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What's the most underrated thing about Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
545
Middle
DISTRICT 478 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARTWRIGHT ELEMENTARY DISTRICT (4282)·NCES 040168002904
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
2730 N 79TH AVE, PHOENIX, AZ 85035 · (623) 691-5300 · Maricopa County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL545 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
22.5:1
24 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.4:1 · STATE 17.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
2
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
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Welcome to the Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts community. What's one thing that would make Raul H. Castro Middle School: Academy of Fine Arts even better?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Test scores
AASA 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
23.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +21.0pp since 2017
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
545
-310 (-36%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
22.5:1
was 20.9:1
% White
3%
was 4%
% Hispanic
85%
was 88%
% Black
10%
was 5%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
As a medium-sized middle school in PHOENIX, Arizona, RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS teaches 545 students from grades 6 through 8, run under Cartwright Elementary District (4282).
Within Cartwright Elementary District (4282), which oversees 22 schools and 13,436 students, RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS is one campus in the system.
On the student-mix side, RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS records that 85% of students identify as Hispanic, making the school strongly Hispanic-majority. Beyond that, the school reports 10% Black, 3% White. By comparison, Maricopa County as a whole is about 31% Hispanic, so the school skews noticeably more Hispanic than its surroundings.
In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 22.5:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 17.8:1 average.
In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Maricopa County) reports that median household income runs about $89,300, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, Maricopa County runs 1352 public schools (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students), of which RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS is one.
Nearest neighbor: Manuel Pena Jr. School, around 0.2 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS operates from a city-core location.
Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 36%: 855 students in 2018 compared to 545 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 5% to 10% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 20.9:1 in 2018 to 22.5:1 today.
In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.
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 Cartwright Elementary District (4282)
- Frank Borman SchoolElementary · 960 students
- Charles W. Harris SchoolElementary · 875 students
- Peralta SchoolElementary · 817 students
- Manuel Pena Jr. SchoolElementary · 806 students
- Sunset SchoolElementary · 739 students
- Tomahawk SchoolElementary · 718 students
Other schools in PHOENIX
- Arizona Virtual AcademyCombined · 4,476 students
- Trevor Browne High SchoolHigh · 2,850 students
- Desert Vista High SchoolHigh · 2,761 students
- Maryvale High SchoolHigh · 2,532 students
- Pinnacle High SchoolHigh · 2,430 students
- Sunnyslope High SchoolHigh · 2,322 students
Nearby schools
- Manuel Pena Jr. School0.2 mi · 806
- Amberlea Elementary School0.6 mi · 457
- Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School0.6 mi · 703
- Pan-American Charter School0.7 mi · 1,221
- Trevor Browne High School0.7 mi · 2,850
- Desert Horizon Elementary School1.0 mi · 690
Frequently asked questions
About RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTSHow large is RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS?
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS enrolls approximately 545 students in grades 06-08.
What age range does RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS serve?
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS serves students from grade 06 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS?
Approximately 22.5:1 students per teacher at RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS.
How diverse is RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS?
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS reports a student body of 3% White, 85% Hispanic, 10% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS?
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS is overseen by Cartwright Elementary District (4282) in Maricopa County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.