Cortina Elementary

Summary:

Cortina Elementary is a public elementary school located in Queen Creek, Arizona, serving grades PK-8 with a student population of 702. As part of the Higley Unified School District, which is ranked 75 out of 288 districts in Arizona and rated 4 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, Cortina Elementary consistently ranks among the top 15% of Arizona elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 42 and 144 over the past 10 years.

Cortina Elementary's academic performance is significantly higher than the state and district averages across all grade levels and subjects. In 2023-2024, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics were 10-20 percentage points above the state and district averages. Additionally, Cortina Elementary's performance on the AzSCI science assessment for 5th grade is also strong, with a proficiency rate of 64% in 2022-2023, compared to the state and district averages of 34% and 48%, respectively. The school maintains a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 9.97% in 2022-2023, significantly lower than the nearby schools, which range from 12.95% to 25.84%.

Cortina Elementary's consistent high performance and efficient resource allocation, with a student-teacher ratio of 17:1, make it an exceptional educational institution within the Higley Unified School District. The school's success presents an opportunity for collaboration with neighboring schools, allowing them to share best practices and strategies that have contributed to Cortina Elementary's outstanding academic results.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

 19680 S 188th St
       Queen Creek, AZ  85142-7067


(480) 279-7800

District: Higley Unified School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
132nd of 912 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $6,754 Help


Students who attend Cortina Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Sossaman Middle School
High:    Higley High School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.0 Help
Number of students:  664

Racial breakdown:

White:
70.6%
Hispanic:
17.0%
Two or more races:
7.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  10% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Cortina Elementary ranks better than 85.5% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 2nd among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Higley Unified School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 84.11. (See more...)
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Compare Details Cortina Elementary is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2014 the calculated Average Standard Score was 88.05. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (70.6%), Hispanic (17%), two or more races (7.2%). (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cortina Elementary is 17. 6 elementary schools in the Higley Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
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Compare Cortina Elementary employs 39 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cortina Elementary is $6,754. 5 elementary schools in the Higley Unified School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cortina Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Cortina Elementary 132nd of 912 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Cortina Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Higley Unified School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Higley Unified School District 83rd of 297 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Cortina Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all elementary school students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 79.75 199th 1062 81.3%
2010 84.76 137th 1090 87.4%
2011 83.81 145th 1075 86.5%
2012 83.08 135th 1141 88.2%
2013 85.75 102nd 1158 91.2%
2014 90.68 60th 1079 94.4%
2015 92.65 42nd 955 95.6%
2016 92.85 59th 1079 94.5%
2017 91.93 70th 1106 93.7%
2018 91.14 86th 1109 92.2%
2019 84.80 140th 1039 86.5%
2021 89.92 128th 1226 89.6%
2022 78.26 183rd 1000 81.7%
2023 88.73 138th 1245 88.9%
2024 84.11 132nd 912 85.5%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for elementary school Multi-racial students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 60.96 301st 1027 70.7%
2022 58.44 169th 444 61.9%
2023 89.98 19th 617 96.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for elementary school English Language Learner students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 49.91 199th 975 79.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for elementary school Special Education students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.54 28th 417 93.3%
2021 64.48 218th 1201 81.8%
2023 45.15 386th 820 52.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for elementary school Low Socio Economic Status students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.67 20th 820 97.6%
2022 52.36 296th 618 52.1%
2023 71.06 216th 1116 80.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for elementary school Female students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.64 87th 1023 91.5%
2019 76.98 170th 862 80.3%
2021 88.00 123rd 1219 89.9%
2022 69.12 213th 824 74.2%
2023 88.84 105th 1219 91.4%
2024 71.50 131st 602 78.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for elementary school Military Connected students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 64.03 76th 239 68.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for elementary school Male students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 91.24 74th 1032 92.8%
2019 83.87 105th 850 87.6%
2021 88.93 122nd 1220 90.0%
2022 74.34 173rd 830 79.2%
2023 84.20 171st 1216 85.9%
2024 73.01 139th 628 77.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for elementary school Asian students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 55.93 281st 620 54.7%
2022 61.62 94th 270 65.2%
2023 30.11 259th 316 18.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for elementary school African American students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 65.97 139th 895 84.5%
2022 53.57 177th 289 38.8%
2023 55.52 244th 607 59.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for elementary school Hispanic students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 93.24 37th 911 95.9%
2019 82.15 107th 709 84.9%
2021 83.76 112th 1198 90.7%
2022 68.37 216th 716 69.8%
2023 72.21 247th 1170 78.9%
2024 84.40 59th 486 87.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for elementary school Native American students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 63.10 110th 654 83.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for elementary school White students at Cortina Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.35 82nd 720 88.6%
2019 71.36 134th 595 77.5%
2021 83.56 119th 1161 89.8%
2022 71.00 168th 800 79.0%
2023 81.47 131st 1024 87.2%
2024 68.48 128th 486 73.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Cortina Elementary

