Sahuaro School, Phoenix AZ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Sahuaro School

Sahuaro School is a regular public elementary school in north Phoenix, part of the Washington Elementary School District. It serves students from preschool through sixth grade, placing it firmly in the elementary category. The school sits within a large, sprawling urban center that blends residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors, and the surrounding area reflects Phoenix’s car-oriented grid layout and fast-growing character.

State assessment results are available for math, English language arts, and science across grades three through six. The school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades places it above the midpoint relative to districts in Maricopa County. That broad measure, however, masks a pattern worth noting. In both math and reading, proficiency rates are higher in the early tested grades and drop substantially by fifth and sixth grade. For example, a clear majority of third graders reached proficiency in math, and about half did so in reading. By sixth grade, fewer than a third of students scored proficient in math, and reading proficiency settled below that mark. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, shows a similar middle-ground result. This grade-level decline is something a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what academic supports or instructional shifts are in place for upper elementary students.

The student body is diverse. The largest groups are Hispanic students, who make up more than half of enrollment, followed by White students. Smaller shares of Black, multiracial, Native American, and Asian students round out the population. The data available did not include counts of students receiving free or reduced-price meals, nor did it specify the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a full picture of economic and learning support needs is not present in this report.

Housing in the area around the school is moderately priced by national standards. Home values are slightly below the statewide Arizona benchmark and close to the national median, while rents are relatively affordable compared to local incomes. The broader Phoenix economy is driven by technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services, with Sky Harbor International Airport serving as a major transportation hub. The city continues to grow, and the school sits in a well-established residential zone.

The Washington Elementary School District operates Sahuaro as a standard elementary school without a magnet or charter designation. Publicly available information did not yield any recent district-level changes such as bond measures, boundary adjustments, or curriculum shifts that would directly affect this school. No program offerings were provided in the data, so details on art, music, physical education, after-school activities, or specialized academic tracks are not available here.

Because Sahuaro does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not part of the available information. The school appears to offer a traditional elementary program in a large urban district. Families weighing this option will want to follow up directly on how the school addresses the drop-off in middle-grade proficiency, what enrichment opportunities exist outside the core academics, and how it supports its diverse student population. The profile is that of a neighborhood school where academic outcomes vary by grade level and where the full range of student services is not evident from the data alone.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 31% · ▲ 30 pts above district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 32% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 27% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 26% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 23% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 32% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 27% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 32% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 25% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 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.