Zuni Hills Elementary School, Sun City AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Zuni Hills Elementary School

Zuni Hills Elementary School is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade in Sun City, part of the Peoria Unified School District. It is not a charter or magnet school, and it sits within a community that was intentionally built as a retirement destination. That context matters, because the school draws its students from a wider attendance zone than the immediate neighborhood's predominantly older residents might suggest.

In recent state assessments, Zuni Hills posted results that place it above the midpoint among districts across Maricopa County when measured by overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That is a solid position, but the scores vary notably by grade level and subject. In fourth grade, both math and English language arts proficiency rates were strong, with a sizable majority of students meeting the bar. In sixth grade, ELA proficiency was also comfortably above half. Elsewhere the picture is more uneven. By seventh and eighth grade, math proficiency rates dropped substantially, and eighth-grade science proficiency followed a similar pattern. ELA scores in third, fifth, and eighth grades hovered in the middle of the range. The overall proficiency index reflects the combined average, so the stronger early-grade results lift the school's aggregate standing. A parent whose child is entering the middle grades may want to look into this further with the school to understand the specific supports available as students move through those years.

Enrollment is about the size one would expect for a PK-8 campus that serves as a neighborhood school for a suburban area. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Hispanic students and smaller representation of Black, Asian, Native American, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent would need to ask the school directly about those student supports.

Sun City itself is a master-planned community built in the 1960s for active adults, with a median age far above typical school-age years. Very few of its residents are under eighteen, and housing is almost entirely owner-occupied. The home values in the area sit around the national median, though the market has seen a slight softening recently, consistent with broader national trends. Streets are car-dependent, and there is no traditional downtown; civic life revolves around recreation centers and golf courses. Because the school serves families, its attendance zone likely reaches into adjacent parts of Peoria or other nearby communities where younger households live. The district itself has maintained a stable lineup of schools and no major closures or openings in recent years, offering continuity.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. That is by design, as the grade band ends at eighth grade. For families considering a move into the area, the strengths are the solid overall proficiency ranking within the county and the strong early-grade performance. The softer spots are the notable declines in math proficiency in the upper grades and the gaps in reported student-support data. The community is quiet, built out, and oriented toward retirement, which may feel disconnected for a family seeking a lively neighborhood fabric, though the school’s own environment is shaped by its students and staff rather than the surrounding demographic. A parent weighing this school should get a closer look at how the middle grades handle the transition in math and what programs exist for students who need extra help.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 27% · ▲ 26 pts above district

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

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 47% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 21% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Grade 643%

School 43% · District 33% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 31% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 41% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 52% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 25 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 664%

School 64% · District 43% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 25% · ▲ 33 pts above district

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

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 36% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 33% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 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.