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Best High Schools in Zip Code 85296

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

3,959

Students

Districts

Top rankedHighland High School88^th of 271 Arizona high schools

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Smallest classes

Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert 10.3 students per teacher

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Summary:

The 85296 zip code area in Arizona is home to two public charter high schools: Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert and Desert Hills High School. These schools serve grades 7-12 and 9-12, respectively, with a combined enrollment of over 500 students.

Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert has experienced fluctuating statewide rankings, ranging from 182 out of 509 schools in 2020-2021 to 265 out of 464 schools in 2021-2022. Its test scores in English Language Arts and Science are below the state average. In contrast, Desert Hills High School's statewide ranking has varied more significantly, from 220 out of 464 schools in 2021-2022 to 406 out of 509 schools in 2020-2021. Both schools have a 4-year graduation rate of 78.4% and a dropout rate of 5.2%.

The per-student spending at Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert ($14,429) is higher than that of Desert Hills High School ($12,467), which could be a factor in the schools' performance and resources. Overall, the data suggests that while the two high schools in the 85296 zip code area share some similarities, they also exhibit notable differences in their academic performance, statewide rankings, and financial resources.

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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 8th Grade	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
Desert Hills High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1515 S Val Vista Dr	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	American Charter Schools Foundation d.b.a. Desert	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 813-1151	231	12	19.2	48.5%	71 (30.7%)	15 (6.5%)	72 (31.2%)	1 (0.4%)	62 (26.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.3%)								(n/a)					$12,467	$2,298	$1,370	$5,966	$4,076	$4,723	$8,799
Leading Edge Academy Gilbert Early College	Public, Charter	7-12	717 W Ray Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	LEAD Charter Schools	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 545-8011	194	16	12.3	24.7%	85 (43.8%)	17 (8.8%)	68 (35.1%)	8 (4.1%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (6.2%)	20.4	217^th of 271 public high schools	19.9%		31.4	174^th of 270 public high schools	35.6%	43		24.0	22.0			$00			$00
Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert	Public, Charter	7-12	1120 S. Gilbert Rd.	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	CAFA Inc. dba Learning Foundation and Performing	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 635-9400	259	25	10.3		107 (41.3%)	37 (14.3%)	89 (34.4%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (8.9%)								(n/a)	31.0	33.0			$14,429	$2,028	$957	$5,014	$4,233	$7,210	$11,444
Highland High School	Public	8-12	4301 E Guadalupe Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 813-0051	2,992	139	21.5	15.0%	2,017 (67.4%)	54 (1.8%)	607 (20.3%)	108 (3.6%)	28 (0.9%)	17 (0.6%)	161 (5.4%)	60.6	88^th of 271 public high schools	67.5%		62.1	87^th of 270 public high schools	67.8%	1		59.0	53.0	15.0	$5,707	$85	$36	$207	$5,097	$489	$5,586
Canyon Valley High School	Public	7-12	140 S Gilbert Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	Gilbert Unified District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(480) 507-0519	283	20	14.4		124 (43.8%)	19 (6.7%)	115 (40.6%)	3 (1.1%)	7 (2.5%)	5 (1.8%)	10 (3.5%)								(n/a)
EVIT - American Leadership Academy Gilbert North	Public	9-12	1070 S Higley Rd	Gilbert	85296	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(480) 344-9895	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Cities Near Zip Code 85296

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Gilbert	0.14 mi	81	19^th
Chandler	1.37 mi	72	24^th
Mesa	2.62 mi	164	47^th
Phoenix	5.78 mi	494	57^th
Queen Creek	6.03 mi	41	20^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.