Explorer Middle School

Set in PHOENIX, Arizona, Explorer Middle School is a reasonably sized 6-8 campus, overseen by Paradise Valley Unified District (4241). It works with 607 students across grades 5 through 8. That puts it 23% larger than the typical public school in Arizona, which averages around 494 students.

Explorer Middle School is one of 42 schools operated by Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), a district that works with 26,183 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Explorer Middle School logs that the largest single group is White, at 78% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school logs 13% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 3% Asian. The wider county runs roughly 59% White, putting the school's mix considerably more White than the area baseline.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Explorer Middle School shows 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 19.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.8:1, putting Explorer Middle School higher than the state norm the norm.

Across the wider county, census data for Maricopa County shows median household income runs about $89,300, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Explorer Middle School is one of 1352 public schools in Maricopa County (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students).

Nearest neighbor: Desert Trails Elementary School, around 0.4 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The school occupies a city-core site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count contracted 28%: 848 students in 2018 compared to 607 in 2025. Class-load math has fell: from 22.9:1 in 2018 to 19.6:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.