Summary:
Zip code 85209 has one listed middle school, Desert Ridge Junior High, serving grades 7–8. Its 2025–26 results cover English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, while the latest listed science result is for grade 8 in 2024–25. The central finding for parents is that the school performs above Arizona’s averages in both current tested subjects but below its district averages.
With no other listed school to compare, Desert Ridge Junior High is both the area’s only school and its standout. Its all-grades ELA proficiency is 54%, 13 percentage points above Arizona’s 41% but 4 points below Gilbert Unified District’s 58%. In mathematics, the school’s 40% is 7 points above the state’s 33% and 12 points below the district’s 52%, making the district gap especially pronounced in math. Results are above the state in each listed grade and subject: ELA is 57% in grade 7 and 49% in grade 8, while math is 41% and 39%, respectively. The separate grade 8 science result is 33%, 3 points above Arizona and 11 below the district.
SchoolDigger’s ranking has moved upward: Desert Ridge Junior High rose from the 65th percentile in 2023–24 to the 73rd percentile in 2025–26, and its placement improved from 194th of 550 schools to 147th of 536; it has four stars in 2025–26. These relative rankings do not establish a trend in test scores. The school reports enrollment of 925 and a student–teacher ratio of 19.4:1; no free/reduced-lunch rate is listed. Because only one school is included and comparable ELA and math results across multiple years are not provided, the data cannot show how schools compare locally or whether test scores are rising or falling.
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