Desert Mountain Elementary

Summary:

Desert Mountain Elementary is a public elementary school located in Queen Creek, Arizona, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 793 students. The school is part of the Queen Creek Unified District, which is ranked 92 out of 288 districts in Arizona and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Mountain Elementary consistently ranks among the top 20% of Arizona elementary schools, with a statewide ranking between 129 and 208 over the past several years. The school has maintained a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, indicating strong academic performance. In the 2023-2024 school year, Desert Mountain Elementary outperformed the state average in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency across all grade levels, with particularly strong results in 4th and 5th grade. The school has also shown exceptional performance for specific student subgroups, such as Asian and African American students, as well as students with special education needs.

While Desert Mountain Elementary generally outperforms the nearby Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary and Jack Barnes Elementary School in the Queen Creek Unified District, some nearby schools, such as Cortina Elementary and Power Ranch Elementary (part of the Higley Unified School District), have also demonstrated strong academic performance and are ranked similarly to Desert Mountain Elementary. However, the school's performance for English Language Learners and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds is more mixed, suggesting the need to explore ways to better support the educational needs of these subgroups.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 22301 S Hawes Rd
       Queen Creek, AZ  85142-8987


(480) 987-5912

District: Queen Creek Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
175th of 912 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $5,912 Help


Students who attend Desert Mountain Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Newell Barney College Preparatory School
High:    Queen Creek High School

Student/teacher ratio:  17.3 Help
Number of students:  740

Racial breakdown:

White:
67.2%
Hispanic:
22.8%
Two or more races:
5.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  16.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Desert Mountain Elementary ranks better than 80.8% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 3rd among 9 ranked elementary schools in the Queen Creek Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 78.85. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (67.2%), Hispanic (22.8%), two or more races (5.5%). (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Mountain Elementary is 17.3, which is the lowest among 9 elementary schools in the Queen Creek Unified District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Desert Mountain Elementary employs 42.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Mountain Elementary is $5,912. 5 elementary schools in the Queen Creek Unified District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Desert Mountain Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Mountain Elementary 175th of 912 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Desert Mountain Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Queen Creek Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Queen Creek Unified District 105th of 297 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Desert Mountain Elementary?

Rank History for Desert Mountain Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 89.54 48th 1062 95.5%
2010 86.92 105th 1090 90.4%
2011 88.44 81st 1075 92.5%
2012 88.23 56th 1141 95.1%
2013 89.04 55th 1158 95.3%
2014 91.37 48th 1079 95.6%
2015 77.74 195th 955 79.6%
2016 86.98 129th 1079 88.0%
2017 84.98 166th 1106 85.0%
2018 85.16 153rd 1109 86.2%
2019 85.47 129th 1039 87.6%
2021 84.48 187th 1226 84.7%
2022 74.35 208th 1000 79.2%
2023 84.44 187th 1245 85.0%
2024 78.85 175th 912 80.8%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 57.25 351st 1027 65.8%
2022 62.54 136th 444 69.4%
2023 68.03 117th 617 81.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 39.24 754th 975 22.7%
2023 88.06 32nd 451 92.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 92.69 17th 417 95.9%
2021 66.25 199th 1201 83.4%
2023 46.81 366th 820 55.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.38 193rd 820 76.5%
2023 68.66 251st 1116 77.5%
2024 80.58 70th 556 87.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.05 152nd 1023 85.1%
2019 84.72 95th 862 89.0%
2021 84.55 168th 1219 86.2%
2022 67.57 226th 824 72.6%
2023 83.59 173rd 1219 85.8%
2024 63.60 189th 602 68.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.91 166th 1032 83.9%
2019 74.43 197th 850 76.8%
2021 82.45 192nd 1220 84.3%
2022 68.15 221st 830 73.4%
2023 81.47 199th 1216 83.6%
2024 68.51 165th 628 73.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 84.45 26th 620 95.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 34.11 615th 895 31.3%
2022 46.45 203rd 289 29.8%
2023 88.29 24th 607 96.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 79.58 143rd 911 84.3%
2019 89.51 50th 709 92.9%
2021 80.90 136th 1198 88.6%
2022 64.90 246th 716 65.6%
2023 74.87 217th 1170 81.5%
2024 65.27 147th 486 69.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 63.76 95th 654 85.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 58.81 38th 171 77.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Mountain Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 74.17 177th 720 75.4%
2019 68.66 154th 595 74.1%
2021 78.16 195th 1161 83.2%
2022 67.26 206th 800 74.3%
2023 74.52 206th 1024 79.9%
2024 59.95 175th 486 64.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for White Students!

