Schools in Zip Code 85224

ZIP code 85224 has nine schools—six elementary schools, two middle schools and one alternative school—with listed grade spans from PK–6 to K–12; the supplied all-grades results average 51% in ELA and 43% in math, compared with state figures of 41% and 33%. Those averages hide a sharply divided picture: Arizona College Prep Middle School leads John M Andersen Junior High School by 67 percentage points in ELA and 77 points in math, the most striking difference for families comparing schools in the area.

Arizona College Prep is the clear all-grades leader, with 89% ELA and 88% math proficiency; SchoolDigger ranks it 2nd of 536 middle schools and gives it five stars. At the other end, John M Andersen Junior High records 22% ELA and 11% math, and ranks 496th of 536 with zero stars. The gap also appears in eighth grade: Arizona College Prep scores 88% in ELA, 92% in math and 83% in science, versus 19%, 9% and 19% at John M Andersen. Among elementary schools, Chandler Traditional Academy – Goodman stands out with 68% ELA and 66% math; it and Paragon Science Academy tie for the highest fifth-grade science result, at 61%.

SchoolDigger ranking percentiles show mixed movement, not a steady area-wide rise: among eight schools with histories, the average moved from 53 in 2023–24 to 59 in 2024–25, then to 55 in 2025–26. Over the full period, Summit Academy rose 3 percentile points, while John M Andersen Junior High fell 15; Arizona College Prep stayed at the 100th percentile. Enrollment and student–teacher ratios do not neatly predict results: the two middle schools have similar reported enrollment and ratios—907 students at 17.7:1 versus 772 at 16.2:1—despite their large score gap. Schools serve different grade spans, so all-grades comparisons are not fully like-for-like.