Arizona · NCES CCD 2024-25
Best-Resourced School Districts in Arizona Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.
Compiled by PlainSchools , Education-data publisher · August 26, 2026
50 Districts ranked
439,584 Students enrolled
41/100 Avg quality score
B Top grade The ranking in one line
American Leadership Academy Inc. (4348) in Mesa leads Arizona's districts with an average school quality score of 70/100 across 12 schools.
70/100 top district score (grade B)
12 schools in American Leadership Academy Inc. (4348)
13,070 students in the top district
41/100 average across the top 50
# District Grade Students Schools Avg S:T Per-Pupil $ Avg Quality 1 American Leadership Academy Inc. (4348) Mesa B 13,070 12 - $8,818 70 2 Baboquivari Unified School District #40 (4412) Sells C 1,080 6 - $21,062 59.3 3 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) Phoenix C- 27,919 44 14.5:1 $11,848 50 4 Arizona Education Solutions (90758) Mesa C- 1,204 2 - $12,339 50 5 Fort Huachuca Accommodation District (4167) Fort Huachuca D 765 3 13.4:1 $15,821 49 6 Phoenix Union High School District (4286) Phoenix D 27,900 19 16.4:1 $13,194 48.4 7 Legacy Traditional School - Surprise (92879) Surprise D 2,263 2 - $8,487 46.5 8 Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) Tuba City D 1,472 6 10.4:1 $17,430 46.5 9 Ganado Unified School District (4157) Ganado D 1,158 4 12.9:1 $15,455 46 10 Show Low Unified District (4393) Show Low D 2,569 8 16.3:1 $8,990 45.6 11 Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) Fountain Hills D 1,190 4 - $12,403 45 12 Scottsdale Unified District (4240) Scottsdale D 21,177 30 15.8:1 $11,306 43.5 13 Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a Subsidiary (4323) Glendale D 1,413 8 - $8,510 43.4 14 Page Unified School District #8 (4196) Page D 2,462 6 9.8:1 $12,592 41.7 15 Kayenta Unified School District #27 (4396) Kayenta D 1,643 4 12.1:1 $22,283 41.3 16 Camp Verde Unified District (4470) Camp Verde D 1,582 5 14.9:1 $10,228 40.8 17 Bagdad Unified District (4468) Bagdad D 512 3 13.6:1 $15,182 40.7 18 Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek (4355) Queen Creek D 3,145 4 - $7,178 40.3 19 Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District (4487) Cottonwood D 1,823 5 13:1 $11,818 40.2 20 Phoenix Elementary District (4256) Phoenix D 5,249 15 19.4:1 $16,785 40 21 Gilbert Unified District (4239) Gilbert F 33,281 38 15.9:1 $10,928 39.5 22 Tucson Youth Development/Ace Charter High School (4422) Tucson F 550 2 - $9,976 39.5 23 Catalina Foothills Unified District (4410) Tucson F 5,252 8 15.2:1 $10,030 39.4 24 Mammoth-San Manuel Unified District (4439) San Manuel F 534 3 14.3:1 $13,404 39.3 25 Tucson Unified District (4403) Tucson F 41,511 88 13.9:1 $13,783 39.1 26 Amphitheater Unified District (4406) Tucson F 12,042 22 13.2:1 $12,104 38.9 27 Dysart Unified District (4243) Surprise F 23,173 25 19.5:1 $10,550 38.8 28 Tempe School District (4258) Tempe F 10,759 23 13.7:1 $12,504 37.9 29 Sanders Unified District (4156) Sanders F 616 3 14:1 $21,901 37.3 30 Prescott Unified District (4466) Prescott F 3,948 8 13.9:1 $10,182 37.3 31 Higley Unified School District (4248) Gilbert F 13,040 16 16.8:1 $9,611 37.3 32 Mesa Unified District (4235) Mesa F 58,343 77 15.5:1 $12,121 37.2 33 Peoria Unified School District (4237) Glendale F 36,527 44 16.7:1 $10,026 37 34 Sierra Vista Unified District (4175) Sierra Vista F 4,761 9 17.3:1 $10,745 37 35 St Johns Unified District (4153) St Johns F 965 4 16.6:1 $11,176 37 36 Portable Practical Educational Preparation Inc. ( (4431) Tucson F 726 6 - $11,876 36.8 37 Washington Elementary School District (4260) Glendale F 19,328 33 16.3:1 $12,008 36.7 38 Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) Mesa F 1,035 3 - $7,394 36.7 39 Tolleson Elementary District (4264) Tolleson F 2,859 5 19:1 $11,827 36.6 40 Heber-Overgaard Unified District (4392) Heber F 507 4 13.8:1 $11,902 36.5 41 Marana Unified District (4404) Marana F 12,823 20 14.7:1 $10,680 36.1 42 Flagstaff Unified District (4192) Flagstaff F 9,043 16 14.5:1 $11,945 36.1 43 Pendergast Elementary District (4283) Phoenix F 8,266 12 19.2:1 $10,225 35.8 44 Littleton Elementary District (4278) Avondale F 5,877 8 18.1:1 $10,493 35.8 45 Sahuarita Unified District (4411) Sahuarita F 6,483 10 15.8:1 $8,786 35.7 46 Coolidge Unified District (4442) Coolidge F 2,585 6 28.2:1 $10,722 35.7 47 Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180) Hereford F 914 3 14.7:1 $14,962 35.7 48 Winslow Unified District (4387) Winslow F 1,879 5 17.8:1 $11,818 35.4 49 Continental Elementary District (4416) Green Valley F 639 1 17.4:1 $15,070 35 50 Parker Unified School District (4510) Parker F 1,722 6 16.5:1 $13,358 34.7
Frequently Asked Questions What are the best school districts in Arizona? ▼ The top-ranked district in Arizona is American Leadership Academy Inc. (4348) in Mesa with 13,070 students across 12 schools. Average quality score: 70/100. Rankings are based on average school quality scores from NCES data.
How are district rankings calculated? ▼ Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism. Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be ranked.
How many school districts are in Arizona? ▼ Arizona has 50+ school districts serving 1,103,092 students. The statewide average student-teacher ratio is 17:1.
Methodology
Districts are ranked by the average quality score of their schools. Quality scores (0-100)
are computed from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 metrics: student-teacher ratio,
school counselor availability, gifted program access, and chronic absenteeism rates.
Districts must have at least 500 students and 2+ schools to be included. This measures
school-level resources, not test scores. Higher average scores indicate districts where
schools generally have smaller classes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.
Read our methodology
- how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.