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

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Desert Mountain Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
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Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
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Reviews:
by a parent
Friday, May 6, 2016

Open Quote This is an amazing school!!!!The Communication is 2nd to none and the teachers and staff are wonderful!!! I can not say enough good things about this school!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Desert Mountain Elementary

Help
Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1998 158 0 4 140 5 n/a n/a 0 307
1999 169 0 2 138 6 n/a n/a 0 315
2000 185 2 2 148 4 n/a n/a 0 341
2001 248 3 5 160 7 n/a n/a 0 423
2002 266 2 3 48 1 n/a n/a 0 320
2003 266 2 3 48 1 n/a n/a 0 320
2004 302 2 6 45 1 n/a n/a 0 356
2005 328 3 5 43 2 n/a n/a 0 381
2006 425 5 11 77 4 n/a n/a 0 522
2007 431 6 10 96 3 n/a n/a 0 546
2008 474 9 18 103 4 n/a n/a 0 608
2009 479 13 18 109 4 n/a n/a 0 623
2010 431 12 19 97 2 n/a n/a 0 561
2011 397 13 17 84 3 0 0 0 514
2012 407 15 11 93 3 0 0 0 529
2013 351 14 13 74 2 0 2 0 456
2014 340 9 10 72 3 3 3 0 440
2015 375 7 8 78 2 1 10 0 481
2016 461 5 8 109 5 2 15 0 605
2017 504 8 10 113 3 1 23 0 662
2018 502 10 4 119 3 0 27 0 665
2019 485 8 5 116 4 0 36 0 654
2020 472 8 3 138 4 0 43 0 668
2021 558 14 6 173 7 2 52 0 812
2022 602 17 9 183 7 1 50 0 869
2023 550 10 12 172 2 2 45 0 793
2024 497 13 13 169 5 2 41 0 740

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 Desert Mountain Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1998 307 12.5 24.6 n/a
1999 315 14.0 22.5 n/a
2000 341 18.3 18.6 n/a
2001 423 22.3 19.0 n/a
2002 320 18.0 17.8 12.2
2003 320 18.0 17.8 12.2
2004 356 21.5 16.6 n/a
2005 381 22.5 16.9 7.9
2006 522 25.1 20.8 16.7
2007 546 27.8 19.6 11.5
2008 608 27.5 22.1 14.5
2009 623 31.0 20.1 12.5
2010 561 26.8 20.9 18
2011 514 24.8 20.7 17.3
2012 529 22.8 23.2 18.5
2013 456 21.7 20.9 18
2014 440 23.2 18.9 18.9
2015 481 20.0 24.0 19.1
2016 605 25.0 24.2 22.1
2017 662 30.9 21.3 20.8
2018 665 36.4 18.2 17.9
2019 654 32.9 19.8 19.9
2020 668 32.4 20.6 18.9
2021 812 40.0 20.2 n/a
2022 869 42.7 20.3 5.5
2023 793 41.8 18.9 16.9
2024 740 42.7 17.3 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 Desert Mountain Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1998 307 12.5 24.6 n/a
1999 315 14.0 22.5 n/a
2000 341 18.3 18.6 n/a
2001 423 22.3 19.0 n/a
2002 320 18.0 17.8 12.2
2003 320 18.0 17.8 12.2
2004 356 21.5 16.6 n/a
2005 381 22.5 16.9 7.9
2006 522 25.1 20.8 16.7
2007 546 27.8 19.6 11.5
2008 608 27.5 22.1 14.5
2009 623 31.0 20.1 12.5
2010 561 26.8 20.9 18
2011 514 24.8 20.7 17.3
2012 529 22.8 23.2 18.5
2013 456 21.7 20.9 18
2014 440 23.2 18.9 18.9
2015 481 20.0 24.0 19.1
2016 605 25.0 24.2 22.1
2017 662 30.9 21.3 20.8
2018 665 36.4 18.2 17.9
2019 654 32.9 19.8 19.9
2020 668 32.4 20.6 18.9
2021 812 40.0 20.2 n/a
2022 869 42.7 20.3 5.5
2023 793 41.8 18.9 16.9
2024 740 42.7 17.3 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 Desert Mountain Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $388 (5.0%) $7,574 (97.0%) $7,810
2020 $01 (0.0%) $5,650 (100.0%) $5,652
2021 $50 (0.8%) $6,236 (99.6%) $6,262
2022 $675 (11.4%) $5,574 (94.3%) $5,912

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Mountain 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 129th of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 187th of 1245 Elementary schools
 2.6%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students654793
 21.3%
African American810
 25%
American Indian42
 50%
Asian512
 140%
Hispanic116172
 48.3%
Pacific Islander02
White485550
 13.4%
Two or More Races3645
 25%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients19.9%16.9%
 3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Mountain Elementary

In the 2023-24 school year, 740 students attended Desert Mountain Elementary.

Desert Mountain Elementary ranks 175th of 912 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Desert Mountain Elementary are 67% White, 23% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Asian.


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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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