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

Rivera Elementary

Public Grades K-6

760^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 909 Arizona Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Arizona elementary schools

Summary

Rivera Elementary is a public elementary school located in Tucson, Arizona, serving grades K-6 with a student population of 419. It is part of the Sunnyside Unified District, which is ranked 267 out of 289 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Rivera Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Arizona elementary schools over the past decade, with its statewide ranking ranging from 760 to 1,130 out of around 900-1,200 schools. It has received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state. The school's academic performance is particularly low, with only 27-28% of students proficient in English Language Arts and Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 36-46%. Additionally, Rivera Elementary has a very high percentage of students from low-income families, with 88.86% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023, significantly higher than the state average.

The challenges faced by Rivera Elementary are not unique, as the other elementary schools in the immediate vicinity, such as Esperanza, Ocotillo, Drexel, and Los Amigos, also perform poorly compared to the state average, with most ranking in the bottom quarter of Arizona elementary schools. This suggests that the educational challenges in the Sunnyside Unified District and the surrounding area are systemic and will require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to address effectively.

454

Students ?

18.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$8,065

Per pupil spending ?

88.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5102 S Cherry Ave
Tucson, AZ 85706-1451

(520) 545-3900

District: Sunnyside Unified District

Students who attend Rivera Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Apollo Middle School
High:	Sunnyside High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

94.1%

American Indian:

2.2%

White:

1.8%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Rivera Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 8th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (26% vs 41% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 16 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg23%

Arizona avg41%

760^th of 909

Arizona public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 8% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 10Elementary Schools in the Sunnyside Unified District

267^th of 289Sunnyside 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
2025	16.4	760 of 909	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	886 of 912	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	1085 of 1245	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.3	897 of 1000	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.4	1130 of 1226	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	19.0	847 of 1039	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.5	782 of 1109	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	23.1	849 of 1106	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	19.9	887 of 1079	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	13.3	876 of 955	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	17.5	954 of 1079	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.4	870 of 1158	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.4	852 of 1141	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	22.7	897 of 1075	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.4	1004 of 1090	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.1	960 of 1062	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.5	423 of 451	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	45.9	313 of 975	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.8	46 of 155	70.3%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	17.8	1043 of 1219	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.1	1111 of 1219	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	732 of 862	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	26.9	742 of 1023	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	24.4	367 of 496	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.8	1005 of 1170	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	652 of 716	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.3	1105 of 1198	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	22.6	576 of 709	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.6	542 of 911	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	43.2	190 of 423	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	21.7	946 of 1116	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.8	497 of 820	39.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	14.2	1114 of 1216	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	1129 of 1220	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.4	726 of 850	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.0	660 of 1032	36.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	34.8	689 of 1027	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	28.0	602 of 654	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	38.9	664 of 1201	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.6	351 of 417	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	21.9	1009 of 1161	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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 (2021)55th percentile+47 vs school

Special Education (2021)45th percentile+37 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)33rd percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)26th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)15th percentile~ school

Female (2023)14th percentile~ school

White (2021)13th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2023)8th percentile-4 vs school

Native American (2021)8th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2023)6th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics26%-16 vs state

English Language Arts26%-15 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Rivera Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Rivera 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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Rivera Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)						AASA Mathematics (2025)					AzSCI Science (2025)		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	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	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
Rivera Elementary	Public	K-6	5102 S Cherry Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3900	454	24	18.9		8 (1.8%)	5 (1.1%)	427 (94.1%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	16.4	760^th of 909 public elementary schools	16.4%		8.7	886^th of 912 public elementary schools	2.9%	126	27.0	22.0		28.0			26.0							$8,065	$1,161	$25	$2,348	$6,313	$566	$6,879
Esperanza Elementary School	Public	K-6	2353 E Bantam Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2900	437	26	16.8		25 (5.7%)	3 (0.7%)	393 (89.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	7 (1.6%)	9.9	879^th of 909 public elementary schools	3.3%		13.4	811^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.1%	68		20.0		24.0			19.0							$7,921	$725	$00	$1,451	$6,808	$387	$7,195
Ocotillo Early Learning Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	5702 S Campbell Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3600	284	24	11.9		13 (4.6%)	4 (1.4%)	254 (89.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)								(n/a)														$19,785	$1,733		$3,466	$17,130	$921	$18,051
Sierra K-8 School	Public	K-8	5801 S Del Moral Blvd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 542-3200	801	54	14.9		12 (1.5%)	38 (4.7%)	720 (89.9%)	3 (0.4%)	14 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	13 (1.6%)								(n/a)		22.0			15.0	23.0		15.0		9.0	12.0		15.0	$7,125	$626	$37	$1,290	$5,960	$502	$6,462
Drexel Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	801 E Drexel Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-2700	515	25	21.0		13 (2.5%)	17 (3.3%)	454 (88.2%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	9.1	883^rd of 909 public elementary schools	2.9%					(n/a)	21.0	21.0	19.0	16.0			18.0	19.0						$7,085	$934	$01	$1,870	$5,549	$600	$6,150
Los Amigos Elementary School	Public	K-6	2200 E Drexel Rd	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3200	613	38	16.2		30 (4.9%)	13 (2.1%)	562 (91.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)	14.9	789^th of 909 public elementary schools	13.2%		14.7	786^th of 912 public elementary schools	13.8%	3	27.0	27.0	26.0	21.0			29.0	20.0	22.0			19.0		$7,607	$769	$04	$1,543	$6,481	$352	$6,833
Van Buskirk Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	725 E Fair St	Tucson	85714	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-3700	287	25	11.6		10 (3.5%)	4 (1.4%)	268 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	24.9	625^th of 909 public elementary schools	31.2%		31.7	561^st of 912 public elementary schools	38.5%	64	34.0	23.0	30.0						33.0						$00			$00
Liberty Elementary School	Public	K-6	5495 S Liberty Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Sunnyside Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 545-3100	490	23	21.6		11 (2.2%)	8 (1.6%)	450 (91.8%)	2 (0.4%)	11 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	13.7	815^th of 909 public elementary schools	10.3%		14.3	792^nd of 912 public elementary schools	13.2%	23	22.0	17.0		33.0			18.0							$7,429	$846	$07	$1,698	$6,164	$412	$6,576
La Paloma Academy-South	Public, Charter	K-8	5660 S 12th Ave	Tucson	85706	Pima County	Arizona Community Development Corporation	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 807-9668	501	17	29.4		24 (4.8%)	4 (0.8%)	468 (93.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		26.0						22.0							$00			$00
Hollinger K-8 School	Public	PK, KG-8	150 W Ajo Way	Tucson	85713	Pima County	Tucson Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 225-1700	542	35	15.5		21 (3.9%)	8 (1.5%)	502 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17	748^th of 909 public elementary schools	17.7%		14.1	798^th of 912 public elementary schools	12.5%	50	26.0	30.0	22.0			13.0		27.0	25.0			23.0			$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Rivera Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Rivera Elementary?

Students at Rivera Elementary are 94% Hispanic, 2% American Indian, 2% White, 1% African American.

How many students attend Rivera Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 454 students attended Rivera Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Rivera Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rivera Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Apollo Middle School
High : Sunnyside High School

Is Rivera Elementary a good school?

Rivera Elementary ranks in the bottom 16.4% of Arizona elementary schools.

What district is Rivera Elementary in?

Sunnyside Unified District

Rate Rivera Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona Elementary School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Tucson, AZ

Sign up for updates!

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

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.