Desert Mirage Elementary School, Glendale AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Desert Mirage Elementary School

Desert Mirage Elementary School is a regular public school serving preschool through eighth grade as part of the Pendergast Elementary District in Glendale. It is not a charter school. The school sits in the western part of the Phoenix metro area, a large suburban city that mixes residential subdivisions with major retail corridors, entertainment venues like State Farm Stadium, and industrial employers such as Honeywell Aerospace. Glendale has been growing at a steady clip, and its housing market reflects typical Sun Belt suburban patterns: home values and rents sit near national benchmarks, though the local market has softened recently.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with White, Black, Asian, and Native American students each making up a smaller share. This profile shapes the peer environment—families considering the school should expect a student population that reflects the broader west Valley’s demographics. The school serves a full K-8 span, which means students go through elementary and middle school in one building before transitioning to a high school outside the district, since Pendergast is an elementary-only district. No data on special education or English learner enrollment was reported in the available records, so a parent who wants to understand supports in those areas would need to reach out to the school directly.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year paint a clear picture of academic performance. In math, proficiency rates across tested grades were reported in the low to mid-twenties for most grades, with one early grade coming in higher. In English language arts, the range was broader: the third and eighth grades each showed a proficiency rate in the mid-forties, while the middle grades clustered around the low to mid-thirties, with seventh grade running lower. Science scores from the same year were posted for grades five and eight, with both in the high twenties. The multi-year trend data, which covers only a single year, offers no basis for judging improvement or decline over time.

The comparison tool that places Desert Mirage among other elementary-level schools within Maricopa County districts shows a proficiency index below the midpoint of that large pool. That is a straightforward statement of where the school sits relative to a wide field of nearly two hundred and fifty schools, not a judgment. The school’s own numbers, grade by grade, give a family the concrete pattern: performance is uneven, with some grades in ELA reaching the middle of the road and others, particularly in math, well below it. A parent might reasonably want to ask about math instruction and intervention specifically.

The district itself appears to be operating without major recent changes that would be publicly visible; a search turned up little of lasting impact. That suggests a relatively stable administrative environment, though it also means less public information for a family trying to gauge district-level priorities. No discipline data, course access data, or staffing ratios were reported in the available records, so those are gaps a prospective family would need to fill with a school visit or a call to the office.

The housing context is worth noting for families considering a move to the attendance area. Home values in the school’s zip code have softened year-over-year, and rents have dipped as well, a contrast to national trends where home values have edged up. That could make the neighborhood more accessible than some other parts of Glendale, but it also reflects the local market’s current direction. The price-to-income ratio nationally suggests that buying here, like in much of the West, requires a substantial income.

For a family weighing Desert Mirage, the essential picture is of a mid-sized K-8 school in a growing suburb, with a largely Hispanic student body and academic results that are below the county median overall, though with some brighter spots in upper-elementary and middle-grade English. The school serves its students through eighth grade, so the transition to high school will be to a different district entirely—something to plan for. The missing data on special populations, discipline, and staffing makes a school visit especially important for any family with a child who needs specific supports.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 19% · ▲ 19 pts above district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 18% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 14% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 18% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 23% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 37% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 22% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 25% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 27%

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

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 31% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 19% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 20% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolPendergast Elementary District (4283), 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.