Westwind Elementary School, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Westwind Elementary School

Westwind Elementary School is a regular public school in Phoenix serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. It operates within the Pendergast Elementary District, a preschool-through-eighth-grade district, so families with ninth-grade students will need to look to a separate high school feeder system. The school sits west of downtown Phoenix, in a part of the city shaped by wide grid streets and car-oriented development, consistent with the larger metropolitan area’s sprawling footprint.

The student body is large for an elementary and middle school combination. The racial and ethnic composition is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with small shares of white, Black, Asian, American Indian, and multiracial students. Data on economic disadvantage and English learner status were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals or receive language support services.

Academically, state proficiency rates place Westwind in the bottom quarter of schools relative to other districts across Maricopa County. In math, the share of students meeting state standards varies by grade but is modest across the board. English language arts proficiency rates are higher than math in most grades but still below the county median. Science proficiency was reported for grades five and eight; in both cases the rate was low. The overall proficiency index for the school sits in the bottom quartile of the county comparison set, meaning a large majority of tested students are not reaching the state’s proficiency benchmarks. A parent considering the school may want to ask what academic interventions and supports are in place, particularly in math, and how the school tracks student growth across grade levels.

Because Westwind serves only through eighth grade, it has no graduation rate to report. That is a function of the grade band, not an indication of student outcomes. The school environment data, including chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing ratios, were absent from the available records, so a parent relying solely on this profile will not have a picture of school climate or teacher experience. Visiting the school or speaking with current families would fill that gap.

The housing market around the school is moderately priced compared to national benchmarks, though values have recently eased slightly. Homes in the area are generally less expensive than the statewide average, and rents are below the national mortgage-equivalent figure, making the neighborhood more accessible for buyers or renters. The broader Phoenix economy continues to grow, with a large service and technology employment base, and the city is among the fastest-growing in the country. The locale brief for Phoenix did not include specific walkability data for this part of the city, but the typical built environment is spacious and car-dependent, with main roads running on a grid and limited pedestrian infrastructure in many outlying neighborhoods.

No recent district-level changes were found in the search of the Pendergast Elementary District, suggesting a period of relative stability in leadership, boundaries, or programming, though the absence of information does not guarantee no changes occurred. A parent should confirm directly with the district for any coming adjustments to attendance zones or school offerings.

Westwind Elementary is a large, diverse neighborhood school serving a predominantly Hispanic student population in a fast-growing part of Phoenix. Its academic proficiency rates are below the county median across tested subjects, and families who prioritize strong state test results will want to explore the school’s academic support programs in detail. For families seeking a PK-8 setting that keeps siblings together through middle school, and who are comfortable with a school whose performance benchmark is lower than many in the county, Westwind offers a familiar public school option in a housing market that is relatively affordable by state and national standards.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 19% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 23% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 18% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 14% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 16% · ▲ 16 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 18% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 323%

School 23% · District 23%

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

Grade 431%

School 31% · District 37% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 22% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 25% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 27% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 31% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 19% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 20% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 18 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.