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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Desert Willow Elementary School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
811
Elementary
DISTRICT 529 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·VAIL UNIFIED DISTRICT (4413)·NCES 040885001003
Desert Willow Elementary School
9400 E ESMOND LOOP, TUCSON, AZ 85747 · (520) 879-2302 · Pima County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL811 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 17.0:1 · 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 | 116 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 131 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 132 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 142 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 137 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 146 | 18% |
| Ungraded | 7 | 1% |
This year's kindergarten class (116) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (146).
Student demographics
63%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
49.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . -14.0pp since 2017
Math
56.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -17.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 56 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 14 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 17 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49.0% | 56.0% |
| 2023-24 | 48.0% | 51.0% |
| 2022-23 | 58.0% | 68.0% |
| 2021-22 | 63.0% | 74.0% |
| 2020-21 | 55.0% | 50.0% |
| 2018-19 | 66.0% | 73.0% |
| 2017-18 | 63.0% | 73.0% |
% 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| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Pima County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 56.0% | #180 of 1,072 ▲ 45 | #23 of 154 ▲ 5 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #316 of 1,072 ▲ 35 | #42 of 154 ▲ 5 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -16.0pp | #16 of 930 | #2 of 128 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 811 | #111 of 1,223 | #11 of 165 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.8:1 | #605 of 991 | #115 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.1% | #191 of 1,007 | #25 of 142 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.4% | #714 of 721 | #101 of 102 |
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
811
+70 (+9%) vs 2020
-6% since 2000-01, when it was 859
Student : Teacher
17.8:1
was 16.8:1
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 | 811 | 45.6 | 17.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 759 | 44.5 | 17.1:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 712 | 42.7 | 16.7:1 | 34% (241) |
| 2020-21 | 741 | 44 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 814 | 48.8 | 16.7:1 | 34% (276) |
| 2015-16 | 801 | 41 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 839 | 40 | 21.0:1 | 23% (194) |
| 2000-01 | 859 | 52 | 16.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Desert Willow Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (814 to 811); teachers down 7% (48.8 to 45.6).
About Desert Willow Elementary School
Desert Willow Elementary School is a high-enrollment elementary school with its address in TUCSON, Arizona. It covers kindergarten through 5, with a total enrollment of 811 students. Enrollment is 80% higher than the average for elementary schools in Arizona, which is about 451.
The 24 schools in Vail Unified District (4413) enroll 15,011 students altogether, Desert Willow Elementary School among them.
By race and ethnicity, the largest group at Desert Willow Elementary School is Hispanic (47%). Smaller groups are 37% White, 8% multiracial, and 7% Black. For comparison, the population of Pima County is roughly 36% Hispanic. The chance that two students picked at random at Desert Willow Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 63%.
Desert Willow Elementary School's 45.6 full-time-equivalent teachers put its ratio at 17.8:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Arizona average 17.0:1.
Within Pima County, median household income is about $70,315, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 10% of people live in poverty. The public schools of Pima County number 398 and enroll about 140,692.
Desert Sky Middle School is located about 0.6 miles from Desert Willow Elementary School. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools.
The NCES locale for Desert Willow Elementary School is Rural: Fringe, which covers schools in rural territory close to an urban area.
Desert Willow Elementary School saw enrollment rise 9% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Pima County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,060,490
Census ACS
Median income
$70,315
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
398
140,692 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Vail Unified District (4413)
- Cienega High SchoolHigh · 1,881 students
- Mica Mountain HighHigh · 1,319 students
- Empire High SchoolHigh · 886 students
- Andrada Polytechnic High SchoolHigh · 836 students
- Old Vail Middle SchoolMiddle · 811 students
- Acacia Elementary SchoolElementary · 783 students
Other schools in TUCSON
- Tucson Magnet High SchoolHigh · 2,938 students
- Marana High SchoolHigh · 2,437 students
- Sunnyside High SchoolHigh · 2,258 students
- Desert View High SchoolHigh · 2,102 students
- Pima County Schools Superintendent's Diploma ProgramHigh · 2,058 students
- Catalina Foothills High SchoolHigh · 1,865 students
Other Desert Willow Elementary schools
5 other US public schools in 3 states are named Desert Willow Elementary. Desert Willow Elementary School is the largest of the 6.
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolCASA GRANDE, AZ · 505 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolKINGMAN, AZ · 388 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolCave Creek, AZ · 338 students
- DESERT WILLOW ELEMENTARYCARLSBAD, NM · 667 students
- Desert Willow Elementary SchoolLas Vegas, NV · 4 students
Nearby schools
- Desert Sky Middle School0.6 mi · 743
- Mesquite Elementary School0.8 mi · 640
- Cottonwood Elementary School1.0 mi · 570
- Empire High School1.9 mi · 886
- PCJTED - Mica Mountain High School1.9 mi · 1
- Mica Mountain High1.9 mi · 1,319
Frequently asked questions
About Desert Willow Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Desert Willow Elementary School?
Desert Willow Elementary School enrolls approximately 811 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Desert Willow Elementary School serve?
Desert Willow Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Desert Willow Elementary School?
Approximately 17.8:1 students per teacher at Desert Willow Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at Desert Willow Elementary School?
Student demographics at Desert Willow Elementary School are roughly 37% White, 47% Hispanic, 7% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Desert Willow Elementary School public or private?
Desert Willow Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Vail Unified District (4413).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.