot: 68% proficiency was 10 points below its all-grades ELA rate, but still led nearby schools by 8 points and exceeded the state rate by 30 points. Grade 5 science was another standout: 75% proficiency in 2024–25, compared with 34% statewide and a 37% nearby average.

Grade 5 science results have risen from 57% in 2022–23 to 69% and then 75%, while the state rate remained 34%; the school’s advantage over the state grew from 23 to 41 points. SchoolDigger’s overall percentile has remained between 96 and 99 across six reported years. One notable subgroup result is that SchoolDigger ranked the school’s effectiveness for multiracial students at the 55th percentile in 2022–23, down from the 91st percentile in 2020–21 and well below the school’s overall 97th percentile that year—a signal to examine how well the school is serving this group. The school’s 22.4 student-teacher ratio was third-highest among the nine nearby schools, whose average was 18.7; its reported free/reduced-lunch rate was 6.97% in 2022–23, but no nearby rates are available for comparison.

908

Students ?

22.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,694

Per pupil spending ?

6.9%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

19684 S. 225th Pl
Queen Creek, AZ 85142

(480) 987-7490

District: Queen Creek Unified District

Students who attend Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary usually attend:

High:

Eastmark High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.1%

Hispanic:

18.9%

Two or more races:

3.4%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2021 → 98th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (80% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Arizona elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Queen Creek Unified District

Worth a look

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

!Large classes — about 22 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school80%

District avg54%

Arizona avg37%

19^th of 900

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▼ down 1 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9Elementary Schools in the Queen Creek Unified District

74^th of 267Queen Creek 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
2026	96.7	19 of 900	97.9%	★★★★★
2025	95.4	29 of 909	96.8%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	35 of 912	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	38 of 1245	96.9%	★★★★★
2022	93.7	27 of 1000	97.3%	★★★★★
2021	98.4	9 of 1226	99.3%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	72.5	117 of 607	80.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	92.5	22 of 579	96.2%	★★★★★
2025	87.6	42 of 589	92.9%	★★★★★
2024	84.5	59 of 602	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.0	61 of 1219	95.0%	★★★★★
2022	91.9	27 of 824	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	97.9	5 of 1219	99.6%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	96.4	16 of 500	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	86.7	92 of 1170	92.1%	★★★★★
2022	85.2	67 of 716	90.6%	★★★★★
2021	94.3	30 of 1198	97.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	98.2	6 of 1116	99.5%	★★★★★
2022	85.8	51 of 618	91.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	93.9	22 of 591	96.3%	★★★★★
2025	94.3	19 of 626	97.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.1	24 of 628	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	95.7	30 of 1216	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	27 of 830	96.7%	★★★★★
2021	97.3	16 of 1220	98.7%	★★★★★

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	92.0	1 of 239	99.6%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	51.6	276 of 617	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	79.7	96 of 1027	90.7%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	94.3	16 of 820	98.0%	★★★★★
2022	89.2	10 of 145	93.1%	★★★★★
2021	87.5	36 of 1201	97.0%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	90.0	21 of 437	95.2%	★★★★★
2025	86.1	26 of 465	94.4%	★★★★★
2024	86.2	29 of 486	94.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	25 of 1024	97.6%	★★★★★
2022	89.4	29 of 800	96.4%	★★★★★
2021	94.8	7 of 1161	99.4%	★★★★★

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)

Military Connected (2021)100th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)99th percentile+3 vs school

Special Education (2023)98th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile~ school

Male (2026)96th percentile~ school

Female (2026)96th percentile~ school

White (2026)95th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2023)81st percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)55th percentile-42 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics81%+48 vs state

English Language Arts78%+37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary

