Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

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

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

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 Canyon Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

85^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 900 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 91% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Desert Canyon Elementary is a Scottsdale PK–5 school with 453 students in the Scottsdale Unified District. In 2025–26, 70% of students were proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 68% in math, well above state and district results. The key takeaway is that strong overall scores do not make Desert Canyon a local leader: its all-grades results are near the nearby-school averages, and grade-5 ELA is a particular relative weakness.

Desert Canyon’s strongest comparison is against the state and district: ELA proficiency is 29 percentage points above the state and 9 above the district, while math is 35 points above the state and 12 above the district. Compared with nearby schools, ELA is 2 points below the group average, and math is essentially level with it. Grade 5 is less favorable: ELA is 56%, 3 points below the district and 8 below the average among nearby schools with results; grade-5 math is 61%, also 3 points below the district and 5 below its nearby average. Grade-5 science stands out more positively at 66%, 11 points above both the district and the nearby-school average.

Grade-5 science has fluctuated, moving from 69% in 2022–23 to 52% in 2023–24 and 66% in 2024–25, so it has not risen steadily. SchoolDigger ranks Desert Canyon 85th out of 900 statewide, at the 91st percentile with 5 stars; its percentile was 94 the year before and reached 97 in 2017–18. Its student-teacher ratio is 13.1, below the nearby average of 15.1; its reported free/reduced-lunch rate was 7% in 2022–23. SchoolDigger’s older subgroup rankings also show notable variation: the school’s statewide percentile for serving Multi-racial Students fell from 98 in 2020–21 to 20 in 2021–22, then rose to 46 in 2022–23, while its overall percentile was 96 that year; for Low Socio Economic Status Students, it rose from 63 to 94 between 2021–22 and 2022–23. Nearby schools serve different grade spans, and historical ELA and math results and current subgroup rankings are not available.

453

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$7,545

Per pupil spending ?

7.3%

Directly certified for free meals (2024-25) ?

95.7%

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

Exemptions: 7.2% (any vaccine)

10203 E McDowell Mountain Ranc
Scottsdale, AZ 85255-8600

(480) 484-1700

District: Scottsdale Unified District

Students who attend Desert Canyon Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Desert Canyon Middle School
High:	Desert Mountain High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.3%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Two or more races:

9.1%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Canyon Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 97th percentile in 2016 → 91st in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (69% vs 37% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 9% of Arizona elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school69%

District avg58%

Arizona avg37%

85^th of 900

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Top 9%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From top 3% (2016) to top 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

7^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Scottsdale Unified District

75^th of 267Scottsdale 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	89.2	85 of 900	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	92.0	56 of 909	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	97 of 912	89.4%	★★★★☆
2023	94.6	52 of 1245	95.8%	★★★★★
2022	92.1	44 of 1000	95.6%	★★★★★
2021	93.9	63 of 1226	94.9%	★★★★★
2019	93.3	44 of 1039	95.8%	★★★★★
2018	95.3	28 of 1109	97.5%	★★★★★
2017	96.0	27 of 1106	97.6%	★★★★★
2016	95.3	31 of 1079	97.1%	★★★★★
2015	95.8	23 of 955	97.6%	★★★★★
2014	90.3	69 of 1079	93.6%	★★★★★
2013	91.7	20 of 1158	98.3%	★★★★★
2012	90.1	30 of 1141	97.4%	★★★★★
2011	91.6	37 of 1075	96.6%	★★★★★
2010	90.8	48 of 1090	95.6%	★★★★★
2009	91.7	27 of 1062	97.5%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	92.0	18 of 607	97.0%	★★★★★
2022	67.6	78 of 289	73.0%	★★★★☆
2021	56.9	243 of 895	72.8%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	75.0	64 of 316	79.7%	★★★★☆
2022	48.8	134 of 270	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	59.7	247 of 620	60.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	39.1	780 of 975	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	75.5	104 of 579	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	86.1	49 of 589	91.7%	★★★★★
2024	79.1	83 of 602	86.2%	★★★★☆
2023	95.9	26 of 1219	97.9%	★★★★★
2022	91.2	33 of 824	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	91.9	75 of 1219	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	94.0	19 of 862	97.8%	★★★★★
2018	94.9	27 of 1023	97.4%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	77.8	186 of 1170	84.1%	★★★★☆
2022	88.9	45 of 716	93.7%	★★★★★
2021	68.9	274 of 1198	77.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	87.9	70 of 1116	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	62.7	226 of 618	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	84.4	69 of 591	88.3%	★★★★☆
2025	84.0	65 of 626	89.6%	★★★★☆
2024	77.5	106 of 628	83.1%	★★★★☆
2023	90.3	99 of 1216	91.9%	★★★★★
2022	85.9	65 of 830	92.2%	★★★★★
2021	91.5	85 of 1220	93.0%	★★★★★
2019	86.3	82 of 850	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	94.8	33 of 1032	96.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	48.0	331 of 617	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	33.0	357 of 444	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	89.3	21 of 1027	98.0%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	74.3	116 of 820	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	51.4	85 of 145	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	88.0	33 of 1201	97.3%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2026	72.7	88 of 437	79.9%	★★★★☆
2025	81.8	46 of 465	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	70.3	118 of 486	75.7%	★★★★☆
2023	86.7	76 of 1024	92.6%	★★★★★
2022	87.0	39 of 800	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	88.5	50 of 1161	95.7%	★★★★★
2019	83.6	54 of 595	90.9%	★★★★★
2018	89.5	37 of 720	94.9%	★★★★★

