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

Whiteriver Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

Summary

Whiteriver Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Whiteriver, Arizona, with a student population of 397 that is predominantly Native American (98.24%). Despite spending significantly more per student than nearby schools, Whiteriver Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in the state, with proficiency rates on standardized tests well below the state averages.

The school faces significant challenges, including extremely high poverty levels, with over 86% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Whiteriver Elementary's student-teacher ratio is relatively low compared to nearby schools, but its academic performance remains consistently poor, suggesting that simply increasing funding may not be the sole solution. The school's racial homogeneity also raises questions about its ability to address the unique needs and challenges of its student population.

While Whiteriver Elementary and the other schools in the Whiteriver Unified District share similar demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, there are some differences in academic performance and other metrics. This indicates that there may be opportunities to learn from the more successful schools within the district, such as McNary Elementary School, John F. Kennedy Day School, Cradleboard School, and Seven Mile School, and implement best practices to improve outcomes at Whiteriver Elementary.

400

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

86.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1 North 1st Avenue
Whiteriver, AZ 85941

(928) 358-5660

District: Whiteriver Unified District

Racial breakdown:

American Indian:

98.0%

Hispanic:

1.0%

Asian:

0.5%

See top rated Arizona public schools

Compare Whiteriver Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 10th percentile in 2013 → 3rd in 2023

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arizona average (28% vs 43% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2013

!English Language Arts scores 16 pts below the Arizona average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg24%

Arizona avg43%

Not ranked this year

Whiteriver Elementary did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

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
2023	10.7	1205 of 1245	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.3	939 of 1000	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	11.0	1189 of 1226	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.6	1033 of 1039	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.6	1085 of 1109	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.1	1084 of 1106	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	13.2	993 of 1079	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.2	947 of 955	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.4	1035 of 1079	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	19.7	1046 of 1158	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	13.0	1093 of 1141	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	9.2	1025 of 1075	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	10.7	1041 of 1090	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	5.0	1044 of 1062	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	38.6	940 of 975	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	12.8	1152 of 1219	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.9	1158 of 1219	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	1016 of 1023	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2018	10.7	800 of 820	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	10.3	1190 of 1216	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	1198 of 1220	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.2	993 of 1032	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	13.4	1017 of 1027	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	11.7	208 of 219	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	34.1	449 of 654	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.0	17 of 20	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.9	48 of 62	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	25.3	1023 of 1201	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2021)15th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2023)5th percentile~ school

Native American (2023)5th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2021)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2023)2nd percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2021)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts30%-16 vs state

Mathematics26%-14 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Whiteriver 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 Whiteriver 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)		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 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	Total
Whiteriver Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1 North 1st Avenue	Whiteriver	85941	Navajo County	Whiteriver Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 358-5660	400	29	13.7		0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	392 (98.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)	30.0		26.0
Seven Mile School	Public	PK, KG-5	2005 Ft. Apache	Whiteriver	85941	Navajo County	Whiteriver Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 358-5800	437	22	19.8		1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	8 (1.8%)	11 (2.5%)	416 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20.2	699^th of 909 public elementary schools	23.1%		9.8	870^th of 912 public elementary schools	4.6%	171	32.0	27.0	32.0
Cradleboard School	Public	PK, KG-5	7301 N Powerline Rd	Whiteriver	85941	Navajo County	Whiteriver Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 358-5650	265	17	15.5		1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	2 (0.8%)	257 (97.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)		27.0
John F. Kennedy Day School	Public	K-8	110 E Dish Chin Rd	Whiteriver	85941	Gila County	John F. Kennedy Day School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(928) 338-4593	188	10	18.8	98.4%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	188 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Mcnary Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	108 N. Pollack	McNary	85930	Apache County	Mcnary Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(928) 334-2293	183	8	22.8		2 (1.1%)	2 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.1%)	176 (96.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Whiteriver Elementary

What district is Whiteriver Elementary in?

Whiteriver Unified District

What is the racial makeup of Whiteriver Elementary?

Students at Whiteriver Elementary are 98% American Indian.

How many students attend Whiteriver Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 400 students attended Whiteriver Elementary.

Rate Whiteriver Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

AZArizona Elementary School Rankings

AZArizona District Rankings

Schools in Whiteriver, AZ

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Whiteriver 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.