Best Public Schools in Zip Code 85209

Schools in zip code 85209 include eight schools—three elementary, one middle, two high, and two alternative schools—with 6,881 students enrolled. Among the seven schools with reported all-grades results, ELA proficiency ranges from 16% to 62%, while math ranges from 4% to 56%; the simple school averages are 42% in ELA and 32% in math, close to state rates of 41% and 33%. The most important takeaway is that the area is highly uneven: averages near the state rates hide very different results from school to school.

Superstition Springs Elementary leads the reported all-grades results, with 62% proficient in ELA and 56% in math—21 and 23 points above state rates—and ranks at the 81st statewide percentile in SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 rankings. Augusta Ranch Elementary leads the three schools with fifth-grade science results at 49%, versus 39% at Superstition Springs and 42% at Noah Webster Schools- Mesa; the state rate is 34%. At the other end, Virtual School of Arizona and State Online School report just 16% and 17% in ELA and 5% and 4% in math. Desert Ridge High also stands out in eighth grade: its 68% ELA and 54% math results exceed Desert Ridge Junior High by 19 and 15 points.

SchoolDigger’s statewide percentiles improved for several schools, but not all: from 2023–24 to 2025–26, Desert Ridge High rose 11 points, Desert Ridge Junior High and Superstition Springs each rose 8, while Augusta Ranch fell 1 and Noah Webster fell 5. The five-school average increased 4 points, from 62 to 66; that ranking trend does not establish that test scores improved. Other details do not point to a simple size or ratio pattern: the online schools have similar enrollments (849 and 839) and similarly low results, while Superstition Springs and Augusta Ranch have similar student-teacher ratios (14.8 and 14.4) but different all-grades and science leaders. Grade spans differ, current scores for Superstition High School are suppressed, and free/reduced-lunch figures are unavailable.