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)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)94th percentile~ school

Male (2026)88th percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)86th percentile-10 vs school

Hispanic (2023)84th percentile-12 vs school

Female (2026)82nd percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)80th percentile-11 vs school

Asian (2023)80th percentile-16 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)46th percentile-49 vs school

English Language Learner (2021)20th percentile-75 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts70%+29 vs state

Mathematics68%+35 vs state

5.0

2 ratings · 1 written review

5★2

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★0

Rate Desert Canyon Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Our family has been at DCES 6 years and we love the education and close community. Our students have grown so much academically and they love their teachers, their specials and the Mandarin Immersion Program. We’re so grateful for the opportunities at DCES. Close Quote

Schools Near Desert Canyon Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

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 Canyon Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10203 E McDowell Mountain Ranc	Scottsdale	85255	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-1700	453	35	13.1	7.3%	314 (69.3%)	9 (2.0%)	55 (12.1%)	27 (6.0%)	3 (0.7%)	4 (0.9%)	41 (9.1%)	89.2	85^th of 900 public elementary schools	90.6%		92	56^th of 909 public elementary schools	93.8%	29	76.0	78.0	56.0				70.0	72.0	71.0	61.0				68.0	95.7%	7.2%	$7,545	$274	$01	$549	$6,863	$408	$7,271
Cheyenne Traditional School	Public	PK, KG-8	13636 N 100th St	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-5600	953	49	19.6	4.6%	748 (78.5%)	6 (0.6%)	91 (9.5%)	62 (6.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (4.7%)	96.2	25^th of 900 public elementary schools	97.2%		97.1	10^th of 909 public elementary schools	98.9%	15	76.0	84.0	76.0	73.0	91.0	82.0	81.0	69.0	80.0	89.0	75.0	69.0	59.0	73.0	85.7%	15.3%	$5,968	$80	$482	$642	$5,322	$85	$5,406
Redfield Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	9181 E Redfield Rd	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-4000	420	36	11.6	19.3%	237 (56.4%)	25 (6.0%)	71 (16.9%)	51 (12.1%)	8 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	27 (6.4%)	70.4	239^th of 900 public elementary schools	73.4%		69.9	253^rd of 909 public elementary schools	72.2%	14	62.0	55.0	60.0				59.0	47.0	49.0	58.0				51.0	85.7%	12.2%	$8,690	$60	$656	$776	$7,896	$78	$7,974
Copper Ridge School	Public	PK, KG-8	10101 E Thompson Peak Pkwy	Scottsdale	85255	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-1400	554	40	13.8	5.2%	444 (80.1%)	9 (1.6%)	52 (9.4%)	19 (3.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.7%)	73.6	210^th of 900 public elementary schools	76.7%		81.4	145^th of 909 public elementary schools	84.0%	65	54.0	78.0	46.0	67.0	68.0	68.0	63.0	61.0	78.0	49.0	42.0	38.0	39.0	48.0			$7,613	$185	$499	$870	$6,365	$563	$6,928
BASIS Scottsdale Primary - West Campus	Public, Charter	K-4	7496 E Tierra Buena Ln	Scottsdale	85258	Maricopa County	BASIS Charter Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 900-1858	464	25	18.5	—	87 (18.8%)	13 (2.8%)	43 (9.3%)	291 (62.7%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	28 (6.0%)	98.9	5^th of 900 public elementary schools	99.4%		98.5	6^th of 909 public elementary schools	99.3%	1	84.0	89.0					86.0	88.0	88.0					88.0	82.6%	4.3%	$10,691	$382	$45	$808	$6,686	$3,578	$10,264
