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New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Arizona rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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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

Desert Sunset Elementary School

Q: Is Desert Sunset Elementary School a good school?

Desert Sunset Elementary School ranks 652 nd of 900 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

652^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 28% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Sunset Elementary School serves 648 students in prekindergarten through Grade 5 in Buckeye, in the Saddle Mountain Unified School District, which SchoolDigger places at the 12th percentile statewide and rates one star. In 2025–26, the school’s all-grades proficiency was 33% in English language arts (ELA) and 28% in math—both higher than the district’s 27% and 22%, but below the state’s 41% and 33%. Compared with nearby schools, it was 3 points above the ELA average and 2 points above the math average. The main takeaway is that Desert Sunset is doing better than its district and nearby-school averages, but still trails the state in both subjects.

Grade 4 is a relative bright spot, while Grade 3 math is the clearest concern. In Grade 4, proficiency was 40% in both ELA and math; math matched the state rate and was 5 points above the district, while ELA was 5 points above the district and 7 below the state. Grade 4 math was also 3 points above the nearby-school average. By contrast, Grade 3 math proficiency was 19%, compared with 24% in the district and 38% statewide; it was 11 points below the nearby-school average, and only one nearby result was lower. SchoolDigger’s student-group rankings also raise concerns: Male Students ranked at the 6th percentile in 2025–26, compared with the school’s overall 28th percentile; the group ranking fell from the 16th percentile in 2023–24 to the 5th in 2024–25. Special Education Students ranked at the 6th percentile in 2022–23, compared with the school’s overall 49th percentile that year. These rankings compare how well the school serves each group with other schools’ results for the same group.

Science has recovered from a low point but remains below the state rate. Fifth-grade proficiency went from 32% in 2022–23 to 17% in 2023–24 and 24% in 2024–25; the latest result is 10 points below the state’s 34% and 1 point below the nearby-school average. SchoolDigger’s overall statewide percentile fell from 49 in 2022–23 to 28 in 2025–26, a decline of 21 points, though the current percentile is close to the nearby-school average of 27. The school has a one-star SchoolDigger rating. Its 2024–25 student–teacher ratio was 23.1, compared with a nearby-school average of 21.0; only one nearby school had a higher ratio. The only reported free/reduced-lunch rate is 47% in 2022–23, and comparable nearby rates are unavailable.

648

Students ?

23.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

37.7%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

86.7%

Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR) (2025-26)

Exemptions: 12% (any vaccine)

30919 W. White Tanks Vista Dr
Buckeye, AZ 85396

(623) 474-5601

District: Saddle Mountain Unified School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

58.6%

White:

24.4%

African American:

10.2%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Sunset Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 49th percentile in 2023 → 28th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (30% vs 37% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2023

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school30%

District avg24%

Arizona avg37%

652^nd of 900

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 21 pts since 2023

From bottom 49% (2023) to bottom 28% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3Elementary Schools in the Saddle Mountain Unified School District

236^th of 267Saddle Mountain Unified 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	23.0	652 of 900	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.0	623 of 909	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.7	656 of 912	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.1	635 of 1245	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	35.5	408 of 607	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	17.7	494 of 579	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	502 of 589	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.8	527 of 602	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.2	613 of 1219	49.7%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	376 of 500	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	27.4	348 of 496	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	726 of 1170	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	25.2	409 of 529	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	436 of 549	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.2	374 of 556	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	578 of 1116	48.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	10.0	556 of 591	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	9.4	593 of 626	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	529 of 628	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.3	686 of 1216	43.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	44.2	369 of 617	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	18.9	767 of 820	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	323 of 465	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.6	280 of 486	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.6	628 of 1024	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)40th percentile-9 vs school

African American (2023)33rd percentile-16 vs school

White (2025)31st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)23rd percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)15th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2023)6th percentile-43 vs school

Male (2026)6th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts33%-8 vs state

