Arizona · NCES CCD 2024-25

Best Public Schools in Arizona

Top 50 schools ranked by resource quality score, based on student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance.

76/100
Top score
B+
Top grade
55/100
Avg score (top 50)
50
Schools ranked

The ranking in one line

Mesa Distance Learning Program in MESA is Arizona's top-resourced public school, scoring 76/100 on the NCES resource index.

76/100
top score (grade B+)
1
schools at the top grade (B+)
55/100
average across the top 50
# School GradeScore
1 Mesa Distance Learning Program MESA B+ 76
2 Dysart Ischool SURPRISE B 72
3 Montecito Community School PHOENIX B- 67
4 Thompson Ranch Elementary EL MIRAGE B- 66
5 West Point Elementary School SURPRISE B- 65
6 Kingswood Elementary School SURPRISE C+ 64
7 Luke Elementary School GLENDALE C+ 64
8 Baboquivari Middle School Topawa C+ 62
9 Getz School TEMPE C+ 61
10 Kyrene Digital Academy TEMPE C+ 60
11 Baboquivari High School Topawa C+ 60
12 Kiva Elementary School Paradise Valley C 59
13 Anasazi Elementary SCOTTSDALE C 58
14 Grayhawk Elementary School SCOTTSDALE C 58
15 Franklin Junior High School MESA C 58
16 Desert Canyon Elementary SCOTTSDALE C 57
17 Congress Elementary School Congress C 57
18 Pueblo Elementary School SCOTTSDALE C 56
19 Indian Oasis Intermediate Elementary School Sells C 56
20 Faith North Early Childhood Learning Center PHOENIX C 55
21 Asu Preparatory Academy-Polytechnic Middle School MESA C- 54
22 Havasu Preparatory Academy Lake Havasu City C- 54
23 Morristown Elementary School Morristown C- 54
24 General Myer Elementary School FORT HUACHUCA C- 53
25 Patagonia Elementary School Patagonia C- 53
26 Ocotillo Ridge Elementary Vail C- 52
27 Yavapai Elementary School SCOTTSDALE C- 52
28 Meyer Montessori TEMPE C- 52
29 Newell Barney Junior High QUEEN CREEK C- 52
30 Central High School PHOENIX C- 51
31 Cochise Elementary School SCOTTSDALE C- 51
32 Augustus H. Shaw Montessori PHOENIX C- 51
33 Traditional Academy at Bellair GLENDALE C- 51
34 Cienega High School VAIL C- 50
35 Gilbert Classical Academy 7-12 GILBERT C- 50
36 Ward Traditional Academy TEMPE C- 50
37 Mountainside High School WITTMANN C- 50
38 Phoenix Coding Academy PHOENIX C- 50
39 North High School PHOENIX D 49
40 Neely Traditional Academy GILBERT D 49
41 Asu Preparatory Academy-Polytechnic Elementary MESA D 49
42 Hohokam Elementary School SCOTTSDALE D 49
43 Phoenix Union Bioscience High School PHOENIX D 49
44 Laguna Elementary School SCOTTSDALE D 49
45 Franklin Police and Fire High School PHOENIX D 49
46 Mogollon High School Heber D 49
47 Hudlow Elementary School TUCSON D 49
48 Desert Mirage Elementary School GLENDALE D 48
49 Sequoya Elementary School SCOTTSDALE D 48
50 Whittier Elementary School MESA D 48

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best public schools in Arizona? ▼

The top-rated school in Arizona is Mesa Distance Learning Program in MESA with a quality score of 76/100 (grade B+). Rankings are based on student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, gifted programs, and attendance rates from NCES data.

How are school quality scores calculated? ▼

Quality scores (0-100) are computed from NCES data across 4 metrics: student-teacher ratio (lower is better, national avg ~16:1), counselor availability (ASCA recommends 250:1), gifted program availability, and chronic absenteeism rate (lower is better). This measures school resources, not test scores.

Explore More for Arizona

All Schools → Largest Schools → Absenteeism Data → Highest Spending → National Ranking →

Methodology

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. Schools must have at least 50 students and data for one or more metrics. This measures resource quality, not test scores. Higher scores indicate smaller class sizes, better counselor access, and lower absenteeism.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.