1
Best kept secret at Desert Canyon Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
423
Middle
DISTRICT 669 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SCOTTSDALE UNIFIED DISTRICT (4240)·NCES 040757000603
Desert Canyon Middle School
10203 E MCDOWELL MTN RANCH RD, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85255 · (480) 484-4600 · Maricopa County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE12-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL423 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 98% of Arizona public middle 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.
- 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 middle schools
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · 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 | 151 | 36% |
| Grade 7 | 127 | 30% |
| Grade 8 | 145 | 34% |
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
66.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +8.0pp since 2017
Math
64.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . +3.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 66 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 64 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 8 points since 2017, while math scores are up about 3 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 66.0% | 64.0% |
| 2023-24 | 64.0% | 57.0% |
| 2022-23 | 64.0% | 60.0% |
| 2021-22 | 58.0% | 57.0% |
| 2020-21 | 59.0% | 57.0% |
| 2018-19 | 65.0% | 65.0% |
| 2017-18 | 58.0% | 61.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Desert Canyon Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 64.0% | #4 of 190 ▲ 4 | #4 of 87 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 66.0% | #10 of 190 ▼ 3 | #8 of 87 ▼ 4 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.5pp | #15 of 160 | #10 of 78 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 423 | #130 of 214 | #73 of 96 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.1:1 | #37 of 179 | #10 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 48.5% | #110 of 182 | #60 of 86 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.8% | #59 of 139 | #34 of 69 |
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
423
+35 (+9%) vs 2020
-62% since 2000-01, when it was 1,104
Student : Teacher
15.1:1
was 15.5:1
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 | 423 | 28 | 15.1:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 428 | 25 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 490 | 29.8 | 16.4:1 | 15% (72) |
| 2020-21 | 388 | 25 | 15.5:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 541 | 28.7 | 18.9:1 | 12% (64) |
| 2015-16 | 562 | 30 | 18.7:1 | 12% (67) |
| 2010-11 | 662 | 37 | 17.9:1 | 12% (81) |
| 2000-01 | 1,104 | 56 | 19.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Canyon Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 22% (541 to 423); teachers down 2% (28.7 to 28).
About Desert Canyon Middle School
A medium-sized middle-grades school in SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, Desert Canyon Middle School is part of Scottsdale Unified District (4240). The school's 423 students are in grades 6 through 8.
Desert Canyon Middle School is a school in Scottsdale Unified District (4240). The district has 30 schools and 20,682 students.
White students make up a majority at Desert Canyon Middle School, at 70%. Smaller groups are 12% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 5% Black, and 4% multiracial. For comparison, the population of Maricopa County is roughly 59% White. Desert Canyon Middle School's diversity index is 49%, against a US figure of 70%.
Its teaching staff equals 28 full-time positions, a ratio of 15.1:1. On average, middle schools in Arizona have 17.8:1, compared with 15.1:1 here.
The allk12 Grade for Desert Canyon Middle School is A+. Compared with Arizona public middle schools, the school scored higher than 98% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Maricopa County has about 4,559,748 residents, and the median household income is $89,300, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. In all, Maricopa County has 1,352 public schools and roughly 725,139 students.
The shortest distance from Desert Canyon Middle School to another public school is less than a tenth of a mile, to Desert Canyon Elementary. Counting only straight-line distance, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
Desert Canyon Middle School falls in the City: Mid-size locale category, used for schools inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Compared with 2020-21, the school had 35 more students in 2024-25.
Conversations here can range across school safety, transportation, and start times. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
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 Elementary0.1 mi · 453
- Great Hearts Academies - Archway Scottsdale1.2 mi · 1,079
- Cheyenne Traditional School1.2 mi · 953
- Great Hearts Academies - Scottsdale Prep1.2 mi · 898
- Redfield Elementary School1.5 mi · 420
- Mission Montessori Academy's Middle Years Program2.8 mi · 43
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Canyon Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Desert Canyon Middle School?
Desert Canyon Middle School enrolls approximately 423 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Desert Canyon Middle School serve?
Desert Canyon Middle School serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Desert Canyon Middle School?
Approximately 15.1:1 students per teacher at Desert Canyon Middle School.
How diverse is Desert Canyon Middle School?
Desert Canyon Middle School reports a student body of 70% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Black, 8% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Desert Canyon Middle School?
Desert Canyon Middle School is overseen by Scottsdale Unified District (4240) in Maricopa County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.