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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Challenger Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
839
Elementary
DISTRICT 613 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GLENDALE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT (4271)·NCES 040342001402
Challenger Middle School
6905 W MARYLAND AVE, GLENDALE, AZ 85303 · (623) 237-4011 · Maricopa County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL839 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 45% of Arizona public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- AThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Arizona public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
41 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.5:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 79 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 88 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 88 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 114 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 85 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 91 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 110 | 13% |
| Grade 7 | 98 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 86 | 10% |
This year's kindergarten class (79) is 8% smaller than its 8th grade class (86).
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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
Test scores
AASA 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
27.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +3.0pp since 2017
Math
28.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -4.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 27 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 45 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 3 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 4 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 27.0% | 28.0% |
| 2023-24 | 22.0% | 23.0% |
| 2022-23 | 21.0% | 16.0% |
| 2021-22 | 25.0% | 14.0% |
| 2020-21 | 18.0% | 9.0% |
| 2018-19 | 28.0% | 27.0% |
| 2017-18 | 24.0% | 32.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Challenger Middle School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #571 of 1,072 ▲ 110 | #366 of 646 ▲ 60 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 27.0% | #729 of 1,072 ▲ 105 | #452 of 646 ▲ 67 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +8.0pp | #114 of 930 | #64 of 577 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 839 | #99 of 1,223 | #78 of 692 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.7:1 | #856 of 991 | #540 of 615 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.2% | #526 of 1,007 | #348 of 627 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +16.4% | #91 of 256 | #49 of 138 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
839
+435 (+108%) vs 2020
+2% since 1990-91, when it was 825
Student : Teacher
20.7:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 839 | 40.5 | 20.7:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 880 | 44 | 20.0:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 978 | 53 | 18.4:1 | 94% (918) |
| 2020-21 | 404 | 28 | 14.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 721 | 33 | 21.9:1 | 94% (677) |
| 2015-16 | 660 | 31 | 21.3:1 | 95% (626) |
| 2010-11 | 746 | 37 | 20.2:1 | 92% (690) |
| 2000-01 | 1,014 | 52 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 825 | 49 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Challenger Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 16% (721 to 839); teachers up 23% (33 to 40.5).
About Challenger Middle School
Challenger Middle School is a high-enrollment elementary school for students in GLENDALE, Arizona. It has an enrollment of 839 students in kindergarten through 8. Across elementary schools in Arizona, the average enrollment is about 451.
The 14 schools of Glendale Elementary District (4271), including Challenger Middle School, enroll 8,580 students.
The share of Hispanic students at Challenger Middle School is 66%, a majority. After that, the student body is 14% Black, 9% White, 6% Asian, and 2% multiracial. Census figures show Maricopa County is about 31% Hispanic. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 53, compared with 70 nationally.
There are 40.5 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 20.7:1. Compared with the 17.0:1 average for elementary schools in Arizona, this school's ratio is higher.
Challenger Middle School holds a B- allk12 Grade, placing it above 45% of Arizona public elementary schools.
The school is in Maricopa County, where median household income comes to about $89,300, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Maricopa County counts 1,352 public schools with about 725,139 students.
Desert Garden Elementary School is the nearest public school to Challenger Middle School, about 0.4 miles away. Challenger Middle School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
Challenger Middle School falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The school's enrollment figures are 404 for 2020-21 and 839 for 2024-25. Differences this large can reflect a change in grade levels, a boundary change, or a merger. The ratio was 14.4:1 in 2020-21 and 20.7:1 in 2024-25.
This page collects posts and questions about Challenger Middle School, such as open houses, carpools, and field trips. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Maricopa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
4,559,748
Census ACS
Median income
$89,300
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,352
725,139 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Glendale Elementary District (4271)
- Horizon SchoolElementary · 856 students
- William C Jack SchoolElementary · 811 students
- Bicentennial South SchoolElementary · 729 students
- Harold W Smith SchoolElementary · 719 students
- Desert SpiritElementary · 682 students
- Glendale American SchoolElementary · 678 students
Other schools in GLENDALE
- Mountain Ridge High SchoolHigh · 2,823 students
- Sandra Day O'Connor High SchoolHigh · 2,658 students
- Copper Canyon High SchoolHigh · 2,182 students
- Apollo High SchoolHigh · 2,152 students
- Independence High SchoolHigh · 1,907 students
- Ironwood High SchoolHigh · 1,804 students
Other Challenger Middle schools
6 other US public schools in 5 states are named Challenger Middle. Challenger Middle School is the 3rd largest of the 7.
- Challenger Middle SchoolTUCSON, AZ · 590 students
- CHALLENGER MIDDLE SCHOOLCAPE CORAL, FL · 999 students
- Challenger MiddleSan Diego, CA · 960 students
- Challenger Middle SchoolCOLORADO SPRINGS, CO · 696 students
- Challenger Middle SchoolHuntsville, AL · 425 students
Nearby schools
- Desert Garden Elementary School0.4 mi · 205
- Independence High School0.7 mi · 1,907
- Harold W Smith School0.9 mi · 719
- Don Mensendick School1.0 mi · 558
- William C Jack School1.0 mi · 811
- Desert Spirit1.0 mi · 682
Frequently asked questions
About Challenger Middle SchoolHow large is Challenger Middle School?
Challenger Middle School enrolls approximately 839 students in grades KG-08.
What grades does Challenger Middle School serve?
Challenger Middle School serves grades KG-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School is approximately 20.7:1 (41 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Challenger Middle School?
Student demographics at Challenger Middle School are roughly 9% White, 66% Hispanic, 14% Black, 6% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Challenger Middle School in?
Challenger Middle School is part of Glendale Elementary District (4271).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.