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What advice would you give to incoming students at Shepherd Junior High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
581
Middle
DISTRICT 734 · STATE 494
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MESA UNIFIED DISTRICT (4235)·NCES 040497001376
Shepherd Junior High School
1407 N ALTA MESA DR, MESA, AZ 85205 · (480) 472-1800 · Maricopa County
GRADES 04–08MIDDLE11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL581 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
20.6:1
28 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.0:1 · STATE 17.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 290 | 50% |
| Grade 8 | 291 | 50% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · 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
47.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +9.0pp since 2017
Math
28.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -18.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 28 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 45 and 38. Reading and writing scores are up about 9 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 18 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.0% | 28.0% |
| 2023-24 | 42.0% | 25.0% |
| 2022-23 | 42.0% | 33.0% |
| 2021-22 | 38.0% | 23.0% |
| 2020-21 | 37.0% | 27.0% |
| 2018-19 | 37.0% | 45.0% |
| 2017-18 | 38.0% | 46.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Shepherd Junior High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.0% | #58 of 190 ▲ 15 | #37 of 87 ▲ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #53 of 190 no change | #35 of 87 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +7.0pp | #17 of 160 | #11 of 78 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 581 | #84 of 214 | #55 of 96 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 20.6:1 | #140 of 179 | #70 of 85 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.3% | #92 of 182 | #53 of 86 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.8% | #92 of 139 | #51 of 69 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
581
-95 (-14%) vs 2020
-47% since 1990-91, when it was 1,095
Student : Teacher
20.6:1
was 19.9:1
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 | 581 | 28.2 | 20.6:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 667 | 33.9 | 19.7:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 603 | 33.6 | 17.9:1 | 35% (210) |
| 2020-21 | 676 | 34 | 19.9:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 682 | 36.2 | 18.8:1 | 41% (278) |
| 2015-16 | 640 | 35 | 18.3:1 | 44% (284) |
| 2010-11 | 1,177 | 54 | 21.8:1 | 37% (439) |
| 2000-01 | 1,569 | 74 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,095 | 50 | 21.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Shepherd Junior High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (682 to 581); teachers down 22% (36.2 to 28.2).
About Shepherd Junior High School
Shepherd Junior High School is a middle school in MESA, Arizona, reachable at (480) 472-1800. It teaches 581 students in grades 4 through 8.
Mesa Unified District (4235) has 81 schools and 55,821 students, and Shepherd Junior High School is one of those schools.
At Shepherd Junior High School, 62% of students are White. After that, the student body is 28% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 3% Black. Census estimates put Maricopa County at about 59% White, close to the school's figure. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Shepherd Junior High School scores 53%.
The school lists 28.2 full-time-equivalent teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 20.6:1. Compared with the 17.8:1 average for middle schools in Arizona, this school's ratio is higher.
The school is in Maricopa County, where median household income comes to about $89,300, roughly 37% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Maricopa County's 1,352 public schools enroll about 725,139 students and include Shepherd Junior High School.
Shepherd Junior High School is about 0.2 miles from Mendoza Elementary School, its nearest public school. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Large, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Since 2020-21, enrollment has fallen 14%, from 676 to 581.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies at Shepherd Junior High School. Members of the school community can share what they know.
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 Mesa Unified District (4235)
- Mountain View High SchoolHigh · 3,421 students
- Red Mountain High SchoolHigh · 3,379 students
- Mesa High SchoolHigh · 3,233 students
- Westwood High SchoolHigh · 3,135 students
- Dobson High SchoolHigh · 2,284 students
- Skyline High SchoolHigh · 1,995 students
Other schools in MESA
- Mountain View High SchoolHigh · 3,421 students
- Red Mountain High SchoolHigh · 3,379 students
- Mesa High SchoolHigh · 3,233 students
- Westwood High SchoolHigh · 3,135 students
- Dobson High SchoolHigh · 2,284 students
- Desert Ridge HighHigh · 2,103 students
Nearby schools
- Mendoza Elementary School0.2 mi · 402
- Bush Elementary1.1 mi · 524
- O'Connor Elementary School1.3 mi · 386
- Fremont Junior High School1.4 mi · 822
- Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies1.4 mi · 379
- Salk Elementary School1.6 mi · 494
Frequently asked questions
About Shepherd Junior High SchoolHow large is Shepherd Junior High School?
Shepherd Junior High School enrolls approximately 581 students in grades 04-08.
What age range does Shepherd Junior High School serve?
Shepherd Junior High School serves students from grade 04 through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shepherd Junior High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Shepherd Junior High School is approximately 20.6:1 (28 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Shepherd Junior High School?
Student demographics at Shepherd Junior High School are roughly 62% White, 28% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Shepherd Junior High School in?
Shepherd Junior High School is part of Mesa Unified District (4235).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.