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Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 79.38 117th 663 82.4%
2010 78.32 140th 692 79.8%
2011 81.29 108th 685 84.2%
2012 82.07 93rd 772 88.0%
2013 83.96 80th 787 89.8%
2014 88.05 68th 690 90.1%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Cortina Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
Facebook Profile Picture by a parent on FaceBook
Friday, March 25, 2016

Open Quote Cortina Elementary has the kind of staff that every parent hopes for. They are professional, talented, and dedicated to their work. They offer a supportive and engaging learning environment. There seems to me to be a high level of parental involvement in the school culture. However, what I love the most about sending my kids to Cortina is that they come home happy and they go to school with an enthusiastic attitude. There is not much more that I can ask for. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Cortina Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2007 687 63 41 157 1 n/a n/a 0 949
2008 918 68 54 224 3 n/a n/a 0 1267
2009 903 80 54 208 6 n/a n/a 0 1251
2010 770 62 43 129 5 n/a n/a 0 1009
2011 844 61 42 124 7 1 1 0 1080
2012 873 52 42 154 8 2 16 0 1147
2013 857 43 42 168 4 2 21 0 1137
2014 705 29 27 133 4 3 28 0 929
2015 707 27 29 146 4 3 31 0 947
2016 659 24 30 164 4 3 38 0 922
2017 668 35 11 151 3 7 49 0 924
2018 618 27 13 158 3 2 45 0 866
2019 599 28 14 167 4 3 50 0 865
2020 608 25 18 169 4 2 52 0 878
2021 523 21 20 159 3 1 53 0 780
2022 561 18 14 135 3 1 46 0 778
2023 493 19 11 127 1 1 50 0 702
2024 469 13 14 113 5 2 48 0 664

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Cortina Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2007 949 45.0 21.1 14.5
2008 1267 54.4 23.3 19.7
2009 1251 59.5 21.0 16.2
2010 1009 52.3 19.2 17
2011 1080 55.2 19.5 14.8
2012 1147 55.0 20.8 20.1
2013 1137 53.4 21.2 17.7
2014 929 41.4 22.4 13.5
2015 947 43.0 22.0 11.5
2016 922 41.0 22.4 6.3
2017 924 40.6 22.7 14.7
2018 866 41.3 20.9 11.9
2019 865 47.4 18.2 12.8
2020 878 48.4 18.1 11.8
2021 780 48.8 15.9 n/a
2022 778 45.3 17.1 3.9
2023 702 41.2 17.0 10
2024 664 39.0 17.0 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Cortina Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2007 949 45.0 21.1 14.5
2008 1267 54.4 23.3 19.7
2009 1251 59.5 21.0 16.2
2010 1009 52.3 19.2 17
2011 1080 55.2 19.5 14.8
2012 1147 55.0 20.8 20.1
2013 1137 53.4 21.2 17.7
2014 929 41.4 22.4 13.5
2015 947 43.0 22.0 11.5
2016 922 41.0 22.4 6.3
2017 924 40.6 22.7 14.7
2018 866 41.3 20.9 11.9
2019 865 47.4 18.2 12.8
2020 878 48.4 18.1 11.8
2021 780 48.8 15.9 n/a
2022 778 45.3 17.1 3.9
2023 702 41.2 17.0 10
2024 664 39.0 17.0 n/a

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Cortina Elementary

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $172 (1.9%) $49 (0.5%) $393 (4.3%) $6,637 (71.8%) $2,386 (25.8%) $9,023 (97.6%) $9,244
2020 $201 (2.6%) $228 (2.9%) $629 (8.1%) $6,318 (81.2%) $1,038 (13.3%) $7,357 (94.5%) $7,785
2021 $498 (7.3%) $00 (0.0%) $996 (14.7%) $5,763 (84.9%) $528 (7.8%) $6,291 (92.7%) $6,789
2022 $349 (5.2%) $100 (1.5%) $798 (11.8%) $5,950 (88.1%) $354 (5.2%) $6,304 (93.3%) $6,754

Data source: Arizona Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Cortina Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 140th of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 138th of 1245 Elementary schools
 2.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students865702
 18.8%
African American2819
 32.1%
American Indian41
 75%
Asian1411
 21.4%
Hispanic167127
 24%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White599493
 17.7%
Two or More Races5050
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients12.8%10%
 2.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Cortina Elementary

In the 2023-24 school year, 664 students attended Cortina Elementary.

Students at Cortina Elementary are 71% White, 17% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 2% African American.

Cortina Elementary ranks 132nd of 912 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Cortina Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sossaman Middle School
High : Higley High School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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