Summary:
Zip code 85602 has one listed middle school, Benson Middle School, serving grades 5–8 and enrolling 286 students, so there are no other local middle schools to compare with it. In 2025–26, its all-grade results were above Arizona’s in both English language arts (ELA), 46% versus 41%, and math, 35% versus 33%. The most important finding for families is that these positive overall results mask a weaker grade 6: students there were below the state in both subjects.
Because it is the only school listed, Benson is both the top and bottom school in this area’s comparison; its results are best understood against state figures and across grades. Its strongest state-relative results are in grades 7 and 8: ELA is 7 points above the state in each, while math is 9 points above in grade 7 and 10 points above in grade 8. By contrast, grade 6 is 1 point below the state in ELA and 3 points below in math. The gap between Benson’s highest and lowest reported grades is 10 points in ELA and 13 points in math. Grade 8 science also stands out: 43% were proficient in 2024–25, compared with 30% statewide, a 13-point advantage.
SchoolDigger’s rankings have been fairly steady: Benson was at the 61st percentile in 2023–24 and the 60th percentile in both 2024–25 and 2025–26; its current rating is 3 stars. Its listed rank was 214 of 536 in 2025–26, compared with 216 of 550 in 2023–24. The school reports a 22:1 student–teacher ratio, but no free/reduced-lunch rate is provided. The supplied data has only one year of ELA and math results, so the ranking history does not show whether test scores themselves are rising or falling.
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