Esperero Canyon Middle School

Summary:

Esperero Canyon Middle School is a public middle school in Tucson, Arizona, serving 501 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Catalina Foothills Unified District, which is ranked 42 out of 288 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating.

Esperero Canyon Middle School consistently outperforms the state and district averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, 76% of 6th graders, 69% of 7th graders, and 66% of 8th graders were proficient or better in AASA/English Language Arts, compared to the state averages of 43%, 41%, and 35%, respectively. The school has maintained a high statewide ranking, consistently placing in the top 15% of Arizona middle schools over the past decade, and has very low dropout rates compared to the state average.

When compared to other nearby middle schools, such as Orange Grove Middle School, which is also part of the Catalina Foothills Unified District, Esperero Canyon Middle School stands out as a high-performing institution. The school's success can serve as a benchmark for other middle schools in the state and provide valuable lessons for improving educational outcomes.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 5801 N Sabino Canyon Rd
       Tucson, AZ  85750-0958


(520) 209-8100

District: Catalina Foothills Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
72nd of 533 Arizona Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $8,440 Help


Students who attend Esperero Canyon Middle School usually attend:

High:    Catalina Foothills High School

Feeder schools for Esperero Canyon Middle School:

Elementary:    Canyon View Elementary School
    Ventana Vista Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.5 Help
Number of students:  501

Racial breakdown:

White:
56.7%
Hispanic:
31.1%
Two or more races:
7.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  13% Help


 See top rated Arizona middle schools

 Compare Esperero Canyon Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Esperero Canyon Middle School ranks better than 86.5% of middle schools in Arizona. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 82.86. (See more...)
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (56.7%), Hispanic (31.1%), two or more races (7.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 13% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Esperero Canyon Middle School is 14.5. (See more...)
Help
Compare Esperero Canyon Middle School employs 34.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Esperero Canyon Middle School is $8,440.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Esperero Canyon Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Esperero Canyon Middle School 72nd of 533 Arizona public middle schools. (See Esperero Canyon Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Catalina Foothills Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Catalina Foothills Unified District 42nd of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Esperero Canyon Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 88.53 43rd 663 93.5%
2010 88.31 49th 692 92.9%
2011 87.49 58th 685 91.5%
2012 84.89 67th 772 91.3%
2013 82.89 91st 787 88.4%
2014 85.65 87th 690 87.4%
2015 83.97 73rd 521 86.0%
2016 87.77 72nd 677 89.4%
2017 83.60 90th 695 87.1%
2018 87.45 71st 711 90.0%
2019 78.26 115th 605 81.0%
2021 82.71 114th 832 86.3%
2022 76.93 104th 605 82.8%
2023 88.30 70th 854 91.8%
2024 82.86 72nd 533 86.5%
See the entire list of Arizona Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 70.81 110th 650 83.1%
2022 78.07 25th 211 88.2%
2023 56.08 148th 384 61.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 41.74 298th 606 50.8%
2023 41.93 62nd 145 57.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 57.21 49th 178 72.5%
2021 54.91 181st 789 77.1%
2023 38.99 176th 363 51.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 73.69 87th 503 82.7%
2023 65.90 160th 717 77.7%
2024 80.20 36th 314 88.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 82.57 84th 624 86.5%
2019 77.09 85th 466 81.8%
2021 83.81 95th 820 88.4%
2022 73.60 86th 494 82.6%
2023 87.51 67th 806 91.7%
2024 76.11 63rd 379 83.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 66.11 28th 143 80.4%
2022 52.35 33rd 68 51.5%
2023 52.30 56th 110 49.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.59 56th 617 90.9%
2019 67.96 123rd 435 71.7%
2021 79.22 130th 818 84.1%
2022 65.41 132nd 476 72.3%
2023 85.87 72nd 810 91.1%
2024 73.90 72nd 356 79.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 76.08 48th 404 88.1%
2022 49.50 99th 192 48.4%
2023 40.35 152nd 247 38.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 45.99 234th 573 59.2%
2023 84.91 24th 400 94.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 88.24 36th 543 93.4%
2019 71.15 83rd 387 78.6%
2021 66.76 164th 802 79.6%
2022 54.89 153rd 392 61.0%
2023 79.69 95th 760 87.5%
2024 71.56 61st 322 81.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Esperero Canyon Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 78.56 70th 436 83.9%
2019 63.90 109th 337 67.7%
2021 79.26 95th 780 87.8%
2022 71.52 81st 446 81.8%
2023 86.22 48th 675 92.9%
2024 73.36 49th 273 82.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle 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.

Esperero Canyon Middle 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 parent
Monday, November 21, 2016

Open Quote Our daughter is thriving at Esperero. The staff is incredibly supportive. If your child struggles, there are many resources. Our daughter is challenged through the gifted program in addition to accelerated math. We love that the school offers many fine art options to create a well rounded education. The band program is excellent, in addition to the art program and choir. The choir teacher works with Tucson Girls Choir so we are very fortunate to have such highly skilled professionals working with our children. We moved from a city where your child needed to attend private school ($20,000 per year) to receive this same level in the Catalina Foothills School District. We happily donate to the foundation and school!!! Close Quote


