Black Mountain Elementary School

Summary:

Black Mountain Elementary School is a high-performing public elementary school in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 495 students in grades PK-6 and part of the Cave Creek Unified District. The school consistently ranks among the top 20% of Arizona elementary schools, with strong academic performance across all grade levels and subjects.

Black Mountain Elementary's students excel on state assessments, with 74% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 64% for the district and 39% for the state. The school also shines in mathematics, with 72-77% of students in grades 3-4 scoring proficient or better, far surpassing the state average of 43-36%. Additionally, the school's 5th-grade science performance on the AzSCI assessment is impressive, with 53% of students scoring proficient or better, compared to 47% for the district and 34% for the state.

When compared to other elementary schools in the area, such as Stepping Stones Academy, Wildfire Elementary School, and Desert Trails Elementary School, Black Mountain Elementary consistently outperforms its peers on academic measures, particularly in core subject areas. This suggests that the school has effective teaching practices, curriculum, and support systems in place to help students succeed.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 33606 N 60th St
       Scottsdale, AZ  85266-5243


(480) 575-2100

District: Cave Creek Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
123rd of 904 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $2,686 Help


Students who attend Black Mountain Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Sonoran Trails Middle School
High:    Cactus Shadows High School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.8 Help
Number of students:  495

Racial breakdown:

White:
80.6%
Hispanic:
12.7%
Two or more races:
4.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  7.7% Help


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 Compare Black Mountain Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Black Mountain Elementary School ranks better than 86.4% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 2nd among 5 ranked elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 84.48. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Black Mountain Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Cave Creek Unified District. Racial makeup is: White (80.6%), Hispanic (12.7%), two or more races (4.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 7.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Black Mountain Elementary School is 14.8, which is the 2nd best among 5 elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Black Mountain Elementary School employs 33.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Black Mountain Elementary School is $2,686. 2 elementary schools in the Cave Creek Unified District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Black Mountain Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Black Mountain Elementary School 123rd of 904 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Black Mountain Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Cave Creek Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Cave Creek Unified District 63rd of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Black Mountain Elementary School?

Rank History for Black Mountain Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 84.00 139th 1062 86.9%
2010 85.97 118th 1090 89.2%
2011 88.52 79th 1075 92.7%
2012 88.51 51st 1141 95.5%
2013 80.85 169th 1158 85.4%
2014 85.54 137th 1079 87.3%
2015 77.23 198th 955 79.3%
2016 83.57 170th 1079 84.2%
2017 80.10 217th 1106 80.4%
2018 78.25 244th 1109 78.0%
2019 76.68 242nd 1039 76.7%
2021 90.36 119th 1226 90.3%
2022 75.60 200th 1000 80.0%
2023 89.41 127th 1245 89.8%
2024 84.48 123rd 904 86.4%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 71.05 191st 1027 81.4%
2022 51.79 212th 444 52.3%
2023 67.33 122nd 617 80.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 69.11 25th 975 97.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.22 117th 417 71.9%
2021 87.13 39th 1201 96.8%
2023 71.07 133rd 820 83.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Female students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 77.37 229th 1023 77.6%
2019 64.74 278th 862 67.7%
2021 85.94 154th 1219 87.4%
2022 60.78 298th 824 63.8%
2023 86.63 135th 1219 88.9%
2024 76.13 110th 593 81.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 38.54 183rd 239 23.4%
2023 44.78 81st 145 44.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 73.90 268th 1032 74.0%
2019 76.35 174th 850 79.5%
2021 90.87 94th 1220 92.3%
2022 75.57 160th 830 80.7%
2023 88.40 121st 1216 90.0%
2024 75.60 115th 609 81.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 61.24 230th 620 62.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 74.77 204th 1198 83.0%
2022 75.43 143rd 716 80.0%
2023 65.05 329th 1170 71.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Black Mountain Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.63 307th 720 57.4%
2019 54.37 269th 595 54.8%
2021 81.28 152nd 1161 86.9%
2022 60.29 273rd 800 65.9%
2023 80.02 150th 1024 85.4%
2024 67.19 133rd 477 72.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Black Mountain Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a principal
Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Open Quote The people and programs at Black Mountain are combined into one of Arizona's finest educational institutions. All students at Black Mountain receive academics at their level, with the opportunity for advanced academics every single day. All students also participate in amazing programs including Drama, Dance, Art, Music, PE, and Spanish. We provide wonderful educational experiences for our students to prepare them for success in college, career, and life. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, February 12, 2015

Open Quote Black Mountain is the best school around! I am blessed to have found this school. My child has flourished with this amazing staff. Thank you Black Mountain! Close Quote


