Sun Valley Elementary School, Peoria AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Sun Valley Elementary School

Sun Valley Elementary School, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade, sits in Peoria, a fast-growing Phoenix suburb that has shifted from an agricultural past toward a resort-and-leisure economy with new industrial development along the Loop 101 corridor. The school is part of the Peoria Unified School District, which runs 44 schools across Peoria, Glendale, Youngtown, and a slice of Surprise. The district footprint has been stable in recent years, with no major closures or openings reported, offering families a sense of continuity.

The student body is diverse. A majority of students are Hispanic, with White students the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Black, multiracial, and American Indian or Alaska Native students, as well as very small Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander populations. Enrollment covers a full K–8 span, with a modest prekindergarten program. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is not reported in the available data, which means a parent may want to ask the school directly about economic need and how it shapes supports.

On state assessments, performance across subjects and grade levels is low overall, placing Sun Valley in the bottom quartile among the many districts in Maricopa County. The proficiency rates that were reported are consistently modest. In English language arts, the highest share of students meeting the bar appears in the upper elementary and middle grades, but even there the rate is well under half of tested students. In math, the results are weaker still, with only a small share of students reaching proficiency in most tested grades; results for grades five and eight were suppressed, so no public figure is available for those years, though the number of students tested was high enough that the suppression is likely due to state privacy rules rather than a lack of participation. In science, the share of students scoring proficient is also small at both the tested grade levels. A parent considering this school should understand that academic attainment, as measured by state tests, is markedly lower than what is typical across the county, and it would be reasonable to ask the school what steps are being taken to address those results. The school’s multi-year trend, though limited to a single year of data, shows essentially flat performance in both ELA and math.

The school environment itself has a number of unknowns. Information on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, and Title I status was not provided by the data, so a parent would need to contact the school directly to learn about classroom size, specialized programs, and whether it receives federal funding for low-income students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and has no special designation that alters its admissions or curriculum.

Housing in the area reflects the broader Phoenix metro pattern. Home values in the Zip code around the school have recently softened slightly year over year, while rents have edged up. The national median household income is roughly in line with what would be needed to afford the area’s typical home, but the monthly cost of buying is noticeably higher than renting, making homeownership a stretch for many families. Peoria itself remains a sprawling, car-dependent suburb. Walkable street life is concentrated in a few commercial nodes rather than woven through residential neighborhoods. The city has invested in parks, trails, and a performing arts center, and new employment anchors such as a semiconductor plant are being built, but for day-to-day school drop-offs and errands, a car is essential.

Who this school fits depends heavily on what a family values. Sun Valley offers a full K–8 pathway in one building, which can simplify transitions for children through the middle grades. The student body is diverse and the school is situated in a well-established district with a large network of high schools beyond eighth grade. But the test results are concerning, and a family that prioritizes strong measured academic outcomes may want to visit the school, talk to teachers and administrators about interventions and supports, and compare options within and beyond the district. The available data does not tell the whole story; a parent should fill in the gaps by asking about enrichment programs, special education services, English learner supports, and the school’s own strategic goals.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 27% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 47% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 33% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 714%

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

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

English language arts

Grade 321%

School 21% · District 41% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 52% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 40% · ▼ 20 pts below district

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

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 43% · ▼ 22 pts below district

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

Grade 734%

School 34% · District 25% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 837%

School 37% · District 45% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 36% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 33% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 17 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.