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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Desert Spirit?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
682
Elementary
DISTRICT 613 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GLENDALE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT (4271)·NCES 040342002281
Desert Spirit
7355 W ORANGEWOOD AVE, GLENDALE, AZ 85303 · (623) 237-4016 · Maricopa County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL682 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Arizona public elementary schools
- DTest 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
19.2:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 20.5:1 · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 75 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 58 | 9% |
| Grade 2 | 75 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 81 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 81 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 86 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 60 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 77 | 11% |
| Grade 8 | 89 | 13% |
This year's kindergarten class (75) is 16% smaller than its 8th grade class (89).
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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 . % PassingMath
16.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -27.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 16 of every 100 students at this school do math at grade level. The Arizona average is about 38 of 100. Math scores are down about 27 points since 2017.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | N/A | 16.0% |
| 2023-24 | 20.0% | 12.0% |
| 2022-23 | 17.0% | 2.0% |
| 2021-22 | 19.0% | 12.0% |
| 2020-21 | 19.0% | 16.0% |
| 2018-19 | 32.0% | 38.0% |
| 2017-18 | 33.0% | 43.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Desert Spirit ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 16.0% | #846 of 1,072 ▲ 74 | #522 of 646 ▲ 51 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 20.0% | #899 of 1,072 ▲ 36 | #555 of 646 ▲ 23 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -1.5pp | #410 of 930 | #254 of 577 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 682 | #226 of 1,223 | #177 of 692 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.2:1 | #749 of 991 | #468 of 615 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 39.8% | #744 of 1,007 | #485 of 627 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -22.3% | #255 of 721 | #163 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
682
+196 (+40%) vs 2020
-17% since 2010-11, when it was 820
Student : Teacher
19.2:1
was 15.2:1
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 | 682 | 35.5 | 19.2:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 683 | 34.5 | 19.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 670 | 31.5 | 21.3:1 | 84% (562) |
| 2020-21 | 486 | 32 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 878 | 44.5 | 19.7:1 | 88% (772) |
| 2015-16 | 939 | 44 | 21.3:1 | 89% (837) |
| 2010-11 | 820 | 46 | 17.8:1 | 87% (710) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Spirit.
Since 2017-18: students down 22% (878 to 682); teachers down 20% (44.5 to 35.5).
About Desert Spirit
This page covers Desert Spirit, a large elementary school in GLENDALE, Arizona. The school counted 682 students in 2024-25, covering pre-K through 8. It has 51% more students than the average for elementary schools in Arizona (about 451).
Glendale Elementary District (4271), which runs Desert Spirit, has 14 schools and 8,580 students.
More than half of the students at Desert Spirit are Hispanic (77%). Next come 9% Black, 6% White, 4% Asian, and 3% multiracial. That compares with about 31% Hispanic among all Maricopa County residents. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 40%.
Desert Spirit has 35.5 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.2:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Arizona is 17.0:1.
Desert Spirit earns a D on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 11% of Arizona public elementary schools.
Census data for Maricopa County show median household income comes to about $89,300, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 37%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. The county has 1,352 public schools and about 725,139 students.
The closest school to Desert Spirit is Sunset Vista, located about 0.5 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Federal enrollment counts rose from 486 (2020-21) to 682 (2024-25). There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (19.2:1) than in 2020-21 (15.2:1).
The allk12 page for Desert Spirit lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 Glendale Elementary District (4271)
- Horizon SchoolElementary · 856 students
- Challenger Middle SchoolElementary · 839 students
- William C Jack SchoolElementary · 811 students
- Bicentennial South SchoolElementary · 729 students
- Harold W Smith SchoolElementary · 719 students
- Glendale American SchoolElementary · 678 students
Other schools in GLENDALE
- Mountain Ridge High SchoolHigh · 2,823 students
- Sandra Day O'Connor High SchoolHigh · 2,658 students
- Copper Canyon High SchoolHigh · 2,182 students
- Apollo High SchoolHigh · 2,152 students
- Independence High SchoolHigh · 1,907 students
- Ironwood High SchoolHigh · 1,804 students
Nearby schools
- Sunset Vista0.5 mi · 676
- Desert Garden Elementary School0.7 mi · 205
- Independence High School0.9 mi · 1,907
- Challenger Middle School1.0 mi · 839
- Discovery School1.2 mi · 601
- Glendale High School1.4 mi · 1,734
Frequently asked questions
About Desert SpiritWhat is the total enrollment at Desert Spirit?
Desert Spirit enrolls approximately 682 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does Desert Spirit serve?
Desert Spirit serves grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Spirit?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Desert Spirit is approximately 19.2:1 (36 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Spirit?
At Desert Spirit, the student body is approximately 6% White, 77% Hispanic, 9% Black, 4% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Desert Spirit?
Desert Spirit is overseen by Glendale Elementary District (4271) in Maricopa County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.