Mathematics28%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Desert Sunset 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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				AASA English Language Arts (2026)							AASA Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		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 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th 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 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Kindergartners fully immunized against measles (MMR)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	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
Desert Sunset Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	30919 W. White Tanks Vista Dr	Buckeye	85396	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(623) 474-5601	648	28	23.1	37.7%	158 (24.4%)	66 (10.2%)	380 (58.6%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.2%)	5 (0.8%)	29 (4.5%)	23	652^nd of 900 public elementary schools	27.6%		25	623^rd of 909 public elementary schools	31.5%	29	28.0	40.0	30.0				33.0	19.0	40.0	24.0				28.0	86.7%	12%
Tartesso Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	29677 W Indianola Ave	Buckeye	85396	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5400	340	19	18.3	36.5%	99 (29.1%)	27 (7.9%)	195 (57.4%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	14 (4.1%)	26.1	605^th of 900 public elementary schools	32.8%		34.7	517^th of 909 public elementary schools	43.1%	88	33.0	31.0	35.0				33.0	35.0	24.0	35.0				31.0	87.2%	14.9%	$8,544	$364	$91	$819	$6,329	$1,759	$8,089
Winters Well Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	35220 W Buckeye Rd	Tonopah	85354	Maricopa County	Saddle Mountain Unified School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 474-5301	663	26	25.5	56.0%	130 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	520 (78.4%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.6%)	15.9	769^th of 900 public elementary schools	14.6%		13.9	807^th of 909 public elementary schools	11.2%	38	17.0	32.0	23.0				24.0	23.0	37.0	17.0				26.0	94.3%	3.8%	$8,738	$415	$136	$966	$6,352	$1,835	$8,187
Westpark Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2700 S 257th Dr	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 435-3282	652	39	16.9	44.2%	129 (19.8%)	81 (12.4%)	379 (58.1%)	5 (0.8%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	50 (7.7%)	45.2	429^th of 900 public elementary schools	52.3%		49.1	394^th of 909 public elementary schools	56.7%	35	33.0	52.0	24.0	41.0	53.0	50.0	42.0	47.0	72.0	39.0	35.0	48.0	72.0	51.0	82.5%	8.8%	$9,185	$430	$87	$946	$6,898	$1,771	$8,669
Imagine Schools at Buckeye	Public, Charter	K-8	2400 S 247th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	West Gilbert Charter Elementary School Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 250-4580	441	18	24.5	35.8%	106 (24.0%)	24 (5.4%)	281 (63.7%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	22 (5.0%)	23.2	649^th of 900 public elementary schools	27.9%		17.8	733^rd of 909 public elementary schools	19.4%	84	34.0	33.0			43.0		30.0	30.0	29.0					18.0	88.9%	4.4%		$00			$00
John S McCain III Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	3170 S 247th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 925-3400	777	36	21.5	41.2%	189 (24.3%)	24 (3.1%)	515 (66.3%)	5 (0.6%)	12 (1.5%)	3 (0.4%)	29 (3.7%)	25	620^th of 900 public elementary schools	31.1%		19.5	712^th of 909 public elementary schools	21.7%	92	37.0	31.0	20.0	20.0	23.0	34.0	28.0	49.0	32.0	34.0	17.0		37.0	30.0	86.4%	13.6%	$10,733	$354	$80	$788	$7,314	$2,984	$10,299
Steven R. Jasinski Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	4280 S 246th Ave	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 925-3100	855	42	20.3	44.2%	162 (18.9%)	88 (10.3%)	551 (64.4%)	8 (0.9%)	5 (0.6%)	3 (0.4%)	38 (4.4%)	21.8	671^st of 900 public elementary schools	25.4%		26.2	605^th of 909 public elementary schools	33.4%	66	20.0	25.0	21.0	39.0	38.0	39.0	32.0	19.0	41.0	24.0	31.0	25.0	44.0	31.0	77.1%	15.7%	$8,768	$431	$83	$946	$6,561	$1,692	$8,253
Sundance Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	23800 W Hadley St	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 847-8531	656	33	19.8	51.1%	92 (14.0%)	82 (12.5%)	435 (66.3%)	9 (1.4%)	9 (1.4%)	4 (0.6%)	25 (3.8%)	23.5	644^th of 900 public elementary schools	28.4%		26.1	607^th of 909 public elementary schools	33.2%	37		45.0	18.0	25.0	28.0	32.0	28.0	30.0	42.0	19.0	26.0		27.0	26.0	90.9%	7.6%	$8,329	$520	$82	$1,121	$6,170	$1,557	$7,728
Palo Verde Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	10700 S. Palo Verde Road	Palo Verde	85343	Maricopa County	Palo Verde Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 327-3680	482	23	20.9	48.3%	106 (22.0%)	10 (2.1%)	355 (73.7%)	2 (0.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	5 (1.0%)	24.2	630^th of 900 public elementary schools	30.0%		32.3	543^rd of 909 public elementary schools	40.3%	87	29.0	39.0	25.0	35.0	25.0	38.0	32.0	24.0	37.0					18.0	94.1%	7.8%	$13,346	$1,964	$1,954	$5,883	$7,679	$1,749	$9,428
Bales Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	25400 W Maricopa Rd	Buckeye	85326	Maricopa County	Buckeye Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(623) 847-8503	699	35	19.9	54.8%	117 (16.7%)	54 (7.7%)	507 (72.5%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (2.0%)	17	754^th of 900 public elementary schools	16.2%		19.9	706^th of 909 public elementary schools	22.3%	48	18.0	27.0	32.0	27.0	31.0		25.0	13.0		31.0	25.0	14.0		17.0	89.7%	11.5%	$9,848	$606	$92	$1,303	$7,002	$2,148	$9,151

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Sunset Elementary School

How many students attend Desert Sunset Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 648 students attended Desert Sunset Elementary School.

What district is Desert Sunset Elementary School in?

Saddle Mountain Unified School District

What is the racial makeup of Desert Sunset Elementary School?

Students at Desert Sunset Elementary School are 59% Hispanic, 24% White, 10% African American, 4% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

Is Desert Sunset Elementary School a good school?

Desert Sunset Elementary School ranks 652^nd of 900 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Desert Sunset Elementary 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 scoresNewOct 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.