Moon Mountain School, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Moon Mountain School

Moon Mountain School serves students from preschool through sixth grade as a regular public school in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix. The school sits in a large, fast-growing urban city whose economy spans high technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services, centered around Sky Harbor International Airport. Housing in the school’s immediate area carries a value near the midpoint of what families typically encounter in the Phoenix region, with rents that are more affordable than a monthly mortgage payment at current interest rates.

The student body at Moon Mountain draws from the surrounding neighborhood and reflects a diverse mix. Hispanic students make up more than half the enrollment, with White students the next largest group, followed by Black students, students who identify as two or more races, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Asian students represent a small share. The school’s total enrollment is of a size that feels manageable for an elementary campus. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not reported in the available information, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about the share of students receiving support services.

On state assessments, Moon Mountain’s results give a mixed picture. In reading, proficiency rates across grades three through six sit mostly in the moderate range, with fourth grade reaching the highest point and third grade the lowest. In math, the pattern is similar: third graders show the strongest performance, while sixth graders are the weakest. Fifth-grade science results are lower than any tested subject or grade in reading or math. When viewed against the full set of elementary schools within Maricopa County, the school’s overall proficiency index lands below the midpoint of the comparison group. A multi-year trend is too brief to read meaningfully, covering only two school years, but it shows that proficiency rates in both reading and math were unchanged in that short window.

The school’s grade span stops at sixth grade, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no advanced course access data such as high school or career pathways. The school is not a charter and no magnet designation was listed. Its Title I status was not reported in the available data, so it is unclear whether the school receives federal funds for high-poverty support.

A parent considering Moon Mountain should understand that this is a mid-sized elementary school in a large urban district, serving a diverse student population across the core elementary years. The academic numbers are modest relative to county peers, and while no single grade or subject is alarmingly low, the overall pattern suggests that many students are not yet reaching proficiency benchmarks. The strongest reading performance comes from fourth graders, which is a positive data point to note. The district itself, Washington Elementary, did not surface recent information about major budget, curriculum, or boundary changes, so there are no visible structural shifts underway that would reshape the school’s context in the near term.

For a family weighing this school, the key considerations are the classroom experience and the peer environment. The racial and ethnic diversity is a characteristic many families value for its real-world richness. The academic performance, however, is the softer side of the picture, and a parent would want to visit, talk with teachers about how the school supports students who are below proficiency, and ask about the specific programs available for students who need extra help. Without data on special populations or staffing, those conversations become essential to understanding whether this school fits a particular child’s needs.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 31% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 32% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 537%

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

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

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 26% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 23% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 32% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 27% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 32% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

This schoolWashington Elementary School District (4260), 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.