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What do you wish you knew before starting at Thunderbird High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,592
High
DISTRICT 1,458 · STATE 631
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·GLENDALE UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT (4285)·NCES 040345000282
Thunderbird High School
1750 W THUNDERBIRD RD, PHOENIX, AZ 85023 · (623) 915-8900 · Maricopa County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL1,592 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 70% of Arizona public high schools
- A-Test 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.
- C+Three-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 high schools
Student : Teacher
23.9:1
67 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 21.2:1 · STATE 20.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 404 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 385 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 368 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 435 | 27% |
Student demographics
64%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · 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
54.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . +13.0pp since 2017
Math
42.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -16.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 54 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 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 13 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 16 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 54.0% | 42.0% |
| 2023-24 | 54.0% | 43.0% |
| 2022-23 | 52.0% | 48.0% |
| 2021-22 | 48.0% | 48.0% |
| 2020-21 | 35.0% | 28.0% |
| 2018-19 | 44.0% | 66.0% |
| 2017-18 | 41.0% | 58.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Thunderbird High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #78 of 268 ▼ 9 | #61 of 144 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 54.0% | #71 of 267 ▼ 1 | #54 of 143 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +0.0pp | #134 of 220 | #81 of 134 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,592 | #95 of 510 | #73 of 248 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 23.9:1 | #258 of 279 | #152 of 163 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 63.9% | #55 of 284 | #33 of 163 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +7.0% | #98 of 128 | #49 of 68 |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,592
-41 (-3%) vs 2020
+4% since 1990-91, when it was 1,537
Student : Teacher
23.9:1
was 22.7:1
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 | 1,592 | 66.6 | 23.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 1,547 | 68.6 | 22.6:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 1,540 | 75.2 | 20.5:1 | 43% (662) |
| 2020-21 | 1,633 | 72 | 22.7:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 1,488 | 72.2 | 20.6:1 | 46% (684) |
| 2015-16 | 1,531 | 68 | 22.5:1 | 49% (752) |
| 2010-11 | 1,559 | 72 | 21.6:1 | 40% (623) |
| 2000-01 | 1,714 | 81 | 21.2:1 | N/A |
| 1990-91 | 1,537 | 69 | 22.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thunderbird High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 7% (1,488 to 1,592); teachers down 8% (72.2 to 66.6).
About Thunderbird High School
Thunderbird High School is a large high school in PHOENIX, Arizona, administered by Glendale Union High School District (4285). The school serves grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 1,592 students. That is 152% above the average of about 631 students for high schools in Arizona.
Thunderbird High School falls under Glendale Union High School District (4285), which has 11 schools enrolling 16,040 students.
The student body at Thunderbird High School has no majority group. Hispanic students lead at 47%. Other groups include 36% White, 8% Black, 4% multiracial, and 3% Native American. The county population is about 31% Hispanic. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 64%.
For every teacher at Thunderbird High School, there are about 23.9 students; the school has 66.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. Statewide, high schools in Arizona average 20.2:1.
Among Arizona public high schools, Thunderbird High School outscored 70%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
In Maricopa County, the median household earns about $89,300 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 37%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Across Maricopa County, 1,352 public schools serve about 725,139 students.
Among nearby public schools, Moon Mountain School is closest at about 0.4 miles. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8.
The school is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more, according to its NCES locale (City: Large).
From 2020-21 to 2024-25, enrollment decreased from 1,633 to 1,592, a 3% decline. There were more students per teacher in 2024-25 (23.9:1) than in 2020-21 (22.7:1).
Parents, students, and staff can share information on special education services, counseling, and support programs here. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Glendale Union High School District (4285)
- Sunnyslope High SchoolHigh · 2,322 students
- Apollo High SchoolHigh · 2,152 students
- Independence High SchoolHigh · 1,907 students
- Glendale High SchoolHigh · 1,734 students
- Washington High SchoolHigh · 1,659 students
- Moon Valley High SchoolHigh · 1,471 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
- Moon Mountain School0.4 mi · 474
- John Jacobs Elementary School0.8 mi · 439
- Shaw Butte School1.1 mi · 688
- Reid Traditional Schools' Painted Rock Academy1.2 mi · 416
- Lookout Mountain School1.5 mi · 979
- Acacia Elementary School1.6 mi · 806
Frequently asked questions
About Thunderbird High SchoolHow many students attend Thunderbird High School?
Thunderbird High School enrolls approximately 1,592 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Thunderbird High School serve?
Thunderbird High School serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Thunderbird High School have?
Thunderbird High School employs 67 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 23.9:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Thunderbird High School?
At Thunderbird High School, the student body is approximately 36% White, 47% Hispanic, 8% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Thunderbird High School public or private?
Thunderbird High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Glendale Union High School District (4285).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.