Paradise Valley Unified School District

Listed by NCES as Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) (district ID 0405930)

Public school district · Maricopa County · Arizona · NCES district ID 0405930

Paradise Valley Unified School District spent $11,848 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 77% of the other Arizona districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $10,493). Its 44 schools enrolled 27,307 students in 2024-25; 29.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,111 per student, up 4.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85% (Arizona: 77.8%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Arizona's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Paradise Valley Unified ranks 4.

Current spending per student, largest Arizona districts, FY23Tucson Unified $13,783; Phoenix Union High School District (4286) $13,194; Mesa Public Schools $12,121; Paradise Valley Unified $11,848; Scottsdale Unified School District 48 $11,306; Chandler Unified $11,085; Deer Valley Unified $10,940; Gilbert Public Schools $10,928; Dysart Unified District (4243) $10,550; Peoria Unified $10,026; State median, 1,000+ students $10,493.8k10k12k14k16kTucson Unified$13,783Phoenix Union High School Dist…$13,194Mesa Public Schools$12,121Paradise Valley Unified$11,848Scottsdale Unified School Dist…$11,306Chandler Unified$11,085Deer Valley Unified$10,940Gilbert Public Schools$10,928Dysart Unified District (4243)$10,550Peoria Unified$10,026State median, 1,000+ students $10,493
Current spending per student, largest Arizona districts, FY23Tucson Unified $13,783; Phoenix Union High School District (4286) $13,194; Mesa Public Schools $12,121; Paradise Valley Unified $11,848; Scottsdale Unified School District 48 $11,306; Chandler Unified $11,085; Deer Valley Unified $10,940; Gilbert Public Schools $10,928; Dysart Unified District (4243) $10,550; Peoria Unified $10,026; State median, 1,000+ students $10,493.8k10k12k14k16kTucson Unified$13,783Phoenix Union High School District …$13,194Mesa Public Schools$12,121Paradise Valley Unified$11,848Scottsdale Unified School District …$11,306Chandler Unified$11,085Deer Valley Unified$10,940Gilbert Public Schools$10,928Dysart Unified District (4243)$10,550Peoria Unified$10,026State median, 1,000+ students $10,493
Current spending per student, largest Arizona districts, FY23Tucson Unified $13,783; Phoenix Union High School District (4286) $13,194; Mesa Public Schools $12,121; Paradise Valley Unified $11,848; Scottsdale Unified School District 48 $11,306; Chandler Unified $11,085; Deer Valley Unified $10,940; Gilbert Public Schools $10,928; Dysart Unified District (4243) $10,550; Peoria Unified $10,026; State median, 1,000+ students $10,493.8k12k16kTucson Unified$13,783Phoenix Union High School District (4286)$13,194Mesa Public Schools$12,121Paradise Valley Unified$11,848Scottsdale Unified School District 48$11,306Chandler Unified$11,085Deer Valley Unified$10,940Gilbert Public Schools$10,928Dysart Unified District (4243)$10,550Peoria Unified$10,026State median, 1,000+ students $10,493
Current spending per student, largest Arizona districts, FY23Tucson Unified $13,783; Phoenix Union High School District (4286) $13,194; Mesa Public Schools $12,121; Paradise Valley Unified $11,848; Scottsdale Unified School District 48 $11,306; Chandler Unified $11,085; Deer Valley Unified $10,940; Gilbert Public Schools $10,928; Dysart Unified District (4243) $10,550; Peoria Unified $10,026; State median, 1,000+ students $10,493.8k12k16kTucson Unified$13,783Phoenix Union High School District (428…$13,194Mesa Public Schools$12,121Paradise Valley Unified$11,848Scottsdale Unified School District 48$11,306Chandler Unified$11,085Deer Valley Unified$10,940Gilbert Public Schools$10,928Dysart Unified District (4243)$10,550Peoria Unified$10,026State median, 1,000+ students $10,493

