Desert Sun Academy

Public elementary school, pre-kindergarten to grade 6 · Scottsdale, Arizona

Desert Sun Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona enrolled 191 students in 2024-25 with 14.4 full-time teachers, 13.3 students per teacher against the Arizona elementary-school median of 16.3. It ran a targeted Title I program in 2021-22; it takes part in the National School Lunch Program (2024-25). On the state tests, 50-54% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 45-49% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Arizona: 40.4% and 34%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 41% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 40%

322 students in 2022-23, 241 students in 2023-24, 191 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 24.0 to 14.4.

Students enrolled at Desert Sun Academy by school year2022-23: 322, 2023-24: 241, 2024-25: 19101002003004002022-233222023-242412024-25191
Students enrolled at Desert Sun Academy by school year2022-23: 322, 2023-24: 241, 2024-25: 19101002003004002022-233222023-242412024-25191
Students enrolled at Desert Sun Academy by school year2022-23: 322, 2023-24: 241, 2024-25: 19101002003004002022-233222023-242412024-25191
Students enrolled at Desert Sun Academy by school year2022-23: 322, 2023-24: 241, 2024-25: 19101002003004002022-233222023-242412024-25191
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2332224.013.4
2023-2424121.311.3
2024-2519114.413.3

13.3 students per teacher, a lower ratio than 79 of every 100 Arizona elementary schools

Among the 1,150 Arizona elementary schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 16.3; the national median for elementary schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, Arizona elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.4 to 70.5; Desert Sun Academy 13.3; state median 16.3.2 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherDesert Sun Academy 13.3state median 16.3U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.4 to 70.5; Desert Sun Academy 13.3; state median 16.3.2 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherDesert Sun Academy 13.3state median 16.3U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.4 to 70.5; Desert Sun Academy 13.3; state median 16.3.2 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherDesert Sun Academy 13.3state median 16.3U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona elementary schools, 2024-25240 values from 3.4 to 70.5; Desert Sun Academy 13.3; state median 16.3.2 more above 40.0 →010203040students per full-time teacherDesert Sun Academy 13.3state median 16.3U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

Programs and staff in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Desert Sun Academy enrolled 245 students and reported no counselor; it reported 0 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programNo
  • Counselors (FTE)0.0
  • Out-of-school suspensions0
  • Chronically absent29.2% (2022-23)

Who attends

72.8% of students were White, 20.4% Hispanic, 5.2% of two or more races in 2024-25.

  1. White72.8%
  2. Hispanic20.4%
  3. Two or more races5.2%
  4. Black1.6%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23

The students tested at Desert Sun Academy scored proficient or above: 50-54% in reading in 2021-22 and 45-49% in math in 2022-23, against 40.4% in reading in 2021-22 and 34% in math in 2022-23 across Arizona. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Arizona, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22 and 2022-23
Subject and yearThis schoolIts districtArizona
Reading and language arts, 2021-2250‑54%62%40.4%
Math, 2022-2345‑49%58% (2021-22)34%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Elementary schools in Scottsdale

2 public elementary schools in Scottsdale report 2024-25 enrollment; Desert Sun Academy is number 2 by size.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
BASIS Scottsdale Primary - West Campus46418.6not reported
Desert Sun Academy19113.311.8%

All public schools in Scottsdale →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Desert Sun Academy

  1. Candeo North ScottsdaleThe nearest public elementary school, 2.9 miles away: 70 students, 4.4 per teacher (2024-25).2.9 mi
  2. Pinnacle Peak PreparatoryThe next nearest public elementary school, 3.5 miles away: 474 students, 15.0 per teacher (2024-25).3.5 mi
  3. Compare Desert Sun Academy with Candeo North ScottsdaleStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Cave Creek Unified School District No. 93 spends per student$9,626 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$9,626
  5. The largest public schools in ArizonaDesert Sun Academy is the number 1,014 by size of 1,211 Arizona elementary schools open in 2024-25.#1,014 of 1,211
  6. Arizona schools by students per teacher13.3 students per teacher here against the Arizona median of 16.3 for elementary schools.13.3:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Desert Sun Academy

  1. How many students attend Desert Sun Academy?
    191 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 322 in 2022-23. It is an elementary school in Scottsdale, AZ.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Sun Academy?
    13.3 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Arizona median for elementary schools is 16.3. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Desert Sun Academy a Title I school?
    Desert Sun Academy ran a targeted assistance Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at Desert Sun Academy do on state tests?
    The students tested at Desert Sun Academy scored proficient or above: 50-54% in reading in 2021-22 and 45-49% in math in 2022-23, against 40.4% in reading in 2021-22 and 34% in math in 2022-23 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 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is Desert Sun Academy in?
    Cave Creek Unified School District No. 93, NCES district ID 0400001. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 040000100616 are the district's.

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 state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.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: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .