Sanborn Elementary School, Chandler AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Sanborn Elementary School

Sanborn Elementary School, a regular public school in Arizona’s Chandler Unified District, serves students from preschool through sixth grade. It sits within Chandler, a large Phoenix-area suburb that has grown rapidly in recent decades, anchored by major employers such as Intel, Wells Fargo, and Northrop Grumman. The city is a recognized tech and semiconductor hub, and the school’s location places it in a community where suburban residential neighborhoods mix with corporate campuses and freeway corridors. Housing values in the school’s zip code have seen a modest decline, and rents have eased slightly, though both remain above state benchmarks, reflecting the area’s overall economic strength.

The student body is diverse. A majority of students are Hispanic, with White students making up a substantial share, followed by smaller but present populations of students who are two or more races, Asian, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available, so those aspects of the school’s support landscape cannot be assessed from the data.

Academically, the school’s state assessment results for the most recent school year show a mixed picture. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through six ranged from a lower point in sixth grade to a higher point in fifth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar, with the strongest showing in fourth grade and the weakest in sixth grade. Fifth-grade science results were in line with the overall pattern. Taken together, Sanborn’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Maricopa County. This is an important metric for families to weigh, and a parent wanting a fuller understanding of academic trajectory may wish to ask the school about grade-level trends, curriculum supports, and how the school is addressing the dip seen in the upper elementary grades.

Because Sanborn does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report here.

Several pieces of information that can help round out a school profile are absent. The data does not include information on discipline rates, staffing levels, chronic absenteeism, or course access, so it is not possible to speak to the school’s climate, teacher experience, or program breadth from these sources. Similarly, no details on programs such as gifted education, arts, or after-school offerings were available.

For a family considering Sanborn, the core takeaway is a school in a growing, economically vibrant suburb with a diverse student body and state test results that, overall, trail the county median. The missing data on student support populations and school environment are meaningful gaps; a prospective parent would be well served by visiting the school, talking to staff and current families, and asking directly about academic interventions, enrichment opportunities, and how the school supports the transition to middle school after sixth grade.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 44% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 30% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 53% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 35% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 32% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 32% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 58% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Science

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 48% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolChandler Unified District #80 (4242), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.