Where the money came from

$414,752,000 in revenue: 29.7% state, 60.0% local and 10.2% federal. Total spending including $53,422,000 of capital outlay was $410,914,000, or $14,982 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Paradise Valley Unified School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $123,342,000; Local $248,935,000; Federal $42,475,000; total $414,752,000.
  • State$123,342,000 30%
  • Local$248,935,000 60%
  • Federal$42,475,000 10%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 157 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

27,919 students in 2022-23, 27,034 students in 2023-24, 26,026 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Paradise Valley Unified School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 27,919, 2023-24: 27,034, 2024-25: 26,026010k20k30k2022-2327,9192023-2427,0342024-2526,026
Paradise Valley Unified School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 27,919, 2023-24: 27,034, 2024-25: 26,026010k20k30k2022-2327,9192023-2427,0342024-2526,026
Paradise Valley Unified School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 27,919, 2023-24: 27,034, 2024-25: 26,026010k20k30k2022-2327,9192023-2427,0342024-2526,026
Paradise Valley Unified School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 27,919, 2023-24: 27,034, 2024-25: 26,026010k20k30k2022-2327,9192023-2427,0342024-2526,026

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2327,9191835.715.2
2023-2427,0341748.315.5
2024-2526,0261668.215.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$109,317,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,986 per student

Paradise Valley Unified School District booked $109,317,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,836 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $59,550 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 33 in 100 Arizona districts with a figure (state median $62,248, 172 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arizona teacher salary at $54,580 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$82,024,00075.0%
Special education$18,554,00017.0%
Vocational$2,776,0002.5%
Other programs$5,963,0005.5%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,028 in 2018-19, $2,954 in 2019-20, $3,436 in 2020-21, $3,786 in 2021-22, $3,986 in 2022-23.

Paradise Valley Unified School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,028, 2019-20: $2,954, 2020-21: $3,436, 2021-22: $3,786, 2022-23: $3,98601k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0282019-20$2,9542020-21$3,4362021-22$3,7862022-23$3,986
Paradise Valley Unified School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,028, 2019-20: $2,954, 2020-21: $3,436, 2021-22: $3,786, 2022-23: $3,98601k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0282019-20$2,9542020-21$3,4362021-22$3,7862022-23$3,986
Paradise Valley Unified School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,028, 2019-20: $2,954, 2020-21: $3,436, 2021-22: $3,786, 2022-23: $3,98601k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0282019-20$2,9542020-21$3,4362021-22$3,7862022-23$3,986
Paradise Valley Unified School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,028, 2019-20: $2,954, 2020-21: $3,436, 2021-22: $3,786, 2022-23: $3,98601k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0282019-20$2,9542020-21$3,4362021-22$3,7862022-23$3,986

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Paradise Valley Unified School District scored proficient or above: 51% in reading and 46% in math, against 40.4% in reading and 34.8% in math across Arizona. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Arizona, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtArizonaStudents tested
Reading and language arts51%40.4%14,709
Math46%34.8%14,792

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

85% of the 2,381 students in Paradise Valley Unified School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.8% across Arizona. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtArizona
Four-year graduation rate85%77.8%
Students in the class2,38193,470

