Desert Spirit

Set in GLENDALE, Arizona, Desert Spirit is a roomy primary school, operated by Glendale Elementary District (4271). It educates 682 students across grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 51% larger than the typical public school in Arizona, which averages around 451 students.

Glendale Elementary District (4271) comprises 14 schools with combined enrollment of 8,580 students; Desert Spirit is among them.

Demographically, Desert Spirit reports that the largest single group is Hispanic, at 77% of enrollment; the rest consists of 9% Black, 6% White, 4% Asian, 3% multiracial. By comparison, Maricopa County as a whole is about 31% Hispanic, so the school skews visibly more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 36 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 19.2:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.0:1, putting Desert Spirit higher than the state norm the norm.

In the broader community, ACS estimates for Maricopa County put median household earnings sit near $89,300, about 37% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Desert Spirit is one of 1352 public schools in Maricopa County (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students).

Nearest neighbor: Sunset Vista, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a commuter-belt area.

Five-year trend. Desert Spirit's enrollment has edged down 22% since 2018, when it stood at 878 (now 682). The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 68% to 77% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Desert Spirit typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.