Summary:
Zip code 85540 has three Metcalf Elementary, Fairbanks Middle, and Morenci High—serving PK through grade 12 in the Morenci Unified District. In 2025–26, Metcalf led the group with 53% proficiency in ELA and 51% in math; Fairbanks had 38% and 19%, and Morenci High had 28% and 18%. The state figures were 41% in ELA and 33% in math. The clearest takeaway is a sharp divide: Metcalf is above state levels in both subjects, while both older schools are below.
Metcalf stands out at the top, exceeding the state by 12 points in ELA and 18 in math; its results are 15 points higher in ELA and 32 in math than Fairbanks, and 25 and 33 points higher than Morenci High. The elementary school’s advantage is especially strong in grade 4, where results were 16 points above state in ELA and 19 above in math, versus 4 and 6 points in grade 3. Morenci High is lowest in ELA and nearly lowest in math, trailing the state by 13 and 15 points. At Fairbanks, math is below state in every reported grade by 11–14 points, while ELA ranges from 4 points above to 10 below. Science offers a brighter comparison: Fairbanks was above state in both reported grades in 2024–25, as was Morenci High in grade 11.
SchoolDigger’s 2025–26 rankings follow the same order: Metcalf was at the 67th percentile, Fairbanks at the 39th, and Morenci High at the 29th. Compared with 2023–24, those rankings declined by 4, 2, and 5 percentile points, respectively, with Fairbanks briefly rising to the 45th percentile in 2024–25. Size and staffing do not show a simple connection to results: Metcalf is largest, with 777 students and 18 students per teacher, while Morenci High has 361 students and a 6.8 ratio; Fairbanks has 398 students and a 9.1 ratio. Free/reduced-lunch figures are unavailable, and the schools serve different grade spans, so their all-grades results are not fully like-for-like.
Thank you for your feedback!