Arizona · NCES CCD 2024-25
Best School Districts in Arizona Top 50 districts ranked by average school quality score, based on student-teacher ratios, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.
50 Districts ranked
495,232 Students enrolled
39/100 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
39/100 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 — $8,283 70 2 Baboquivari Unified School District #40 (4412) Sells C 1,080 6 — $21,898 56.5 3 Arizona Education Solutions (90758) Mesa C- 1,204 2 — $10,638 50 4 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) Phoenix D 27,919 44 14.6:1 $11,154 49.3 5 Fort Huachuca Accommodation District (4167) Fort Huachuca D 765 3 13.2:1 $13,464 49 6 Legacy Traditional School - Surprise (92879) Surprise D 2,263 2 — $7,422 46.5 7 Show Low Unified District (4393) Show Low D 2,569 8 16.8:1 $8,008 45.5 8 Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) Fountain Hills D 1,190 4 — $10,759 45 9 Phoenix Union High School District (4286) Phoenix D 27,900 19 19:1 $11,816 44.3 10 Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a Subsidiary (4323) Glendale D 1,413 8 — $7,891 43.4 11 Scottsdale Unified District (4240) Scottsdale D 21,177 30 16.2:1 $9,802 42.7 12 Ganado Unified School District (4157) Ganado D 1,158 4 15.3:1 $17,033 42.3 13 Bagdad Unified District (4468) Bagdad D 512 3 13.3:1 $15,416 41.3 14 Cottonwood-Oak Creek Elementary District (4487) Cottonwood D 1,823 5 12.9:1 $10,435 40.8 15 Kayenta Unified School District #27 (4396) Kayenta D 1,643 4 12.6:1 $19,507 40.7 16 Page Unified School District #8 (4196) Page D 2,462 6 10.8:1 $11,586 40.3 17 Benjamin Franklin Charter School - Queen Creek (4355) Queen Creek D 3,145 4 — $7,016 40.3 18 Camp Verde Unified District (4470) Camp Verde F 1,582 5 16.6:1 $9,402 39 19 Pointe Schools (79455) Phoenix F 645 3 — $9,863 39 20 Dysart Unified District (4243) Surprise F 23,173 25 19.2:1 $9,891 39 21 Catalina Foothills Unified District (4410) Tucson F 5,252 8 15.8:1 $9,138 38.9 22 Gilbert Unified District (4239) Gilbert F 33,281 38 16.8:1 $9,253 38.6 23 Phoenix Elementary District (4256) Phoenix F 5,249 15 20.3:1 $15,390 37.4 24 Tempe School District (4258) Tempe F 10,759 23 14.4:1 $11,917 37.3 25 Tolleson Elementary District (4264) Tolleson F 2,859 5 18.2:1 $10,791 37 26 Sanders Unified District (4156) Sanders F 616 3 14:1 $20,044 37 27 Mammoth-San Manuel Unified District (4439) San Manuel F 534 3 16.7:1 $12,698 37 28 Tucson Unified District (4403) Tucson F 41,511 88 14.8:1 $11,545 37 29 Portable Practical Educational Preparation Inc. ( (4431) Tucson F 726 6 — $12,224 36.8 30 Amphitheater Unified District (4406) Tucson F 12,042 22 14.8:1 $10,331 36.8 31 Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) Mesa F 1,035 3 — $7,736 36.7 32 Mesa Unified District (4235) Mesa F 58,343 77 16:1 $11,160 36.6 33 Nadaburg Unified School District (4252) Wittmann F 1,224 4 11.7:1 $12,232 36.5 34 Higley Unified School District (4248) Gilbert F 13,040 16 17.1:1 $8,545 36.1 35 Heber-Overgaard Unified District (4392) Heber F 507 4 14.2:1 $14,433 35.8 36 Pendergast Elementary District (4283) Phoenix F 8,266 12 19.6:1 $9,983 35.3 37 Washington Elementary School District (4260) Glendale F 19,328 33 16.6:1 $10,856 35 38 Continental Elementary District (4416) Green Valley F 639 1 17.3:1 $14,419 35 39 Peoria Unified School District (4237) Glendale F 36,527 44 17.8:1 $9,168 34.9 40 Vail Unified District (4413) Vail F 14,533 23 19.8:1 $9,396 34.8 41 Winslow Unified District (4387) Winslow F 1,879 5 18.4:1 $10,962 34.8 42 Tolleson Union High School District (4288) Tolleson F 13,741 7 23.1:1 $9,583 34.7 43 Sahuarita Unified District (4411) Sahuarita F 6,483 10 16.9:1 $8,583 34.4 44 Marana Unified District (4404) Marana F 12,823 20 14.8:1 $9,931 34.4 45 Littleton Elementary District (4278) Avondale F 5,877 8 18.9:1 $9,585 34.1 46 Flagstaff Unified District (4192) Flagstaff F 9,043 16 15.4:1 $11,218 34 47 Deer Valley Unified District (4246) Phoenix F 33,199 41 16.6:1 $9,561 33.5 48 Prescott Unified District (4466) Prescott F 3,948 8 16.3:1 $9,912 33.3 49 Sierra Vista Unified District (4175) Sierra Vista F 4,761 9 20.6:1 $9,151 33.1 50 Asu Preparatory Academy (89949) Phoenix F 514 2 — $11,289 33
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 17.7:1.
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.