NCES CCD 2024-25 31 schools AZ

Best-Resourced Schools in Queen Creek, AZ

Compiled from official source data by .

31 public K-12 schools in Queen Creek from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

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31
Schools
28,411
Students
33.6/100
Avg Resource Index
19.1:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Queen Creek has more public-school enrollment than 96% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Queen Creek is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 12 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

Combined-grade campuses shape the local portfolio

20 of Queen Creek's 31 listed schools use NCES's combined or “other” grade-level classification. Citywide averages therefore blend campuses serving unusually broad or nonstandard grade spans with conventional elementary, middle, and high schools. Grade configuration is a first-order comparison here, not a minor label.

Governance mix is central to a fair comparison

10 of 31 listed Queen Creek campuses are reported as charters, so district-run and charter records occupy substantial shares of the same city view. They may follow different governance, enrollment, and program structures even when their mailing city matches. The 77-point gap between Newell Barney Junior High and Crismon High School should be read within that context, not as a single-system league table. Check charter status and district affiliation before comparing two nearby schools, and verify current admissions rules with the operator.

City enrollment
Top 4%
School count
Top 8%
Resource Index average
21st percentile
Teacher staffing
19th percentile

Queen Creek school enrollment varies 57× across entities

Queen Creek school enrollment ranges from 49 students (lowest) to 2,816 students (highest), a spread of 2,767 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme heterogeneity inside a single city, with small specialty programs listed alongside large comprehensive campuses. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Queen Creek operates 12 school districts — one of the single most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority, and the sheer count here puts it in the extreme tail of fragmentation nationally. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Queen Creek student-teacher ratio is 19.1:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

10 of Queen Creek's 31 listed schools are charters

32% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Newell Barney Junior High 77
2. American Leadership Academy Queen Creek K-12 70
3. American Leadership Academy Signal Butte K-6 70
4. Queen Creek Virtual Academy 70
5. Sue Sossaman Early Childhood Development Center 55
6. Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Crismon 49
7. Cortina Elementary 36
8. Legacy Traditional School - Queen Creek 35
9. Queen Creek Elementary School 35
10. Katherine Mecham Barney Elementary 34
11. Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary 32
12. Queen Creek High School 31
13. Eduprize School 30
14. Heritage Academy Gateway 30
15. Schnepf Elementary School 30
16. Jack Barnes Elementary School 30
17. Cambridge Academy East 30
18. Eduprize Online Instruction 30
19. Desert Mountain Elementary 26
20. Faith Mather Sossaman Elementary School 25
21. Ellsworth Elementary School 25
22. Dr. Camille Casteel High School 24
23. Frances Brandon-Pickett Elementary 24
24. Sossaman Middle School 23
25. Queen Creek Junior High School 23
26. San Tan Foothills High School 21
27. Dr. Gary and Annette Auxier Elementary School 21
28. Benjamin Franklin High School 20
29. Willie & Coy Payne Jr. High 18
30. Leading Edge Academy Mountain View 17
31. Crismon High School -

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Queen Creek

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 San Tan Foothills High School 64.8/100
  2. 2 Ellsworth Elementary School 62.7/100
  3. 3 Leading Edge Academy Mountain View 61.6/100
  4. 4 Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary 61.2/100
  5. 5 Eduprize Online Instruction 58.4/100

What do families ask about schools in Queen Creek?

Which Queen Creek school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼

Newell Barney Junior High has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Queen Creek schools in this federal-data comparison at 77/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Queen Creek, AZ? ▼

Queen Creek has 31 public schools with a total enrollment of 28,411 students. 10 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 19.1:1.

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Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Arizona →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.