Cactus Shadows High School

Cactus Shadows High School is a high-enrollment high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, under Cave Creek Unified District (4244). There are 1,362 students enrolled, covering grades 8 through 12. That puts enrollment 116% larger than the 631-student average for high schools in Arizona.

Cactus Shadows High School sits within Cave Creek Unified District (4244), which has 8 schools and 3,821 students.

Cactus Shadows High School is 80% White by enrollment. The rest of enrollment is 12% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 2% Asian. Census estimates put the White share of Maricopa County's population at about 59%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Cactus Shadows High School scores 34%.

On staff are 65.2 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 20.9:1. That is in line with the 20.2:1 average for high schools in Arizona.

Cactus Shadows High School holds an A- allk12 Grade, placing it above 84% of Arizona public high schools.

Census data for Maricopa County show median household income comes to about $89,300, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. There are 1,352 public schools in the county, enrolling about 725,139, Cactus Shadows High School among them.

Less than a tenth of a mile separates Cactus Shadows High School from the closest public school, EVIT Cactus Shadows High School. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools.

Federal data place Cactus Shadows High School in the City: Mid-size locale, which means it is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.

From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased from 1,779 to 1,362, a 23% decline. There were fewer students per teacher in 2024-25 (20.9:1) than in 2020-21 (22.8:1).

People can post here about open houses, carpools, and field trips and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.