Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 85224

The 85224 zip code area in Arizona is home to two middle schools - Arizona College Prep Middle School and John M Andersen Junior High School, both serving grades 6-8 and part of the Chandler Unified District #80. While Arizona College Prep Middle School stands out as an exceptional performer, consistently ranking among the top middle schools in the state, John M Andersen Junior High School lags behind in academic achievement.

Arizona College Prep Middle School has significantly higher proficiency rates than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with 93% of 8th graders proficient in ELA compared to 53% for the district and 40% for the state. In contrast, John M Andersen Junior High School's proficiency rates range from 9-30%, well below the district and state. Despite spending less per student ($6,690) than John M Andersen Junior High School ($8,463), Arizona College Prep Middle School's exceptional performance is evident in its 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Both schools have a 5.2% dropout rate, an area that could benefit from further investigation and potential improvement efforts. The student-teacher ratios are relatively similar, with Arizona College Prep Middle School at 19.1 and John M Andersen Junior High School at 18.4, suggesting this may not be a key driver of the performance differences. Overall, the data highlights the stark contrast in academic performance between the two middle schools in the 85224 zip code, with Arizona College Prep Middle School emerging as a standout institution that is significantly outperforming its peer school and the broader district and state averages.