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Best High Schools in Zip Code 85281

Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Arizona Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Arizona Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

At a glance

Schools

3,237

Students

Districts

Top rankedNew School for the Arts47^th of 271 Arizona high schools

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Biggest riser

New School for the Arts up 75 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Tempe High School 18.2 students per teacher

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Summary:

The 85281 zip code area in Tempe, Arizona is home to 4 high schools serving students in grades 9-12: Student Choice High School, Tempe High School, New School for the Arts, and Ombudsman - Charter Northeast. These schools vary in their academic performance, with the New School for the Arts standing out as the highest-achieving institution in the area.

The New School for the Arts is the clear standout, consistently ranking between 47th and 122nd out of all Arizona high schools and maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. This school significantly outperforms the state and district averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics, with 68% and 51% of 11th-grade students proficient or better, respectively. In contrast, Tempe High School lags behind the state and district averages in all subject areas.

While the 4-year graduation rates and dropout rates are similar across all four schools, the New School for the Arts stands out in terms of academic performance and statewide ranking. New School for the Arts appears to be providing a higher-quality education compared to the other schools in the 85281 zip code area, which could make it an attractive option for parents seeking a strong academic program for their children.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)	AASA Mathematics (2025)	AzSCI Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2023)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
New School for the Arts	Public, Charter	9-12	1216 E Apache Blvd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	New School For The Arts	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 252-5414	173				95 (54.9%)	7 (4.0%)	45 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.4%)	80.1	47^th of 271 public high schools	82.7%		48.9	122^nd of 270 public high schools	54.8%	75	68.0	51.0	42.0		$00			$00
Ombudsman - Charter Northeast	Public, Charter	9-12	1290 N. Scottsdale Road STE 13	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a subsidiary	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(602) 485-9872	93	3	31.0		18 (19.4%)	10 (10.8%)	49 (52.7%)	2 (2.2%)	14 (15.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$00			$00
Student Choice High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1833 N Scottsdale Rd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	GAR LLC dba Student Choice High School	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(623) 242-0689	1,540	25	61.6		222 (14.4%)	168 (10.9%)	1,078 (70.0%)	18 (1.2%)	46 (3.0%)	7 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)								(n/a)				$2,926	$00			$1,903	$1,022	$2,926
Hope College and Career Readiness Academy	Public	9-12	1938 E Apache Blvd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	Maricopa County Regional School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(602) 875-5265	0	4	.0	29.3%	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00
Tempe High School	Public	9-12	1730 S Mill Ave	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	Tempe Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 967-1661	1,431	78	18.2	50.9%	112 (7.8%)	168 (11.7%)	1,012 (70.7%)	13 (0.9%)	58 (4.1%)	25 (1.7%)	43 (3.0%)	20.6	215^th of 271 public high schools	20.7%		24.3	193^rd of 270 public high schools	28.5%	22	28.0	16.0	13.0	$8,594	$465	$405	$1,334	$7,077	$648	$7,724
EVIT - Tempe High School	Public	9-12	1730 S Mill Ave	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$00			$00

Cities Near Zip Code 85281

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Tempe	0.37 mi	57	43^rd
Scottsdale	2.37 mi	62	12^th
Mesa	3.09 mi	164	47^th
Phoenix	3.33 mi	494	57^th
Guadalupe	4.11 mi	1	94^th

See the top AZ Arizona cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.