by a student
Monday, July 19, 2010

Open Quote esperero is a great learning community and a country wide known school. They have great academics that make learning fun and interesting! If you move to this area, or are looking for a better school in Tucson, come to esperero! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Esperero Canyon Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 360 360
1992 392 9 18 19 3 n/a n/a 1 442
1993 431 0 15 28 1 n/a n/a 0 475
1994 461 1 18 32 0 n/a n/a 0 512
1995 513 5 25 36 1 n/a n/a 0 580
1996 513 5 25 36 1 n/a n/a 0 580
1997 510 5 33 47 4 n/a n/a 0 599
1998 545 8 46 43 2 n/a n/a 0 644
1999 516 7 39 33 0 n/a n/a 0 595
2000 497 8 46 39 1 n/a n/a 0 591
2001 503 7 49 42 3 n/a n/a 0 604
2002 501 9 39 60 5 n/a n/a 0 614
2003 501 9 39 60 5 n/a n/a 0 614
2004 493 13 50 58 2 n/a n/a 0 616
2005 478 15 53 56 0 n/a n/a 0 602
2006 465 18 62 66 1 n/a n/a 0 612
2007 397 16 60 75 3 n/a n/a 0 551
2008 369 9 57 72 1 n/a n/a 0 508
2009 386 18 48 93 3 n/a n/a 0 548
2010 409 21 54 119 4 n/a n/a 0 607
2011 375 21 45 114 1 2 23 0 581
2012 399 16 45 120 1 3 19 0 603
2013 380 11 41 134 0 1 17 0 584
2014 367 9 33 144 0 1 19 0 573
2015 402 12 33 132 2 1 22 0 604
2016 383 11 38 134 0 1 19 0 586
2017 394 16 30 129 0 2 28 0 599
2018 382 18 31 180 0 5 33 0 649
2019 370 19 27 174 0 5 40 0 635
2020 336 18 33 185 0 2 46 0 620
2021 305 11 19 189 0 1 42 0 567
2022 287 5 20 170 0 1 36 0 519
2023 284 6 18 156 1 0 36 0 501

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 Esperero Canyon Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 360 22.7 15.8 n/a
1992 442 22.7 19.4 n/a
1993 475 26.4 18.0 n/a
1994 512 30.7 16.7 n/a
1995 580 37.6 15.4 n/a
1996 580 37.6 15.4 n/a
1997 599 35.2 17.0 n/a
1998 644 34.5 18.7 n/a
1999 595 33.5 17.8 n/a
2000 591 25.5 23.2 n/a
2001 604 39.0 15.5 n/a
2002 614 41.4 14.8 n/a
2003 614 41.4 14.8 n/a
2004 616 38.2 16.1 5.8
2005 602 38.2 15.8 7.1
2006 612 38.0 16.1 5.9
2007 551 34.3 16.1 8.2
2008 508 30.8 16.5 4.1
2009 548 28.8 19.0 5.8
2010 607 29.7 20.4 7.4
2011 581 30.5 18.9 8.3
2012 603 30.0 20.0 10
2013 584 28.7 20.3 10.8
2014 573 29.7 19.2 n/a
2015 604 33.0 18.3 13.9
2016 586 29.0 20.2 12.6
2017 599 29.2 20.4 13
2018 649 23.4 27.6 12.8
2019 635 31.2 20.3 13.9
2020 620 31.8 19.4 13.9
2021 567 30.8 18.4 n/a
2022 519 25.9 19.9 6.4
2023 501 34.5 14.5 13

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 Esperero Canyon Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1991 360 22.7 15.8 n/a
1992 442 22.7 19.4 n/a
1993 475 26.4 18.0 n/a
1994 512 30.7 16.7 n/a
1995 580 37.6 15.4 n/a
1996 580 37.6 15.4 n/a
1997 599 35.2 17.0 n/a
1998 644 34.5 18.7 n/a
1999 595 33.5 17.8 n/a
2000 591 25.5 23.2 n/a
2001 604 39.0 15.5 n/a
2002 614 41.4 14.8 n/a
2003 614 41.4 14.8 n/a
2004 616 38.2 16.1 5.8
2005 602 38.2 15.8 7.1
2006 612 38.0 16.1 5.9
2007 551 34.3 16.1 8.2
2008 508 30.8 16.5 4.1
2009 548 28.8 19.0 5.8
2010 607 29.7 20.4 7.4
2011 581 30.5 18.9 8.3
2012 603 30.0 20.0 10
2013 584 28.7 20.3 10.8
2014 573 29.7 19.2 n/a
2015 604 33.0 18.3 13.9
2016 586 29.0 20.2 12.6
2017 599 29.2 20.4 13
2018 649 23.4 27.6 12.8
2019 635 31.2 20.3 13.9
2020 620 31.8 19.4 13.9
2021 567 30.8 18.4 n/a
2022 519 25.9 19.9 6.4
2023 501 34.5 14.5 13

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 Esperero Canyon Middle 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 $23 (0.4%) $71 (1.1%) $117 (1.8%) $5,196 (82.1%) $1,039 (16.4%) $6,234 (98.5%) $6,328
2020 $74 (1.1%) $32 (0.5%) $181 (2.8%) $5,014 (76.3%) $1,448 (22.0%) $6,462 (98.4%) $6,568
2021 $47 (0.6%) $317 (4.0%) $411 (5.2%) $5,202 (66.2%) $2,287 (29.1%) $7,489 (95.4%) $7,853
2022 $73 (0.9%) $545 (6.5%) $691 (8.2%) $5,860 (69.4%) $1,962 (23.2%) $7,822 (92.7%) $8,440

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Esperero Canyon Middle 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 115th of 605 Middle schoolsRanks 70th of 854 Middle schools
 10.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students635501
 21.1%
African American196
 68.4%
American Indian01
Asian2718
 33.3%
Hispanic174156
 10.3%
Pacific Islander50
 100%
White370284
 23.2%
Two or More Races4036
 10%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients13.9%13%
 0.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Esperero Canyon Middle School

Esperero Canyon Middle School ranks 72nd of 533 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Esperero Canyon Middle School usually go on to attend Catalina Foothills High School

Students at Esperero Canyon Middle School are 57% White, 31% Hispanic, 7% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 1% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 501 students attended Esperero Canyon Middle School.


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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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