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

29 elementary schools, 13,919 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Fireside Elementary School69316.54.0%Not Title I
Sky Crossing Elementary School62814.82.9%Not Title I
Boulder Creek Elementary School62117.810.9%Not Title I
Campo Bello Elementary School59614.156.9%Schoolwide program
Palomino Primary School59015.172.0%Schoolwide program
Desert Trails Elementary School59014.29.0%Not Title I
Eagle Ridge Elementary School56912.946.8%Schoolwide program
Sonoran Sky Elementary School56715.65.9%Not Title I
Desert Shadows Elementary School55415.811.0%Not Title I
Indian Bend Elementary School53913.854.9%Schoolwide program
North Ranch Elementary School53515.47.8%Not Title I
Quail Run Elementary School53315.722.8%Not Title I
The other 17 elementary schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Cactus View Elementary School50812.350.0%Schoolwide program
Mercury Mine Elementary School50615.512.8%Not Title I
Pinnacle Peak Preparatory47415.04.8%Not Title I
Echo Mountain Primary School45013.362.8%Schoolwide program
Copper Canyon Elementary School44612.97.9%Not Title I
Sandpiper Elementary School42915.05.9%Not Title I
Liberty Elementary School42112.517.8%Not Title I
Desert Cove Elementary School41413.126.8%Targeted program
Grayhawk Elementary School40814.15.9%Not Title I
Wildfire Elementary School39413.85.9%Not Title I
Palomino Intermediate School38314.172.9%Schoolwide program
Whispering Wind Academy37610.437.8%Schoolwide program
Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School37112.08.9%Not Title I
Sunset Canyon School36610.644.0%Schoolwide program
Larkspur Elementary School35310.657.8%Schoolwide program
Echo Mountain Intermediate School34614.962.9%Schoolwide program
Hidden Hills Elementary School25910.639.8%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

7 middle schools, 4,289 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Mountain Trail Middle School83521.519.0%Not Title I
Desert Shadows Middle School79120.15.0%Not Title I
Greenway Middle School64617.062.8%Schoolwide program
Explorer Middle School60719.64.9%Not Title I
Vista Verde Middle School54415.555.9%Schoolwide program
Shea Middle School47614.531.9%Eligible, no program
Sunrise Middle School39015.826.8%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

5 high schools, 8,737 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Pinnacle High School2,43023.96.0%Not Title I
Paradise Valley High School1,90019.324.0%Eligible, no program
Horizon High School1,76722.95.0%Not Title I
North Canyon High School1,56019.244.0%Targeted program
Shadow Mountain High School1,08015.521.9%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 other schools, 362 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sweetwater Community School1656.340.6%Eligible, no program
pvONLINE1275.7not reportedNot Title I
Roadrunner School701.328.0%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Vista Verde Middle School

Middle school in Phoenix; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (inactive); 544 students; 15.5 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Paradise Valley Unified School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Paradise Valley Unified School District

  1. Arizona districts by spending per studentParadise Valley Unified School District ranks 37 of 157 Arizona districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($11,848).#37 of 157
  2. Every school district in ArizonaParadise Valley Unified School District is the number 7 by size of 661 Arizona districts, with 27,919 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#7 of 661
  3. Deer Valley Unified School DistrictThe next larger Arizona district: 33,199 students in fall 2022, $10,940 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,940
  4. Phoenix Union High School District (4286)The next smaller Arizona district: 27,900 students in fall 2022, $13,194 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,194
  5. Compare Paradise Valley Unified School District with Deer Valley Unified School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Pinnacle High School, its largest high school2,430 students in 2024-25, 23.9 per teacher.2,430
  7. Teacher salary spending across ArizonaParadise Valley Unified School District spent $59,550 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,248); spending, not a salary.$59,550
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Paradise Valley Unified School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Paradise Valley Unified School District?
    44 schools were open in 2024-25 (29 elementary, 7 middle, 5 high, 3 other), enrolling 27,307 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Paradise Valley Unified School District spend per student?
    $11,848 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Arizona median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $10,493 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,111 per student, up 4.1% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Paradise Valley Unified School District's money come from?
    $414,752,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 29.7% state, 60.0% local and 10.2% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Paradise Valley Unified School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 3,424 of the 40,221 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 8.5%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Paradise Valley Unified School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $109,317,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,986 per student. Divided by the 1,836 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $59,550 per teacher, more than 33 in 100 Arizona districts (state median $62,248). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arizona teacher salary at $54,580 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Paradise Valley Unified School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Paradise Valley Unified School District scored proficient or above: 51% in reading and 46% in math, against 40.4% in reading and 34.8% in math across Arizona. Arizona's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Paradise Valley Unified School District?
    85% of the 2,381 students in Paradise Valley Unified School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.8% across Arizona. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Paradise Valley Unified School District's NCES district ID?
    0405930. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .