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What's one thing Cactus Canyon Junior High gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
527
Middle
DISTRICT 488 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·APACHE JUNCTION UNIFIED DISTRICT (4443)·NCES 040079000040
Cactus Canyon Junior High
801 W SOUTHERN AVE, Apache Junction, AZ 85120 · (480) 677-7565 · Pinal County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL527 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
18.6:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.8:1 · STATE 17.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 164 | 31% |
| Grade 7 | 197 | 37% |
| Grade 8 | 166 | 31% |
Student demographics
60%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 58% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Cactus Canyon Junior High→Apache Junction High School
Based on grade levels within Apache Junction Unified District (4443). Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
AASA 2023-24 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
22.0%
AZ avg 42.2% . -8.0pp since 2017
Math
15.0%
AZ avg 35.1% . -16.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 22 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 15 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 42 and 35. Reading and writing scores are down about 8 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 16 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 22.0% | 15.0% |
| 2022-23 | 24.0% | 14.0% |
| 2021-22 | 24.0% | 15.0% |
| 2020-21 | 19.0% | 14.0% |
| 2018-19 | 25.0% | 32.0% |
| 2017-18 | 30.0% | 31.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Cactus Canyon Junior High ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Pinal County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 15.0% | #111 of 190 ▲ 5 | #1 of 10 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 22.0% | #137 of 190 ▼ 12 | #4 of 10 no change |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #50 of 160 | #1 of 8 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 527 | #98 of 214 | #7 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.6:1 | #91 of 179 | #3 of 9 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 59.7% | #58 of 182 | #4 of 9 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -15.8% | #89 of 139 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
527
-25 (-5%) vs 2020
-4% since 1990-91, when it was 549
Student : Teacher
18.6:1
was 21.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 527 | 28.4 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 620 | 31.2 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 702 | 36.2 | 19.4:1 | 50% (350) |
| 2020-21 | 552 | 26 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 626 | 30.8 | 20.3:1 | 62% (387) |
| 2015-16 | 713 | 34 | 21.0:1 | 74% (527) |
| 2010-11 | 851 | 42 | 20.3:1 | 56% (477) |
| 2000-01 | 671 | 34 | 19.7:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 549 | 28 | 19.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Cactus Canyon Junior High.
Since 2017-18: students down 16% (626 to 527); teachers down 8% (30.8 to 28.4).
About Cactus Canyon Junior High
At 801 W SOUTHERN AVE in Apache Junction, Arizona, Cactus Canyon Junior High operates as a mid-sized middle-grades school. It offers grades 6 through 8 and has 527 students enrolled.
Across its 5 schools, Apache Junction Unified District (4443) enrolls 2,440 students. Cactus Canyon Junior High is one of those schools.
At Cactus Canyon Junior High, White students make up the biggest share, 47%. Other students are 43% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 3% Native American, and 2% Black. By comparison, Pinal County residents are about 62% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 60, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 18.6:1. The school has 28.4 full-time-equivalent teachers. The school's 18.6:1 compares with an average of 17.8:1 for middle schools in Arizona.
For Pinal County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $80,266 a year, roughly 23% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Cactus Canyon Junior High, Pinal County has 155 public schools.
The closest school to Cactus Canyon Junior High is Apache Junction High School, located about 0.4 miles away. The count of other public schools within five miles is at least 8.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Cactus Canyon Junior High had a net loss of 25 students, or 5%. Its ratio of students to teachers was 21.2:1 in 2020-21, and 18.6:1 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at Cactus Canyon Junior High. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Pinal County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
469,006
Census ACS
Median income
$80,266
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
155
63,837 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Apache Junction Unified District (4443)
- Apache Junction High SchoolHigh · 796 students
- Desert Vista Elementary SchoolElementary · 435 students
- Four Peaks Elementary SchoolElementary · 400 students
- Peralta Trail Elementary SchoolElementary · 282 students
- Superstition Mountain Elementary SchoolElementary
- Mountain Shadows Education Center - ClosedElementary
Other schools in Apache Junction
- Apache Junction High SchoolHigh · 796 students
- Desert Vista Elementary SchoolElementary · 435 students
- Four Peaks Elementary SchoolElementary · 400 students
- Avalon ElementaryElementary · 313 students
- Imagine Prep SuperstitionHigh · 294 students
- Peralta Trail Elementary SchoolElementary · 282 students
Nearby schools
- Apache Junction High School0.4 mi · 796
- Imagine Superstition Middle0.8 mi · 158
- Imagine Prep Superstition0.8 mi · 294
- Avalon Elementary0.9 mi · 313
- Apache Trail High School1.5 mi · 184
- Brinton Elementary1.6 mi · 495
Frequently asked questions
About Cactus Canyon Junior HighHow large is Cactus Canyon Junior High?
Cactus Canyon Junior High enrolls approximately 527 students in grades 06-08.
Is Cactus Canyon Junior High an elementary, middle, or high school?
Cactus Canyon Junior High is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cactus Canyon Junior High?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Cactus Canyon Junior High is approximately 18.6:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Cactus Canyon Junior High?
Student demographics at Cactus Canyon Junior High are roughly 47% White, 43% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Cactus Canyon Junior High in?
Cactus Canyon Junior High is part of Apache Junction Unified District (4443).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.