The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Santa Maria Middle School
Santa Maria Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Fowler Elementary District, located in the southwestern part of Phoenix. The school sits near Lower Buckeye Road, putting it in an area of the city that is less dense than downtown, with a more industrial and warehouse-adjacent feel.
The student body is heavily concentrated in one demographic group, with a large majority of students identifying as Hispanic. Smaller shares of students are Black, white, and of other racial backgrounds. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment for a middle school, with enrollment spread roughly evenly across the three grade levels. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as on special education and English learner status, was not available. A parent looking into those support structures would need to follow up directly with the school or district.
Academic performance at Santa Maria Middle School is an area families will want to examine closely. On the state assessments for the most recent school year, the share of students scoring proficient was low in both math and English language arts across all tested grades. In math, proficiency rates were in the low teens, and in English language arts they were around one in five. Science results for eighth graders were also low. Compared with other districts across Maricopa County, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile. This is a significant gap from the countywide middle point. The school has only one year of comparable assessment data under the current tests, so there is no trend line yet to indicate whether performance is improving or declining.
Because Santa Maria Middle School serves only grades six through eight, it has no graduation rate to report.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is part of the Fowler Elementary District, which, based on recent search results, does not appear to have undergone any large-scale changes that would directly impact parents in the near term.
Phoenix itself is a sprawling and fast-growing urban center. The school’s location on the city’s southwest side is car-oriented, with wide roadways and a grid layout. The local housing market has seen a slight dip in values over the most recent year, and rents have held relatively steady, which may matter to families considering a move into the attendance area. Compared with national figures, home values in this part of Phoenix are near the national benchmark.
A parent evaluating Santa Maria Middle School will find a school serving a predominantly Hispanic student body in a growing part of a large city. The core academic results are below the county average, and families who want strong test performance or a range of advanced course offerings would want to investigate further. The school’s grade band means students move on to a high school outside this building after eighth grade, so the feeder pattern into high school is another consideration a family would want to confirm with the district.
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