Laguna Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	10475 E Lakeview Dr	Scottsdale	85258	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-2400	369	31	11.9	10.8%	262 (71.0%)	4 (1.1%)	52 (14.1%)	30 (8.1%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.3%)	72.2	220^th of 900 public elementary schools	75.6%		80.8	150^th of 909 public elementary schools	83.5%	70	56.0	62.0	60.0				60.0	60.0	48.0	52.0				53.0	88.9%	8.9%	$10,408	$295	$761	$1,351	$9,050	$301	$9,352
Anasazi Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	12121 N 124th St	Scottsdale	85259	Maricopa County	Scottsdale Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 484-7300	423	29	14.6	13.5%	293 (69.3%)	8 (1.9%)	59 (13.9%)	28 (6.6%)	5 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (6.9%)	89	86^th of 900 public elementary schools	90.4%		88.3	81^st of 909 public elementary schools	91.1%	5	63.0	71.0	69.0				69.0	59.0	69.0	71.0				68.0	89.7%	12.8%	$7,345	$91	$996	$1,178	$6,354		$6,258
Sonoran Sky Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	12990 N 75th St	Scottsdale	85032	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6500	567	36	15.5	10.1%	405 (71.4%)	13 (2.3%)	75 (13.2%)	25 (4.4%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	45 (7.9%)	95.9	26^th of 900 public elementary schools	97.1%		95.1	33^rd of 909 public elementary schools	96.4%	7	80.0	83.0	67.0	78.0			78.0	84.0	84.0	71.0	70.0			78.0	94.5%	6.8%	$8,366	$269	$127	$665	$7,557	$413	$7,970
Sandpiper Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6724 E Hearn Rd	Scottsdale	85032	Maricopa County	Paradise Valley Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 449-6300	429	29	15.0	11.7%	217 (50.6%)	2 (0.5%)	172 (40.1%)	2 (0.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (7.2%)	83.9	122^nd of 900 public elementary schools	86.4%		74.5	207^th of 909 public elementary schools	77.2%	85	78.0	72.0	62.0	62.0			70.0	77.0	48.0	64.0	54.0			61.0	80%	3.6%	$10,275	$539	$154	$1,231	$9,129	$453	$9,583
BASIS Scottsdale Primary - East Campus	Public, Charter	K-5	7214 E Jenan Dr	Scottsdale	85260	Maricopa County	BASIS Charter Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 391-1099	489	34	14.3	—	156 (31.9%)	12 (2.5%)	46 (9.4%)	231 (47.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (8.4%)	97.2	15^th of 900 public elementary schools	98.3%		97	11^th of 909 public elementary schools	98.8%	4	76.0	84.0					81.0	82.0	81.0					82.0			$11,713	$383	$90	$855	$6,967	$4,274	$11,241

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Canyon Elementary

What schools do graduates of Desert Canyon Elementary attend?

Students who attend Desert Canyon Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Canyon Middle School
High : Desert Mountain High School

What is the racial makeup of Desert Canyon Elementary?

Students at Desert Canyon Elementary are 69% White, 12% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

Is Desert Canyon Elementary a good school?

Yes. Desert Canyon Elementary ranks in the top 9.4% of Arizona elementary schools.

How many students attend Desert Canyon Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 453 students attended Desert Canyon Elementary.

What district is Desert Canyon Elementary in?

Scottsdale Unified District

Rate Desert Canyon Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona Elementary School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Scottsdale, AZ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Desert Canyon Elementary!

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.