Schools in Zip Code 85281

ZIP code 85281 has 11 schools—five elementary, two middle and four high schools—with 6,033 students enrolled. Across schools with reported all-grades results, average proficiency is about 30% in English language arts (ELA) and 17% in math, compared with state benchmarks of 41% and 33%. The results vary widely, but the clearest area-wide finding is that math trails the state more than ELA.

New School for the Arts High School stands out: its all-grades results are 49% in ELA and 41% in math, and its 11th graders score 49% in ELA, 41% in math and 42% in science—11, 10 and 23 points above their respective state benchmarks. New School for the Arts Middle School leads reported all-grades ELA at 50%, but its math result is 18%, below the state’s 33%. Among elementary schools with both results, Holdeman Elementary leads at 29% ELA and 20% math. At the other end, Geneva Epps Mosley Middle School has the lowest reported all-grades results: 16% ELA and 4% math. SchoolDigger ranks it last in its group (536 of 536, 0 stars); Flora Thew Elementary is also near the bottom (842 of 900, 0 stars).

SchoolDigger rankings moved in different directions, so they do not show a consistent upward trend in test performance: among five schools ranked in both 2023–24 and 2025–26, percentile changes ranged from Geneva’s 7-point drop to Scales Technology Academy’s 16-point rise, averaging a 5-point increase. The same-grade high-school comparison also favors New School for the Arts: it exceeds Tempe High School by 24 points in 11th-grade ELA and 23 points in math. School size alone does not sort results: Holdeman and Scales have similar student-teacher ratios (14.5 and 14.0), yet report different scores; Student Choice High School has a ratio of 61.6 and 5% 11th-grade math proficiency. Student Choice also reports a 35% graduation rate versus 80% statewide, while its 14% dropout rate is above the state’s 5%. These figures describe reported school results, not what an individual student is guaranteed to experience.