Willis Junior High School

Summary:

Willis Junior High School is a public middle school located in Chandler, Arizona, serving 865 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Chandler Unified District #80, which is ranked 94 out of 288 districts in the state.

Academically, Willis Junior High School underperforms compared to the district and state averages. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 34% of 7th-grade students and 36% of 8th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, and just 26% of 7th-graders and 28% of 8th-graders were proficient or better in Mathematics. The school's performance in Science is also lower, with only 23% of 8th-grade students proficient or better, compared to 41% for the district. Statewide, Willis Junior High School ranks 298 out of 533 Arizona middle schools, with a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Kyrene Aprende Middle School and Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School, both within the Kyrene Elementary District, as well as Bogle Junior High School and Santan Junior High School within the Chandler Unified District, Willis Junior High School generally underperforms academically. Additionally, the school has seen a gradual increase in its dropout rates, from 2.1% in 2016-2017 to 3.2% in 2021-2022.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 401 S McQueen Rd
       Chandler, AZ  85225-6403


(480) 883-5700

District: Chandler Unified District #80

SchoolDigger Rank:
298th of 533 Arizona Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,680 Help


Feeder schools for Willis Junior High School:

Elementary:    Chandler Traditional Academy - Liberty Campus
    Galveston Elementary School
    Shumway Leadership Academy

Student/teacher ratio:  18.8 Help
Number of students:  865

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
57.7%
White:
26.5%
African American:
5.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  54.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Willis Junior High School ranks worse than 55.9% of middle schools in Arizona. It also ranks 5th among 6 ranked middle schools in the Chandler Unified District #80. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 34.33. (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: Hispanic (57.7%), White (26.5%), African American (5.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 54.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Willis Junior High School is 18.8, which is the 2nd best among 6 middle schools in the Chandler Unified District #80. (See more...)
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Compare Willis Junior High School employs 45.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Willis Junior High School is $7,680, which is the 2nd highest among 6 middle schools in the Chandler Unified District #80.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Willis Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Willis Junior High School 298th of 533 Arizona public middle schools. (See Willis Junior High 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:


Chandler Unified District #80:

SchoolDigger ranks Chandler Unified District #80 94th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Willis Junior High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 58.24 258th 663 61.1%
2010 52.98 307th 692 55.6%
2011 44.73 382nd 685 44.2%
2012 47.22 411th 772 46.8%
2013 47.94 410th 787 47.9%
2014 35.61 448th 690 35.1%
2015 42.30 265th 521 49.1%
2016 42.12 345th 677 49.0%
2017 39.43 372nd 695 46.5%
2018 51.39 297th 711 58.2%
2019 37.57 333rd 605 45.0%
2021 54.44 301st 832 63.8%
2022 35.20 343rd 605 43.3%
2023 50.93 331st 854 61.2%
2024 34.33 298th 533 44.1%
See the entire list of Arizona Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 78.03 10th 43 76.7%
2021 68.39 128th 650 80.3%
2022 34.84 171st 211 19.0%
2023 34.83 275th 384 28.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 42.31 196th 606 67.7%
2023 21.61 123rd 145 15.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 42.21 86th 178 51.7%
2021 53.92 189th 789 76.0%
2023 24.17 286th 363 21.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.20 358th 503 28.8%
2022 20.15 311th 369 15.7%
2023 35.36 442nd 717 38.4%
2024 17.13 278th 314 11.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 29.85 21st 29 27.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.77 10th 13 23.1%
2021 63.31 32nd 257 87.5%
2022 39.45 9th 12 25.0%
2023 16.90 55th 64 14.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.26 224th 624 64.1%
2019 32.38 292nd 466 37.3%
2021 59.90 259th 820 68.4%
2022 27.61 349th 494 29.4%
2023 45.17 368th 806 54.3%
2024 23.86 269th 379 29.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 31.16 129th 166 22.3%
2023 3.73 36th 37 2.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Male students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 40.97 309th 617 49.9%
2019 29.40 283rd 435 34.9%
2021 49.69 321st 818 60.8%
2022 32.70 303rd 476 36.3%
2023 52.95 312th 810 61.5%
2024 27.40 243rd 356 31.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.15 34th 42 19.0%
2021 59.64 164th 404 59.4%
2022 60.28 69th 192 64.1%
2023 76.07 48th 247 80.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 68.03 23rd 125 81.6%
2021 38.59 310th 573 45.9%
2023 49.23 168th 400 58.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 30.42 377th 543 30.6%
2019 20.83 324th 387 16.3%
2021 38.31 443rd 802 44.8%
2022 24.87 292nd 392 25.5%
2023 35.15 457th 760 39.9%
2024 17.14 272nd 322 15.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 41.30 186th 390 52.3%
2023 37.24 90th 159 43.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Willis Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 65.36 143rd 436 67.2%
2019 47.27 184th 337 45.4%
2021 80.15 87th 780 88.8%
2022 50.57 223rd 446 50.0%
2023 67.13 162nd 675 76.0%
2024 57.19 106th 273 61.2%
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.

