Desert Harbor Elementary School, Peoria AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Desert Harbor Elementary School

Desert Harbor Elementary School, a regular public school in the Peoria Unified School District, serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school is positioned in a rapidly growing part of the northwestern Phoenix suburbs, a city whose identity has shifted from its agricultural roots toward resort and leisure living, with a new economic focus on industrial and commercial development along the Loop 303 corridor. The school’s enrollment is large for a K-8 campus.

The student body is predominantly White, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, American Indian, or of two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, who receive special education services, or who are English learners were not available in the profile, which limits a clear picture of the school's economic and academic support needs. A parent may want to ask the school about these figures directly.

On the most recent state assessments, results varied by grade and subject. In English language arts, proficiency rates across tested grades clustered around the midpoint, with one grade reaching a notably higher rate and others falling in a more moderate range. In math, proficiency rates were lower across the board, with every tested grade showing a rate below half, and one grade near that mark. Science results were available for two grades and showed a moderate share of students meeting the proficiency standard. The school’s overall performance across all tested subjects and grades placed it above the midpoint when compared with other schools in Maricopa County, a large and diverse set of schools. No multi-year trend data was available to show whether these results reflect improvement or decline over time; only a single year’s snapshot was reported.

Because Desert Harbor is a K-8 school, it does not have a high school graduation rate to report. That is a function of its grade configuration, not a missing metric.

The school is part of a district that maintains a stable footprint of about four dozen schools, covering neighborhoods in Peoria, Glendale, Youngtown, and a small portion of Surprise. No major school closures or openings have been reported in recent years, which suggests continuity for families. No information was available in the profile about course offerings, such as advanced coursework or enrichment programs, nor about discipline rates, staffing ratios, or chronic absenteeism. A parent interested in those details would need to seek them from the school or district office.

Housing in the area around the school sits at a value slightly above the statewide benchmark for Arizona, but a bit below the national average. Rents are moderate relative to incomes, though buying a home would require a substantial portion of household income. The broader Peoria area is car-dependent, with a low-density, suburban development pattern of master-planned communities. The city’s entertainment and retail options are concentrated in discrete commercial nodes rather than a single walkable downtown. For families considering a move to the area, the trade-off is a growing suburb with new development and amenities versus limited walkability and a commuting pattern typical of the Phoenix metro area.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 27% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 47% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 21% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 33% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 31% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 41% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 52% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 40% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 43% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 770%

School 70% · District 25% · ▲ 45 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 45% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 36% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 33% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

This schoolPeoria Unified School District (4237), 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.