Glendale Union High School District (4285), AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Glendale Union High School District (4285)

Glendale Union High School District serves high school students only, operating a total of eleven schools across a sprawling section of Maricopa County that includes parts of Phoenix, Glendale, and a sliver of Peoria. The district’s footprint is large and varied, spanning older, more affordable neighborhoods near central Glendale and Phoenix all the way to pricier pockets around Moon Valley and North Phoenix. Housing values shift noticeably as you move across the district, with some areas seeing home prices well above the district average and others well below, and the weighted average for the district falls a bit below the statewide benchmark. Rent across the district also varies, with the overall average slightly lower than the national rent-to-income norm, which suggests that owning a home here is the pricier option relative to renting.

Enrollment is large, with all four high school grades represented. The student body reflects a heavily Hispanic majority, with White students making up the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner status was not available, so a family looking at fit should ask the district directly about those numbers.

Academically, the district has a single year of proficiency data on record, which is for the 2024-25 school year. In English language arts, just under half of students met the proficiency mark. In math, about a third of students did. These are recent numbers and they give a baseline for where the district stands, but without a multi-year trend it is not possible to say whether that performance is stable, improving, or declining. The statewide assessment transition in recent years may have disrupted comparisons; the data simply does not cover prior years. Science testing data from the 2018-19 school year was suppressed, so no usable results are available there.

On student engagement, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate stands above the midpoint among Maricopa County’s districts. That is a soft spot a parent may want to explore further with individual schools, since high chronic absence is linked to lower academic momentum.

Per-pupil current spending falls in the middle range, lower half of the county’s districts. That is not a red flag on its own, but families comparing Glendale Union to neighboring high school districts might want to see where the dollars go, especially if they value small class sizes or extensive non-core programming.

The district operates a traditional lineup of comprehensive high schools. There are also two online learning academy options, which suggests the district has tried to build some flexibility for students who need an alternative to the classroom. No information was available on course offerings such as Advanced Placement, career and technical education pathways, dual enrollment, or arts programs, so a family interested in those should check the websites of the individual high schools or call the district office.

The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, bond measures, curriculum updates, or tax referenda. That does not mean none happened, only that the search could not confirm any within the available resources.

This is a large, urban-influenced high school district serving a diverse and economically varied area. The housing market in its coverage zone is mixed, with some neighborhoods holding value better than others. Academic proficiency is lower than a family might hope given the state averages, and chronic absenteeism is a known challenge. For a family deciding where to live or which school to choose, the differences among the district’s ten campuses matter, and those are not captured here. The district provides the basic high school pathway; the specifics of program quality, school climate, and support for students with different needs will come from visiting the schools themselves.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

16,407

Grades

09–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 63%

Black 8%

White 20%

Asian 3%

Two+ 3%

Am. Indian / AK Native 2%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

11 schools are officially reported under this district.

Moon Valley High School

Sunnyslope High School

Thunderbird High School

Washington High School

Independence High School

Glendale Union High School District Online Learning Academy

Glendale Union Online

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$379,274

Year-over-year change-2.4%

Range across 18 ZIP codes$302K to $494K

vs. state typical0.90x

vs. national typical1.03x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (18 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
85029	Phoenix	$359K	-3.5%	15.7%
85301	Glendale	$314K	-2.9%	11.3%
85021	Phoenix	$440K	-1.0%	10.8%
85051	Phoenix	$346K	-2.6%	10.6%
85303	Glendale	$379K	-1.1%	10.1%
85023	Phoenix	$421K	-2.2%	8.7%
85053	Phoenix	$380K	-2.9%	6.9%
85302	Glendale	$381K	-2.6%	6.7%
85020	Phoenix	$408K	-1.4%	5.3%
85306	Glendale	$408K	-3.0%	3.7%

Showing top 10 of 18 ZIP codes by land area weight

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,358/mo

Year-over-year change-1.3%

Range across 18 ZIP codes$1,162 to $2,135/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (18 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
85029	Phoenix	$1,236	+0.4%	15.7%
85301	Glendale	$1,162	-1.7%	11.3%
85021	Phoenix	$1,210	-2.0%	10.8%
85051	Phoenix	$1,190	-3.5%	10.6%
85303	Glendale	$1,870	+0.2%	10.1%
85023	Phoenix	$1,296	-2.7%	8.7%
85053	Phoenix	$1,288	-5.0%	6.9%
85302	Glendale	$1,418	-0.3%	6.7%
85020	Phoenix	$1,391	-2.4%	5.3%
85306	Glendale	$1,531	+1.8%	3.7%

Showing top 10 of 18 ZIP codes by land area weight

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$1,914/mo

Home price / national median income4.5x

Annual rent / national median income19.5%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$556/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$423,746 (-1.6% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Academic Performance
Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.