Willis Junior High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 




Data source: Arizona Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Willis Junior High School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 796 16 21 326 24 n/a n/a -50 1133
1989 610 28 10 204 16 n/a n/a 37 905
1990 586 36 3 363 33 n/a n/a -48 973
1991 575 47 6 387 38 n/a n/a -15 1038
1992 476 39 8 308 30 n/a n/a 0 861
1993 432 41 14 313 24 n/a n/a 0 824
1994 467 42 11 349 13 n/a n/a 0 882
1995 658 60 11 464 22 n/a n/a 0 1215
1996 658 60 11 464 22 n/a n/a 0 1215
1997 693 60 28 514 33 n/a n/a 0 1328
1998 522 53 25 347 19 n/a n/a 0 966
1999 547 58 16 353 18 n/a n/a 0 992
2000 549 66 28 405 12 n/a n/a 0 1060
2001 532 71 32 361 15 n/a n/a 0 1011
2004 508 106 39 473 13 n/a n/a 0 1139
2005 477 101 45 538 16 n/a n/a 0 1177
2006 457 89 41 549 19 n/a n/a 0 1155
2007 395 75 47 496 21 n/a n/a 0 1034
2008 375 57 41 489 12 n/a n/a 0 974
2009 413 65 31 502 11 n/a n/a 0 1022
2010 363 77 35 463 15 n/a n/a 0 953
2011 312 83 36 434 20 0 1 0 886
2012 306 84 33 448 20 0 3 0 894
2013 285 93 35 405 23 1 7 0 849
2014 299 79 40 469 22 1 10 0 920
2015 289 70 47 513 18 1 9 0 947
2016 254 63 39 482 19 1 15 0 873
2017 243 64 34 510 20 3 23 0 897
2018 260 62 28 486 12 2 21 0 871
2019 225 63 29 444 11 3 25 0 800
2020 300 59 34 512 13 4 33 0 955
2021 275 58 32 567 13 2 51 0 998
2022 235 58 35 546 14 4 40 0 932
2023 229 49 34 499 15 5 34 0 865

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 Willis Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1133 60.5 18.7 n/a
1989 905 50.3 17.9 n/a
1990 973 51.0 19.0 n/a
1991 1038 52.3 19.8 n/a
1992 861 43.8 19.6 n/a
1993 824 42.6 19.3 n/a
1994 882 41.6 21.2 n/a
1995 1215 61.9 19.6 n/a
1996 1215 61.9 19.6 n/a
1997 1328 70.0 19.0 n/a
1998 966 54.1 17.9 n/a
1999 992 57.0 17.4 n/a
2000 1060 56.6 18.7 n/a
2001 1011 56.9 17.8 n/a
2004 1139 55.6 20.5 50.8
2005 1177 62.1 19.0 99.7
2006 1155 60.4 19.1 51.6
2007 1034 62.0 16.7 39.6
2008 974 58.9 16.5 37.7
2009 1022 60.0 17.0 49.6
2010 953 54.8 17.3 54.6
2011 886 48.3 18.3 54.3
2012 894 47.0 19.0 57.3
2013 849 45.2 18.7 61
2014 920 48.0 19.1 61.5
2015 947 51.0 18.5 66.6
2016 873 54.0 16.1 60.1
2017 897 48.2 18.5 64.4
2018 871 50.2 17.3 63.8
2019 800 48.2 16.5 57
2020 955 49.5 19.2 57.9
2021 998 44.8 22.2 n/a
2022 932 47.0 19.8 23.9
2023 865 45.8 18.8 54.9

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 Willis Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1133 60.5 18.7 n/a
1989 905 50.3 17.9 n/a
1990 973 51.0 19.0 n/a
1991 1038 52.3 19.8 n/a
1992 861 43.8 19.6 n/a
1993 824 42.6 19.3 n/a
1994 882 41.6 21.2 n/a
1995 1215 61.9 19.6 n/a
1996 1215 61.9 19.6 n/a
1997 1328 70.0 19.0 n/a
1998 966 54.1 17.9 n/a
1999 992 57.0 17.4 n/a
2000 1060 56.6 18.7 n/a
2001 1011 56.9 17.8 n/a
2004 1139 55.6 20.5 50.8
2005 1177 62.1 19.0 99.7
2006 1155 60.4 19.1 51.6
2007 1034 62.0 16.7 39.6
2008 974 58.9 16.5 37.7
2009 1022 60.0 17.0 49.6
2010 953 54.8 17.3 54.6
2011 886 48.3 18.3 54.3
2012 894 47.0 19.0 57.3
2013 849 45.2 18.7 61
2014 920 48.0 19.1 61.5
2015 947 51.0 18.5 66.6
2016 873 54.0 16.1 60.1
2017 897 48.2 18.5 64.4
2018 871 50.2 17.3 63.8
2019 800 48.2 16.5 57
2020 955 49.5 19.2 57.9
2021 998 44.8 22.2 n/a
2022 932 47.0 19.8 23.9
2023 865 45.8 18.8 54.9

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 Willis Junior High 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 $7,309 (85.6%) $695 (8.1%) $15,312 (179.2%) $258 (3.0%) $282 (3.3%) $540 (6.3%) $8,543
2020 $408 (6.0%) $17 (0.2%) $834 (12.2%) $5,696 (83.3%) $716 (10.5%) $6,413 (93.8%) $6,839
2021 $343 (4.9%) $19 (0.3%) $705 (10.1%) $5,732 (81.9%) $904 (12.9%) $6,635 (94.8%) $6,997
2022 $617 (8.0%) $187 (2.4%) $1,421 (18.5%) $6,459 (84.1%) $417 (5.4%) $6,876 (89.5%) $7,680

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Willis Junior High 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 333rd of 605 Middle schoolsRanks 331st of 854 Middle schools
 16.3%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students800865
 8.1%
African American6349
 22.2%
American Indian1115
 36.4%
Asian2934
 17.2%
Hispanic444499
 12.4%
Pacific Islander35
 66.7%
White225229
 1.8%
Two or More Races2534
 36%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients57%54.9%
 2.1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Willis Junior High School

Willis Junior High School ranks 298th of 533 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Willis Junior High School are 58% Hispanic, 26% White, 6% African American, 4% Asian, 4% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

In the 2022-23 school year, 865 students attended Willis Junior High 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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