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If you had an hour of school board time for Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
510
Middle
DISTRICT 478 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARTWRIGHT ELEMENTARY DISTRICT (4282)·NCES 040168000092
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism
6308 W CAMPBELL AVE, PHOENIX, AZ 85033 · (623) 691-4900 · Maricopa County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL510 STUDENTS
F
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 0% of Arizona public middle schools
- FTest 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.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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
18.6:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.4:1 · 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 | 9 | 2% |
| Grade 7 | 262 | 51% |
| Grade 8 | 239 | 47% |
Student demographics
26%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 18% · 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 2023-24 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
2.0%
AZ avg 42.2% . -23.0pp since 2017
Math
2.0%
AZ avg 35.1% . -13.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 2 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 2 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 23 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 13 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| 2022-23 | 2.0% | 9.0% |
| 2021-22 | 20.0% | 10.0% |
| 2020-21 | 20.0% | 8.0% |
| 2018-19 | 23.0% | 16.0% |
| 2017-18 | 25.0% | 15.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 2.0% | #172 of 190 ▼ 23 | #84 of 87 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 2.0% | #174 of 190 ▼ 1 | #84 of 87 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 510 | #103 of 214 | #64 of 96 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 18.6:1 | #89 of 179 | #39 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.8% | #150 of 182 | #79 of 86 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -51.7% | #5 of 139 | #5 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
510
-5 (-1%) vs 2020
-37% since 1990-91, when it was 815
Student : Teacher
18.6:1
was 17.8:1
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 | 510 | 27.5 | 18.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 518 | 28.5 | 18.2:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 572 | 29 | 19.7:1 | 72% (411) |
| 2020-21 | 515 | 29 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,056 | 52 | 20.3:1 | 87% (918) |
| 2015-16 | 1,051 | 50 | 21.0:1 | 100% (1,048) |
| 2010-11 | 1,052 | 56 | 18.8:1 | 84% (886) |
| 2000-01 | 1,010 | 46 | 22.0:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 815 | 44 | 18.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism.
Since 2017-18: students down 52% (1,056 to 510); teachers down 47% (52 to 27.5).
About Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is a medium-sized middle school that serves part of PHOENIX, Arizona. School enrollment was 510 students in 2024-25, in grades 6 through 8.
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is one school in Cartwright Elementary District (4282), a system of 22 schools with 13,436 students.
At Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism, Hispanic students make up 86% of the student body. The school is also 8% Black and 3% White. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 31%. The chance that two students picked at random at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 26%.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 18.6:1 at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism, with 27.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. The 17.8:1 average for middle schools in Arizona is lower than this school's figure.
Measured against Arizona public middle schools, Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism receives an F. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Among Maricopa County residents, median household income is about $89,300, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is one of 1,352 public schools in Maricopa County, which together enroll about 725,139 students.
Nearby, Holiday Park School is about 0.4 miles away. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8.
NCES describes the area around Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism as City: Large, meaning inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment was essentially flat over 4 years: 515 in 2020-21, 510 in 2024-25.
Discussion on this page can cover school safety, transportation, and start times. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
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 Cartwright Elementary District (4282)
- Frank Borman SchoolElementary · 960 students
- Charles W. Harris SchoolElementary · 875 students
- Peralta SchoolElementary · 817 students
- Manuel Pena Jr. SchoolElementary · 806 students
- Sunset SchoolElementary · 739 students
- Tomahawk SchoolElementary · 718 students
Other schools in PHOENIX
- Arizona Virtual AcademyCombined · 4,476 students
- Trevor Browne High SchoolHigh · 2,850 students
- Desert Vista High SchoolHigh · 2,761 students
- Maryvale High SchoolHigh · 2,532 students
- Pinnacle High SchoolHigh · 2,430 students
- Sunnyslope High SchoolHigh · 2,322 students
Nearby schools
- Holiday Park School0.4 mi · 530
- Academy of Math and Science Camelback0.6 mi · 1,063
- Westland School0.6 mi · 215
- Western School of Science and Technology0.7 mi · 516
- Pioneer Preparatory - A Challenge Foundation0.8 mi · 368
- Victory Collegiate Academy0.9 mi · 291
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & JournalismHow many students attend Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism?
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism enrolls approximately 510 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism serve?
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is approximately 18.6:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism?
At Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism, the student body is approximately 3% White, 86% Hispanic, 8% Black, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more.
What district is Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism in?
Desert Sands Academy of Mass Communication & Journalism is part of Cartwright Elementary District (4282).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.