Is Desert Willow Elementary School a good school?

Desert Willow Elementary School ranks in the bottom 7.2% of Arizona elementary schools.

How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 465 students attended Desert Willow Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Desert Willow Elementary School?

Students at Desert Willow Elementary School are 59% Hispanic, 28% White, 5% African American, 5% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

Desert Willow Elementary School

Summary:

Desert Willow Elementary School is a public school serving grades PK-8 in Casa Grande, Arizona, part of the Casa Grande Elementary District. With a diverse student population, the school has seen a decline in its statewide ranking in recent years, now ranking 825 out of 904 Arizona elementary schools.

Academically, Desert Willow Elementary consistently underperforms compared to the district and state averages, with significantly lower proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics for grades 3-5. The school's student subgroups, including female students, male students, Hispanic students, and students with special needs, also struggle academically, ranking in the bottom half or bottom quarter of Arizona elementary schools. However, the school's Asian student subgroup and English Language Learner subgroup perform better than their peers at the school.

When compared to other elementary schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District, Desert Willow's academic challenges are not unique, as many nearby schools face similar performance concerns. The school's per-student spending is generally in line with or slightly higher than the district average, and its enrollment has remained relatively stable in recent years, in contrast to the nearby CGESD Online Learning Academy, which has seen a significant increase in enrollment.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-8

2172 N Arizola Rd
Casa Grande, AZ 85122-6372

(520) 876-5397

District: Casa Grande Elementary District

SchoolDigger Rank:
846^th of 912 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,769

Student/teacher ratio: 22.1

Number of students: 465

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

59.1%

White:

28.0%

African American:

5.4%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 53.9%

See top rated Arizona elementary schools

Compare Desert Willow Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Desert Willow Elementary School ranks worse than 92.8% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 4^th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 11.53. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (59.1%), White (28%), African American (5.4%). (See more...)

Compare Details

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary School is 22.1. 5 elementary schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Desert Willow Elementary School employs 21 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Willow Elementary School is $7,769. 7 elementary schools in the Casa Grande Elementary District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Desert Willow Elementary School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Casa Grande Elementary District:

SchoolDigger ranks Casa Grande Elementary District 274^th of 297 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Desert Willow Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2009	65.45	391^st	1062	63.2%
2010	65.86	374^th	1090	65.7%
2011	64.41	383^rd	1075	64.4%
2012	61.49	438^th	1141	61.6%
2013	54.86	519^th	1158	55.2%
2014	51.27	533^rd	1079	50.6%
2015	25.39	685^th	955	28.3%
2016	49.66	488^th	1079	54.8%
2017	43.70	569^th	1106	48.6%
2018	55.41	448^th	1109	59.6%
2019	49.61	478^th	1039	54.0%
2021	55.96	489^th	1226	60.1%
2022	30.99	625^th	1000	37.5%
2023	31.12	802^nd	1245	35.6%
2024	11.53	846^th	912	7.2%

See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2021	65.97	249^th	1027	75.8%
2022	73.57	73^rd	444	83.6%
2023	8.97	611^th	617	1.0%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	48.96	228^th	975	76.6%
2023	57.02	145^th	451	67.8%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	63.54	233^rd	1201	80.6%
2023	21.13	730^th	820	11.0%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	57.39	303^rd	820	63.0%
2023	21.31	951^st	1116	14.8%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	31.97	303^rd	423	28.4%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2018	58.30	401^st	1023	60.8%
2019	39.13	492^nd	862	42.9%
2021	53.97	495^th	1219	59.4%
2022	20.15	692^nd	824	16.0%
2023	33.71	749^th	1219	38.6%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	29.35	276^th	306	9.8%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2018	54.26	428^th	1032	58.5%
2019	42.86	451^st	850	46.9%
2021	57.50	456^th	1220	62.6%
2022	26.20	625^th	830	24.7%
2023	26.52	879^th	1216	27.7%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	71.50	133^rd	620	78.5%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	40.65	486^th	895	45.7%
2023	42.80	348^th	607	42.7%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2018	46.63	434^th	911	52.4%
2019	36.54	428^th	709	39.6%
2021	51.85	486^th	1198	59.4%
2022	15.64	647^th	716	9.6%
2023	30.78	811^th	1170	30.7%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2021	40.16	344^th	654	47.4%

See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	AZ State Percentile
2018	59.95	302^nd	720	58.1%
2019	47.09	336^th	595	43.5%
2021	58.23	440^th	1161	62.1%
2022	45.07	434^th	800	45.8%
2023	22.11	859^th	1024	16.1%

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.

