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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

Safford Middle School

Q: Is Safford Middle School a good school?

Safford Middle School ranks 320 th of 536 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

320^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 536 Arizona Middle Schools

Better than 40% of Arizona middle schools

Summary

Safford Middle School in Safford, Arizona, serves grades 7–8 and enrolls 375 students, making it the largest of the three nearby middle schools; Pima Junior High School and Thatcher Middle School enroll 180 and 273 students, respectively. The clearest concern for families is math: in 2025–26, 22% of Safford students were proficient, 11 percentage points below the state and below both nearby schools.

ELA is stronger than math overall, but results vary by grade. Safford’s all-grade ELA proficiency was 37%, compared with 34% at Pima and 44% at Thatcher; it was also below the 39% district result and 41% state result. In eighth-grade ELA, Safford’s 33% trailed both nearby schools, at 38% and 41%. Math was 22% overall, versus 24% at Pima and 26% at Thatcher, and compared with 29% in the Safford Unified District and 33% statewide. Science offers a brighter local trend, though its latest eighth-grade result—26% in 2024–25—was below Pima’s 28% and Thatcher’s 43%.

Science proficiency has risen from 20% in 2022–23 to 26% in 2024–25, while the gap with the state narrowed from 7 percentage points to 4. SchoolDigger ranked Safford 320th of 536 Arizona schools in 2025–26, at the 40th percentile with 2 stars; its percentile moved from 36 to 44, then back to 40 over the three reported years. The latest student-teacher ratio was 20.4 in 2024–25, higher than Pima’s 20.0 and Thatcher’s 14.1; the school reported a 50% free/reduced-lunch rate in 2022–23. SchoolDigger’s statewide measure of how well schools serve each student group placed White Students at the 17th percentile in 2025–26, compared with 40 overall; Special Education Students were at the 14th percentile in 2022–23, after 75 in 2020–21, but the reported years do not show a continuous trend. ELA and math results are available for only one year, and nearby lunch rates were not provided.

375

Students ?

20.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$6,294

Per pupil spending ?

37.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

698 W 11th St
Safford, AZ 85546-2998

(928) 348-7040

District: Safford Unified District

Students who attend Safford Middle School usually attend:

High:

Safford High School

Feeder schools for Safford Middle School:

Elementary:	Dorothy Stinson School
	Lafe Nelson School
	Ruth Powell Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.1%

White:

40.5%

Two or more races:

2.4%

See top rated Arizona middle schools

Compare Safford Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (29% vs 37% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg34%

Arizona avg37%

320^th of 536

Arizona public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 38% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

169^th of 267Safford 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	31.2	320 of 536	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	34.0	307 of 552	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.3	350 of 550	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.6	426 of 854	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.3	363 of 605	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.7	289 of 832	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.2	295 of 605	51.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.4	236 of 711	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2017	47.8	298 of 695	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	54.2	255 of 677	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	42.8	263 of 521	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	70.4	192 of 690	72.2%	★★★★☆
2013	58.4	316 of 787	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.0	262 of 772	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.4	222 of 685	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	67.4	210 of 692	69.7%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	68.1	83 of 400	79.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	26.6	264 of 370	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.1	252 of 395	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.6	290 of 386	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.0	447 of 806	44.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.5	321 of 494	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.3	272 of 820	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.9	234 of 466	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.9	185 of 624	70.4%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	30.2	215 of 338	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	31.4	218 of 345	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	22.6	250 of 329	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.7	393 of 760	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.5	245 of 392	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.3	229 of 802	71.4%	★★★★☆
2019	42.3	199 of 387	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.3	216 of 543	60.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	32.9	195 of 328	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.6	177 of 344	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.3	215 of 320	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.3	361 of 717	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.4	220 of 369	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.6	141 of 503	72.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	20.7	285 of 370	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.8	295 of 379	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	287 of 370	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.1	402 of 810	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.8	367 of 476	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	52.0	310 of 818	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.9	288 of 435	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.3	251 of 617	59.3%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	42.9	342 of 650	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	41.2	189 of 390	51.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	20.0	313 of 363	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.6	197 of 789	75.0%	★★★★☆
2018	35.2	101 of 178	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	19.2	224 of 270	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.1	224 of 277	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.2	246 of 288	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.9	503 of 675	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	17.3	388 of 446	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.9	349 of 780	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.7	267 of 337	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.5	202 of 436	53.7%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2023)79th percentile+29 vs school

Native American (2021)52nd percentile-14 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)47th percentile-18 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)41st percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)36th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)29th percentile-12 vs school

Male (2026)23rd percentile-17 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile-23 vs school

Special Education (2023)14th percentile-36 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts37%-4 vs state

Mathematics22%-11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Safford Middle 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 (2025)
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 All Grades	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th 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
Safford Middle School	Public	7-8	698 W 11th St	Safford	85546	Graham County	Safford Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 348-7040	375	18	20.4	37.3%	152 (40.5%)	4 (1.1%)	203 (54.1%)	1 (0.3%)	6 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.4%)	31.2	320^th of 536 public middle schools	40.3%		34	307^th of 552 public middle schools	44.4%	13	41.0	33.0	37.0	22.0	23.0	22.0	$6,294	$50	$08	$58	$5,695	$542	$6,236
Thatcher Middle School	Public	7-8	1300 North 4th Avenue	Thatcher	85552	Graham County	Thatcher Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(928) 348-7260	273	19	14.1	22.3%	185 (67.8%)	4 (1.5%)	76 (27.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	41.5	256^th of 536 public middle schools	52.2%		53.7	212^th of 552 public middle schools	61.6%	44	47.0	41.0	44.0	26.0	26.0	26.0	$6,919	$00			$6,617	$302	$6,919
Pima Junior High School	Public	7-8	192 E. 200 S.	Pima	85543	Graham County	Pima Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(928) 387-8101	180	9	20.0	28.3%	123 (68.3%)	2 (1.1%)	47 (26.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	29.6	333^rd of 536 public middle schools	37.9%		31.8	318^th of 552 public middle schools	42.4%	15	30.0	38.0	34.0	16.0	32.0	24.0	$8,329	$00			$7,679	$650	$8,329

Frequently Asked Questions about Safford Middle School

What district is Safford Middle School in?

Safford Unified District

How many students attend Safford Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended Safford Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Safford Middle School attend?

Students who attend Safford Middle School usually go on to attend Safford High School

What is the racial makeup of Safford Middle School?

Students at Safford Middle School are 54% Hispanic, 41% White, 2% Two or more races, 2% American Indian, 1% African American.

Is Safford Middle School a good school?

Safford Middle School ranks 320^th of 536 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Safford Middle School!

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Latest Arizona data All new data »

2022–23 through 2024–25 school spending dataNewNov 2, 2026

2018–19 through 2021–22 school spending data (updated)NewNov 2, 2026

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

2025–26 AASA test scoresOct 13, 2026

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.