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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CAVE CREEK UNIFIED DISTRICT (4244)·NCES 040000101872

Desert Willow Elementary School

4322 E Desert Willow Parkway, Cave Creek, AZ 85331 · (480) 575-2800 · Maricopa County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL338 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

Enrollment
338
Elementary
DISTRICT 365 · STATE 451
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
1
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

GradeStudentsShare
Pre-K10%
Kindergarten3310%
Grade 13611%
Grade 24413%
Grade 35516%
Grade 45717%
Grade 56519%
Grade 64714%

This year's kindergarten class (33) is 30% smaller than its 6th grade class (47).

Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 37% · STATE 65% · US 70%
White
23770%
DISTRICT 78% · STATE 33% · US 43%
Hispanic
7121%
DISTRICT 13% · STATE 48% · US 30%
Asian
93%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 3% · US 6%
Two+
216%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 4% · US 5%
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
Male
16148%
Female
17752%

Discussions

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Test scores

AASA 2024-25 . % Passing
English Language Arts
62.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . -2.0pp since 2017
Math
53.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -10.0pp since 2017

What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 62 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 53 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 2 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 10 points.

AASA results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2562.0%53.0%
2023-2462.0%65.0%
2022-2360.0%58.0%
2021-2265.0%57.0%
2020-2166.0%60.0%
2018-1973.0%62.0%
2017-1864.0%63.0%
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

Where Desert Willow Elementary School ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn ArizonaIn Maricopa County
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
53.0%#206 of 1,072
▼ 132
#158 of 646
▼ 99
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
62.0%#140 of 1,072
▲ 10
#116 of 646
▲ 4
3-year test score change
ranked biggest drop first
-3.5pp#297 of 930#182 of 577
Enrollment
ranked largest first
338#822 of 1,223#564 of 692
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
14.8:1#267 of 991#150 of 615
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
46.0%#667 of 1,007#435 of 627
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-46.0%#27 of 721#19 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 2024-25
Enrollment
338
-96 (-22%) vs 2020
-51% since 2000-01, when it was 694
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 14.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2533822.914.8:1N/A
2023-2439727.614.4:1N/A
2022-2345625.817.7:16% (26)
2020-214343014.5:1N/A
2017-1862628.222.2:15% (31)
2015-166573319.9:110% (66)
2010-117273620.2:19% (63)
2000-016943818.3:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Willow Elementary School.

Since 2017-18: students down 46% (626 to 338); teachers down 19% (28.2 to 22.9).

About Desert Willow Elementary School

Desert Willow Elementary School is an elementary school located in Cave Creek, Arizona, in Maricopa County. Total enrollment is 338 students, and the grades served are pre-K through 6. It has 25% fewer students than the average for elementary schools in Arizona (about 451).

Cave Creek Unified District (4244) runs Desert Willow Elementary School along with 7 other schools, enrolling 3,821 students in total.

White students are 70% of those enrolled at Desert Willow Elementary School. Beyond that, enrollment is 21% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, and 3% Asian. In Maricopa County overall, about 59% of residents are White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 46, compared with 70 nationally.

There are 22.9 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 14.8:1. The average for elementary schools in Arizona, 17.0:1, is higher.

On the allk12 Grade, Desert Willow Elementary School lands at A, ahead of 86% of Arizona public elementary schools.

The school is in Maricopa County, where the median household earns about $89,300 a year, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Across Maricopa County, 1,352 public schools serve about 725,139 students.

Lone Mountain Elementary School sits about 1.2 miles from Desert Willow Elementary School. Desert Willow Elementary School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles.

Its location is classified as City: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.

In 2024-25, the school enrolled 338, down from 434 in 2020-21.

Use the discussion section to ask about homework, tutoring, and testing dates at Desert Willow Elementary School. You can also rate the school on this page.

Maricopa County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
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

School name
Desert Willow Elementary School
District
Cave Creek Unified District (4244)
Address
4322 E Desert Willow Parkway, Cave Creek, AZ 85331
Phone
(480) 575-2800
County
Maricopa County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
PK–06
Total enrollment
338
Teachers (FTE)
23
Student–teacher ratio
14.8:1
Locale
11-City: Large
NCES ID
040000101872
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Cave Creek Unified District (4244)
Other schools in Cave Creek
Other Desert Willow Elementary schools

5 other US public schools in 3 states are named Desert Willow Elementary. Desert Willow Elementary School is the 5th largest of the 6.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Desert Willow Elementary School
How large is Desert Willow Elementary School?
Desert Willow Elementary School enrolls approximately 338 students in grades PK-06.
What grades does Desert Willow Elementary School serve?
Desert Willow Elementary School serves grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary School is approximately 14.8:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Desert Willow Elementary School?
At Desert Willow Elementary School, the student body is approximately 70% White, 21% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is Desert Willow Elementary School public or private?
Desert Willow Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Cave Creek Unified District (4244).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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