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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 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts All Grades	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th 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
Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	19684 S. 225th Pl	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-7490	908	41	22.4	6.9%	646 (71.1%)	30 (3.3%)	172 (18.9%)	19 (2.1%)	4 (0.4%)	6 (0.7%)	31 (3.4%)	96.7	19^th of 900 public elementary schools	97.9%		95.4	29^th of 909 public elementary schools	96.8%	10	82.0	84.0	68.0	75.0	78.0	79.0	89.0	78.0	75.0	81.0	$6,694	$149		$299	$5,630	$915	$6,545
Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Crismon	Public, Charter	K-6	22120 E Queen Creek Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-0722	834	37	22.5	—	591 (70.9%)	9 (1.1%)	149 (17.9%)	14 (1.7%)	8 (1.0%)	2 (0.2%)	61 (7.3%)	53.1	365^th of 900 public elementary schools	59.4%		60.9	313^th of 909 public elementary schools	65.6%	52	54.0	56.0	49.0	52.0	53.0	40.0	44.0	38.0	29.0	38.0	$5,816	$326	$166	$818	$4,401	$923	$5,324
Jack Barnes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	20750 S 214th St	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-7400	621	37	17.0	17.6%	360 (58.0%)	24 (3.9%)	170 (27.4%)	23 (3.7%)	6 (1.0%)	5 (0.8%)	33 (5.3%)	61.4	309^th of 900 public elementary schools	65.7%		50.1	384^th of 909 public elementary schools	57.8%	75	57.0	55.0	43.0	59.0	53.0	49.0	44.0	41.0	46.0	45.0	$7,101	$242		$485	$6,219	$639	$6,858
American Leadership Academy Signal Butte K-6	Public, Charter	K-6	Apn 304-64-878	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	American Leadership Academy Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 420-2101	457	41	11.2	20.1%	272 (59.5%)	11 (2.4%)	148 (32.4%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.8%)	54	360^th of 900 public elementary schools	60.0%		44.3	444^th of 909 public elementary schools	51.2%	84	51.0	42.0	47.0	48.0	47.0	51.0	33.0	50.0	36.0	44.0	$10,587	$677	$1,955	$3,308	$6,093	$1,862	$7,955
Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	22801 E Via Del Jardin	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 474-6900	1,153	55	20.9	12.3%	791 (68.6%)	19 (1.6%)	259 (22.5%)	20 (1.7%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	55 (4.8%)	84.9	111^th of 900 public elementary schools	87.7%		81.8	143^rd of 909 public elementary schools	84.3%	32	64.0	66.0	60.0	53.0	61.0	69.0	72.0	68.0	58.0	67.0	$5,196	$213	$27	$453	$4,378	$578	$4,956
Happy Valley School East Campus	Public, Charter	K-6	266 E Westbrooke Rd	San Tan Valley	85204	Maricopa County	Happy Valley East	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 888-1342	396	22	18.0	31.6%	210 (53.0%)	32 (8.1%)	140 (35.4%)	9 (2.3%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	30.8	544^th of 900 public elementary schools	39.6%		31.2	551^st of 909 public elementary schools	39.4%	7	42.0	40.0	41.0	44.0	41.0	24.0	26.0	32.0	21.0	25.0		$00			$00
Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	22706 East Village Loop Rd	Queen Creek	85142	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 987-7420	642	36	17.8	18.2%	381 (59.3%)	21 (3.3%)	187 (29.1%)	2 (0.3%)	6 (0.9%)	3 (0.5%)	42 (6.5%)	86.1	105^th of 900 public elementary schools	88.3%		73.7	217^th of 909 public elementary schools	76.1%	112	48.0	75.0	54.0	69.0	62.0	72.0	79.0	67.0	63.0	70.0	$7,003	$355	$10	$720	$5,782	$855	$6,638
Cambridge Academy East	Public, Charter	K-8	20365 East Ocotillo Road	Queen Creek	85207	Maricopa County	Cambridge Academy East Inc	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 987-3577	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)											$8,360	$570	$407	$1,548	$5,573	$1,809	$7,383
Mountain Trail Academy	Public	PK, KG-6	5626 South Mountain Road	Mesa	85212	Maricopa County	Queen Creek Unified District	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(480) 474-6980	0			—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	79.6	153^rd of 900 public elementary schools	83.0%					(n/a)	59.0	72.0	54.0	68.0	63.0	62.0	62.0	50.0	55.0	57.0
Ranch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	43521 N Kenworthy Rd	San Tan Valley	85140	Pinal County	J O Combs Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 882-3530	509	21	24.2	31.6%	282 (55.4%)	7 (1.4%)	185 (36.3%)	6 (1.2%)	13 (2.6%)	4 (0.8%)	12 (2.4%)	17.6	744^th of 900 public elementary schools	17.3%		43.3	448^th of 909 public elementary schools	50.7%	296	28.0	31.0	22.0	34.0	28.0	25.0	26.0	27.0		25.0	$7,647	$134	$45	$313	$6,852	$617	$7,468

Frequently Asked Questions about Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary

Is Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary a good school?

Yes! Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 19^th of 900 Arizona elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary?

Students at Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary are 71% White, 19% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 3% African American, 2% Asian.

What district is Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary in?

Queen Creek Unified District

What schools do graduates of Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary attend?

Students who attend Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Eastmark High School

How many students attend Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 908 students attended Katherine Mecham Barney 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.