Data source: Arizona Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Desert Willow Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2007	220	26	10	180	11	n/a	n/a	447
2008	366	41	20	286	20	n/a	n/a	733
2009	392	47	27	313	17	n/a	n/a	796
2010	352	31	17	255	11	n/a	n/a	666
2011	254	24	12	281	17	1	25	614
2012	240	21	11	267	21	3	26	589
2013	216	17	7	285	21	1	35	582
2014	222	7	5	301	16	0	26	577
2015	226	7	5	305	12	1	33	589
2016	231	7	5	263	12	1	30	549
2017	208	4	3	262	10	1	27	515
2018	192	12	6	282	13	0	29	534
2019	190	11	6	246	14	0	32	499
2020	191	11	5	234	19	2	40	502
2021	134	9	7	237	17	1	33	438
2022	166	10	5	239	10	1	23	454
2023	156	18	4	257	10	1	25	471
2024	130	25	3	275	8	1	23	465

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 Desert Willow Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	447	26.3	17.0	31.5
2008	733	33.5	21.9	36.6
2009	796	38.9	20.5	39.2
2010	666	36.5	18.2	46.8
2011	614	32.0	19.1	47.1
2012	589	30.0	19.6	35.8
2013	582	28.5	20.4	22
2014	577	27.0	21.3	64.1
2015	589	26.0	22.6	63.7
2016	549	28.0	19.6	41.3
2017	515	25.5	20.1	n/a
2018	534	22.5	23.7	60.9
2019	499	25.5	19.5	58.7
2020	502	23.5	21.3	58.8
2021	438	22.5	19.4	n/a
2022	454	20.5	22.1	29.3
2023	471	23.0	20.4	53.9
2024	465	21.0	22.1	n/a

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 Desert Willow Elementary School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2007	447	26.3	17.0	31.5
2008	733	33.5	21.9	36.6
2009	796	38.9	20.5	39.2
2010	666	36.5	18.2	46.8
2011	614	32.0	19.1	47.1
2012	589	30.0	19.6	35.8
2013	582	28.5	20.4	22
2014	577	27.0	21.3	64.1
2015	589	26.0	22.6	63.7
2016	549	28.0	19.6	41.3
2017	515	25.5	20.1	n/a
2018	534	22.5	23.7	60.9
2019	499	25.5	19.5	58.7
2020	502	23.5	21.3	58.8
2021	438	22.5	19.4	n/a
2022	454	20.5	22.1	29.3
2023	471	23.0	20.4	53.9
2024	465	21.0	22.1	n/a

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 Desert Willow Elementary School

Year	Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from Federal Funds	Total Expenditures from Federal Funds	Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$353 (4.1%)	$47 (0.5%)	$754 (8.8%)	$7,044 (81.8%)	$1,166 (13.5%)	$8,210 (95.3%)	$8,611
2020	$118 (1.8%)	$125 (1.9%)	$362 (5.5%)	$5,423 (82.8%)	$884 (13.5%)	$6,308 (96.3%)	$6,552
2022	$1,200 (15.4%)	$266 (3.4%)	$2,665 (34.3%)	$5,291 (68.1%)	$1,012 (13.0%)	$6,303 (81.1%)	$7,769

Data source: Arizona Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Willow 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 478^th of 1039 Elementary schools	Ranks 802^nd of 1245 Elementary schools	18.4%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	499	471	5.6%
African American	11	18	63.6%
American Indian	14	10	28.6%
Asian	6	4	33.3%
Hispanic	246	257	4.5%
Pacific Islander	0	1
White	190	156	17.9%
Two or More Races	32	25	21.9%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	58.7%	53.9%	4.8%

