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Which teacher or staff member at Desert Canyon Elementary deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
453
Elementary
DISTRICT 515 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SCOTTSDALE UNIFIED DISTRICT (4240)·NCES 040757001671
Desert Canyon Elementary
10203 E MCDOWELL MOUNTAIN RANC, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85255 · (480) 484-1700 · Maricopa County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL453 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 91% of Arizona public elementary schools
- A+Test 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.
- C+Three-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
13.1:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 30 | 7% |
| Kindergarten | 80 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 46 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 78 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 73 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 73 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (80) is 10% larger than its 5th grade class (73).
Student demographics
49%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
Test scores
AASA 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
74.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . -7.0pp since 2017
Math
71.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -12.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 74 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 71 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 45 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 12 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 74.0% | 71.0% |
| 2023-24 | 68.0% | 67.0% |
| 2022-23 | 72.0% | 72.0% |
| 2021-22 | 76.0% | 73.0% |
| 2020-21 | 71.0% | 73.0% |
| 2018-19 | 80.0% | 82.0% |
| 2017-18 | 81.0% | 83.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Desert Canyon Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 71.0% | #51 of 1,072 ▲ 16 | #44 of 646 ▲ 11 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 74.0% | #45 of 1,072 ▲ 44 | #41 of 646 ▲ 32 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.0pp | #394 of 930 | #246 of 577 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 453 | #593 of 1,223 | #440 of 692 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.1:1 | #129 of 991 | #65 of 615 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.2% | #605 of 1,007 | #396 of 627 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -1.9% | #685 of 721 | #441 of 456 |
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
453
+55 (+14%) vs 2020
-44% since 2000-01, when it was 810
Student : Teacher
13.1:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 453 | 34.5 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 470 | 37.8 | 12.4:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 496 | 34.5 | 14.4:1 | 7% (33) |
| 2020-21 | 398 | 30 | 13.3:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 462 | 29.6 | 15.6:1 | 7% (31) |
| 2015-16 | 471 | 27 | 17.4:1 | 8% (38) |
| 2010-11 | 690 | 35 | 19.7:1 | 6% (38) |
| 2000-01 | 810 | 48 | 16.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Canyon Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 2% (462 to 453); teachers up 17% (29.6 to 34.5).
About Desert Canyon Elementary
Desert Canyon Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school for students in SCOTTSDALE, Arizona. It reports enrollment of 453 students in pre-K through 5.
Across its 30 schools, Scottsdale Unified District (4240) enrolls 20,682 students. Desert Canyon Elementary is one of those schools.
White students are 69% of those enrolled at Desert Canyon Elementary. The next largest groups are 12% Hispanic, 9% multiracial, and 6% Asian. In Maricopa County overall, about 59% of residents are White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 49, compared with 70 nationally.
On staff are 34.5 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 13.1:1. The average for elementary schools in Arizona is 17.0:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher.
Desert Canyon Elementary holds an A allk12 Grade, placing it above 91% of Arizona public elementary schools.
American Community Survey estimates for Maricopa County show that the median household earns about $89,300 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 37%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Across Maricopa County, 1,352 public schools serve about 725,139 students.
Desert Canyon Middle School is less than a tenth of a mile from Desert Canyon Elementary, the shortest distance to any other public school. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is City: Mid-size.
In 2024-25, the school enrolled 453, up from 398 in 2020-21.
This community page is for conversations about open houses, carpools, and field trips. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 Scottsdale Unified District (4240)
- Desert Mountain High SchoolHigh · 1,905 students
- Chaparral High SchoolHigh · 1,773 students
- Arcadia High SchoolHigh · 1,679 students
- Saguaro High SchoolHigh · 1,300 students
- Cheyenne Traditional SchoolElementary · 953 students
- Cocopah Middle SchoolMiddle · 861 students
Other schools in SCOTTSDALE
- Desert Mountain High SchoolHigh · 1,905 students
- Chaparral High SchoolHigh · 1,773 students
- Horizon High SchoolHigh · 1,767 students
- Cactus Shadows High SchoolHigh · 1,362 students
- Saguaro High SchoolHigh · 1,300 students
- Great Hearts Academies - Archway ScottsdaleCombined · 1,079 students
Nearby schools
- Desert Canyon Middle School0.1 mi · 423
- Great Hearts Academies - Archway Scottsdale1.2 mi · 1,079
- Cheyenne Traditional School1.2 mi · 953
- Great Hearts Academies - Scottsdale Prep1.3 mi · 898
- Redfield Elementary School1.6 mi · 420
- Copper Ridge School2.8 mi · 554
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Canyon ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Desert Canyon Elementary?
Desert Canyon Elementary enrolls approximately 453 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Desert Canyon Elementary serve?
Desert Canyon Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does Desert Canyon Elementary have?
Desert Canyon Elementary employs 35 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.1:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Canyon Elementary?
At Desert Canyon Elementary, the student body is approximately 69% White, 12% Hispanic, 2% Black, 6% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Desert Canyon Elementary public or private?
Desert Canyon Elementary is a public K-12 school, overseen by Scottsdale Unified District (4240).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.