Sundance Elementary School, Peoria AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Sundance Elementary School

Sundance Elementary School, a regular public school in Peoria serving preschool through eighth grade, is part of the Peoria Unified School District. The district, which enrolls students across Peoria, Glendale, Youngtown, and a small part of Surprise, has kept a stable count of schools in recent years, with no major closures or openings reported. For families in the area, that consistency means no surprises on the school map.

Peoria itself is a major Phoenix suburb that has grown rapidly from an agricultural past into a sprawling, car-dependent city with master-planned communities. The city’s development strategy now centers on a new industrial and commercial corridor along the Loop 303 freeway, anchored by a large semiconductor plant that is expected to bring a significant number of new jobs. For school choice, this means a district serving a population in transition, with a mix of older established neighborhoods and newer master-planned subdivisions.

Sundance is a mid-sized elementary for its grade band, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The student body is diverse. More than half of the students identify as Hispanic, with White students making up the next largest group, and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, and information on students with disabilities and English learners was also missing. A parent who wants to understand the level of support for those populations should ask the school directly.

Academically, the state assessment results offer a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through eight clustered near the lower end of the state’s performance range, with the highest point in a single grade still representing a minority of students reaching the bar. In math, the pattern was similar, with a few grades posting rates that are considered low. Science results for the tested grades also showed that a minority of students met the proficiency standard. Compared with other schools across Maricopa County, the overall proficiency index places Sundance below the midpoint of the county’s districts. While these figures point to an academic environment where many students are still building foundational skills, a parent may want to follow up with the school about the specific instructional strategies and interventions in place.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. That is a natural feature of the school’s grade span, not a gap in its program. Similarly, the school does not report data on advanced coursework or career pathways, which are not typical offerings for a PK–8 setting.

The housing market in the area reflects a typical Sun Belt suburban pattern. Home values are close to the national median, and rents are moderately above average relative to incomes. The mortgage payment on a median-priced home is estimated to be higher than the median rent, a common dynamic in a market where home prices have run up faster than incomes.

For a family considering Sundance, the message is clear. This is a school in a fast-growing, diversified part of the Phoenix metro area, with a diverse student body and a district that has kept a steady course on its school map. The academic results, however, suggest that the school is still working to move most of its students to proficiency, particularly in math and science. A parent who values a close-to-home neighborhood school in a growing suburban area may find Sundance a convenient fit, but should be prepared to engage with the school about academic supports and to monitor their child’s progress closely, especially in the middle grade years where the numbers soften further.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 27% · ▲ 19 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 47% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 31% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 34% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 41% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 52% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 525%

School 25% · District 40% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 627%

School 27% · District 43% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 25% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 836%

School 36% · District 45% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 36% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 33%

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below 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.