Schools Near Desert Willow Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				AASA English Language Arts (2024)						AASA Mathematics (2024)						AzSCI Science (2024)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	AASA English Language Arts 4th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 5th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 3rd Grade	AASA Mathematics 4th Grade	AASA Mathematics 5th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 5th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Desert Willow Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2172 N Arizola Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 876-5397	465	21	22.1		130 (28.0%)	25 (5.4%)	275 (59.1%)	3 (0.6%)	8 (1.7%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (4.9%)	11.5	846^th of 912 public elementary schools	7.2%		31.1	802^nd of 1245 public elementary schools	35.6%	44	31.0	24.0	22.0				20.0	16.0					15.0		$7,769	$1,200	$266	$2,665	$5,291	$1,012	$6,303
Cholla Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1180 E Kortsen Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-4719	453	23	19.6		81 (17.9%)	28 (6.2%)	304 (67.1%)	2 (0.4%)	16 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.6%)	13.4	812^th of 912 public elementary schools	11.0%		17.1	1069^th of 1245 public elementary schools	14.1%	257	23.0		18.0				32.0		24.0				15.0		$7,359	$1,225	$186	$2,635	$5,257	$692	$5,949
Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande	Public, Charter	K-8	1274 E. ONeil Dr	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(520) 421-2323	1,529				423 (27.7%)	84 (5.5%)	878 (57.4%)	35 (2.3%)	26 (1.7%)	5 (0.3%)	78 (5.1%)	35.8	515^th of 912 public elementary schools	43.5%		61.8	429^th of 1245 public elementary schools	65.5%	86	34.0	42.0	32.0	54.0	57.0	47.0	39.0	33.0	23.0	32.0	44.0	36.0	38.0	45.0		$00			$00
Ironwood School	Public	PK, KG-8	1500 N Colorado St	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-5086	501	24	20.8		72 (14.4%)	32 (6.4%)	369 (73.7%)	6 (1.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.8%)	6.3	904^th of 912 public elementary schools	0.9%		16.7	1077^th of 1245 public elementary schools	13.5%	173	13.0	23.0	16.0				12.0		15.0				14.0		$8,103	$1,392	$274	$3,059	$5,719	$717	$6,436
The Grande Innovation	Public, Charter	K-8	950 N Peart Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	The Grande Innovation Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 381-2360	828				202 (24.4%)	19 (2.3%)	558 (67.4%)	4 (0.5%)	9 (1.1%)	3 (0.4%)	33 (4.0%)	19.1	718^th of 912 public elementary schools	21.3%		32	786^th of 1245 public elementary schools	36.9%	68	42.0	29.0	22.0	33.0	46.0	38.0	32.0	17.0	16.0	24.0	25.0		21.0	24.0		$00			$00
Cottonwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1667 N Kadota Ave	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-5601	480	22	21.8		95 (19.8%)	42 (8.8%)	289 (60.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.8%)								(n/a)	19.0	21.0													$9,303	$1,561	$371	$3,494	$5,576	$1,795	$7,370
McCartney Ranch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	2631 N Brown Ave	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 876-4235	679	25	27.1		125 (18.4%)	29 (4.3%)	489 (72.0%)	6 (0.9%)	11 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (2.8%)	20.8	691^st of 912 public elementary schools	24.2%		42	637^th of 1245 public elementary schools	48.8%	54	23.0	37.0	27.0				34.0	29.0	27.0				23.0		$7,712	$1,148	$170	$2,467	$5,449	$945	$6,394
CGESD Online Learning Academy	Public, Virtual	K-8	220 W Kortsen Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	Yes	No	(520) 836-6694	107	11	12.8		26 (24.3%)	7 (6.5%)	61 (57.0%)	1 (0.9%)	4 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (7.5%)								(n/a)															$473	$356	$114	$826	$02	$02	$03
Center for Online and Innovative Learning	Public	PK, KG-8	1000 N Amarillo St	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-6694	149	10	14.9		55 (36.9%)	2 (1.3%)	76 (51.0%)	3 (2.0%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.4%)	64.7	289^th of 912 public elementary schools	68.3%					(n/a)		55.0	44.0	59.0						47.0					$170,822	$13,732	$3,374	$30,839	$126,725	$26,991	$153,715
Mesquite Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	129 N Arizola Rd	Casa Grande	85122	Pinal County	Casa Grande Elementary District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(520) 836-7787	449	22	20.4		92 (20.5%)	33 (7.3%)	264 (58.8%)	4 (0.9%)	39 (8.7%)	4 (0.9%)	13 (2.9%)	10.8	860^th of 912 public elementary schools	5.7%		11.8	1188^th of 1245 public elementary schools	4.6%	328	20.0	28.0					20.0	20.0							$9,356	$1,773	$257	$3,803	$5,835	$1,491	$7,326

Desert Willow Elementary School

Casa Grande Elementary District:

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Rank History for Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Homeless students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Female students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Foster Care students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Male students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Asian students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for African American students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for Native American students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Rank History for White students at Desert Willow Elementary School

Enrollment information for Desert Willow Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Desert Willow Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Desert Willow Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Desert Willow Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Willow Elementary School

Rankings

Student Body

Schools Near Desert Willow Elementary School

Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Willow Elementary School

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