by a parent
Sunday, July 13, 2014

Open Quote Black Mountain is the best school around. They care about children and provide a fun and safe environment in which kids thrive. Definitely the best school around!!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Black Mountain Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 368 1 1 15 0 n/a n/a 8 393
1989 362 1 4 21 0 n/a n/a 54 442
1990 428 1 3 30 1 n/a n/a -452 11
1991 359 0 2 37 2 n/a n/a -400 0
1992 473 0 7 46 4 n/a n/a 1 531
1993 496 0 5 37 3 n/a n/a 0 541
1994 589 1 3 40 1 n/a n/a 0 634
1995 575 1 2 53 0 n/a n/a 0 631
1996 575 1 2 53 0 n/a n/a 0 631
1997 631 0 2 38 0 n/a n/a 0 671
1998 669 0 4 38 0 n/a n/a 0 711
1999 818 2 5 41 0 n/a n/a 0 866
2000 626 1 5 36 2 n/a n/a 0 670
2001 681 3 7 42 2 n/a n/a 0 735
2002 565 14 12 53 2 n/a n/a 0 646
2003 565 14 12 53 2 n/a n/a 0 646
2004 536 12 12 55 2 n/a n/a 0 617
2005 553 10 15 52 5 n/a n/a 0 635
2006 515 5 13 62 3 n/a n/a 0 598
2007 495 4 18 59 3 n/a n/a 0 579
2008 484 5 17 51 3 n/a n/a 0 560
2009 468 8 20 37 3 n/a n/a 0 536
2010 474 11 19 40 2 n/a n/a 0 546
2011 485 7 19 42 1 3 2 0 559
2012 434 3 15 42 1 2 6 0 503
2013 425 6 13 43 1 2 8 0 498
2014 400 6 9 54 0 2 8 0 479
2015 386 5 6 50 0 2 14 0 463
2016 351 4 6 52 1 1 11 0 426
2017 354 2 6 57 0 2 9 0 430
2018 387 4 6 59 1 2 11 0 470
2019 419 5 4 61 1 3 12 0 505
2020 454 3 7 53 4 1 18 0 540
2021 333 4 5 49 1 0 9 0 401
2022 416 5 7 66 1 1 20 0 516
2023 399 4 6 63 0 1 22 0 495

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Black Mountain Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 393 20.0 19.6 n/a
1989 442 21.8 20.2 n/a
1990 11 20.3 0.5 n/a
1991 0 22.8 0.0 n/a
1992 531 26.0 20.4 n/a
1993 541 26.5 20.4 n/a
1994 634 27.8 22.8 n/a
1995 631 26.0 24.3 n/a
1996 631 26.0 24.3 n/a
1997 671 30.0 22.4 n/a
1998 711 34.2 20.8 n/a
1999 866 43.6 19.9 n/a
2000 670 32.5 20.6 n/a
2001 735 35.4 20.8 n/a
2002 646 33.6 19.2 9.9
2003 646 33.6 19.2 9.9
2004 617 31.6 19.5 9.2
2005 635 33.6 18.9 10.2
2006 598 36.3 16.5 4.5
2007 579 35.8 16.2 4.5
2008 560 32.8 17.1 7.7
2009 536 30.0 17.9 6.5
2010 546 30.5 17.9 9.3
2011 559 29.2 19.1 10
2012 503 30.3 16.6 14.1
2013 498 23.8 20.9 13.1
2014 479 24.7 19.3 10.6
2015 463 29.0 15.9 12.1
2016 426 24.0 17.7 11.7
2017 430 23.2 18.5 12.8
2018 470 22.7 20.7 9.8
2019 505 24.2 20.8 11.9
2020 540 25.2 21.4 13.9
2021 401 31.7 12.6 n/a
2022 516 29.1 17.7 5.6
2023 495 33.4 14.8 7.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Black Mountain Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 393 20.0 19.6 n/a
1989 442 21.8 20.2 n/a
1990 11 20.3 0.5 n/a
1991 0 22.8 0.0 n/a
1992 531 26.0 20.4 n/a
1993 541 26.5 20.4 n/a
1994 634 27.8 22.8 n/a
1995 631 26.0 24.3 n/a
1996 631 26.0 24.3 n/a
1997 671 30.0 22.4 n/a
1998 711 34.2 20.8 n/a
1999 866 43.6 19.9 n/a
2000 670 32.5 20.6 n/a
2001 735 35.4 20.8 n/a
2002 646 33.6 19.2 9.9
2003 646 33.6 19.2 9.9
2004 617 31.6 19.5 9.2
2005 635 33.6 18.9 10.2
2006 598 36.3 16.5 4.5
2007 579 35.8 16.2 4.5
2008 560 32.8 17.1 7.7
2009 536 30.0 17.9 6.5
2010 546 30.5 17.9 9.3
2011 559 29.2 19.1 10
2012 503 30.3 16.6 14.1
2013 498 23.8 20.9 13.1
2014 479 24.7 19.3 10.6
2015 463 29.0 15.9 12.1
2016 426 24.0 17.7 11.7
2017 430 23.2 18.5 12.8
2018 470 22.7 20.7 9.8
2019 505 24.2 20.8 11.9
2020 540 25.2 21.4 13.9
2021 401 31.7 12.6 n/a
2022 516 29.1 17.7 5.6
2023 495 33.4 14.8 7.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Black Mountain Elementary School

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YearPersonnel Expenditures from Federal FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from Federal FundsTotal Expenditures from Federal FundsPersonnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsNon-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $401 (3.5%) $28 (0.2%) $831 (7.4%) $7,040 (62.3%) $3,834 (33.9%) $10,875 (96.2%) $11,304
2020 $392 (5.0%) $165 (2.1%) $949 (12.2%) $6,166 (79.1%) $1,068 (13.7%) $7,234 (92.9%) $7,791
2021 $1,292 (14.0%) $174 (1.9%) $2,757 (29.8%) $6,316 (68.4%) $1,457 (15.8%) $7,773 (84.1%) $9,238
2022 $103 (3.8%) $48 (1.8%) $254 (9.5%) $2,064 (76.8%) $470 (17.5%) $2,535 (94.4%) $2,686

Data source: Arizona Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Black Mountain Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 242nd of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 127th of 1245 Elementary schools
 13.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students505495
 2%
African American54
 20%
American Indian10
 100%
Asian46
 50%
Hispanic6163
 3.3%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White419399
 4.8%
Two or More Races1222
 83.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients11.9%7.7%
 4.2%


Schools Near Black Mountain Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Black Mountain Elementary School

Students who attend Black Mountain Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sonoran Trails Middle School
High : Cactus Shadows High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 495 students attended Black Mountain Elementary School.

Students at Black Mountain Elementary School are 81% White, 13% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Black Mountain Elementary School ranks 123rd of 904 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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