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If you had an hour of school board time for Desert Shadows Elementary School, what would you bring up?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
554
Elementary
DISTRICT 476 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PARADISE VALLEY UNIFIED DISTRICT (4241)·NCES 040593000478
Desert Shadows Elementary School
5902 E SWEETWATER AVE, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85254 · (602) 449-6900 · Maricopa County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL554 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 86% of Arizona public elementary schools
- ATest 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.
- CThree-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
15.8:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.1:1 · 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 | 14 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 64 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 71 | 13% |
| Grade 2 | 82 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 85 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 56 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 89 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 93 | 17% |
This year's kindergarten class (64) is 31% smaller than its 6th grade class (93).
Student demographics
50%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · 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
68.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . -1.0pp since 2017
Math
62.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -7.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 68 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 62 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 1 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 7 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 68.0% | 62.0% |
| 2023-24 | 67.0% | 62.0% |
| 2022-23 | 67.0% | 63.0% |
| 2021-22 | 68.0% | 69.0% |
| 2020-21 | 61.0% | 60.0% |
| 2018-19 | 70.0% | 63.0% |
| 2017-18 | 69.0% | 69.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Desert Shadows Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 62.0% | #114 of 1,072 ▼ 11 | #94 of 646 ▼ 14 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 68.0% | #88 of 1,072 ▲ 17 | #78 of 646 ▲ 7 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -3.5pp | #315 of 930 | #194 of 577 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 554 | #405 of 1,223 | #312 of 692 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.8:1 | #388 of 991 | #224 of 615 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 49.6% | #597 of 1,007 | #390 of 627 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +23.7% | #61 of 256 | #37 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
554
+100 (+22%) vs 2020
-5% since 1990-91, when it was 585
Student : Teacher
15.8:1
was 13.8:1
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 | 554 | 35 | 15.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 479 | 34.8 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 464 | 34.8 | 13.3:1 | 15% (69) |
| 2020-21 | 454 | 33 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 448 | 28.9 | 15.5:1 | 12% (52) |
| 2015-16 | 474 | 31 | 15.3:1 | 9% (42) |
| 2010-11 | 474 | 33 | 14.4:1 | 15% (69) |
| 2000-01 | 562 | 29 | 19.4:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 585 | 35 | 16.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Shadows Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 24% (448 to 554); teachers up 21% (28.9 to 35).
About Desert Shadows Elementary School
Desert Shadows Elementary School is an elementary school in SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, reachable at (602) 449-6900. It teaches 554 students in pre-K through 6. By comparison, elementary schools in Arizona enroll about 451 students on average.
Within Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), Desert Shadows Elementary School is one of 42 schools. The district enrolls 26,183 students.
Of every 100 students at Desert Shadows Elementary School, about 68 are White. Other reported shares: 19% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 3% Asian. Maricopa County's residents are about 59% White, 9 points below the school's share. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Desert Shadows Elementary School scores 50%.
On staff are 35 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.8:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Arizona average 17.0:1.
Desert Shadows Elementary School earns an A on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 86% of Arizona public elementary schools.
For the population of Maricopa County, median household income comes to about $89,300, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Maricopa County's 1,352 public schools enroll about 725,139 students and include Desert Shadows Elementary School.
Straight-line distance to the nearest public school, Desert Shadows Middle School, is less than a tenth of a mile. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Large, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 554, from 454 in 2020-21. The school's ratio increased from 13.8:1 to 15.8:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The discussion board for Desert Shadows Elementary School is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. 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 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241)
- Pinnacle High SchoolHigh · 2,430 students
- Paradise Valley High SchoolHigh · 1,900 students
- Horizon High SchoolHigh · 1,767 students
- North Canyon High SchoolHigh · 1,560 students
- Shadow Mountain High SchoolHigh · 1,080 students
- Mountain Trail Middle SchoolMiddle · 835 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 Shadows Middle School0.1 mi · 791
- Arizona Language Preparatory0.5 mi · 73
- Sequoya Elementary School1.0 mi · 575
- Sandpiper Elementary School1.2 mi · 429
- Horizon High School1.4 mi · 1,767
- Liberty Elementary School1.4 mi · 421
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Shadows Elementary SchoolHow large is Desert Shadows Elementary School?
Desert Shadows Elementary School enrolls approximately 554 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does Desert Shadows Elementary School serve?
Desert Shadows Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many students per teacher at Desert Shadows Elementary School?
Approximately 15.8:1 students per teacher at Desert Shadows Elementary School.
How diverse is Desert Shadows Elementary School?
Desert Shadows Elementary School reports a student body of 68% White, 19% Hispanic, 2% Black, 3% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees Desert Shadows Elementary School?
Desert Shadows Elementary School is overseen by Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) in Maricopa County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.