Meridian

Summary:

Meridian is an elementary school located in Mesa, Arizona, serving grades PK-6 with a student population of 791. It is part of the Gilbert Unified District, which is ranked 90 out of 288 districts in Arizona and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Meridian consistently outperforms the Gilbert Unified District and the state of Arizona in academic proficiency across various grade levels and subjects. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, Meridian had 65% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 59% for the district and 39% for the state. Meridian has maintained a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 25% of Arizona elementary schools in recent years, and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger in 2023-2024.

Meridian's success extends beyond overall academic performance, with the school excelling in the performance of certain student subgroups. In 2022-2023, Meridian's Hispanic students ranked in the top 10% of Arizona elementary schools, and its African American students ranked in the top 5%. Additionally, Meridian has a relatively low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 22.88% in 2022-2023, and its spending per student has been consistently higher than the state average, ranging from $6,523 to $7,878 over the past few years. These factors may contribute to Meridian's academic success, which stands out among nearby schools like American Leadership Academy Mesa K-6 and Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Eastmark, which also demonstrate strong academic performance.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 3900 S Mountain Rd
       Mesa, AZ  85212-7005


(480) 497-4032

District: Gilbert Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
257th of 904 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,565 Help


Students who attend Meridian usually attend:

Middle:    Desert Ridge Junior High
High:    Desert Ridge High

Student/teacher ratio:  16.6 Help
Number of students:  791

Racial breakdown:

White:
64.3%
Hispanic:
27.4%
Two or more races:
4.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  22.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Meridian ranks better than 71.6% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 12th among 26 ranked elementary schools in the Gilbert Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 69.18. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (64.3%), Hispanic (27.4%), two or more races (4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 22.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Meridian is 16.6. 20 elementary schools in the Gilbert Unified District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Meridian employs 47.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Meridian is $7,565. 18 elementary schools in the Gilbert Unified District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Meridian:

SchoolDigger ranks Meridian 257th of 904 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Meridian in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


Gilbert Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Gilbert Unified District 90th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Meridian

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 79.05 210th 1062 80.2%
2010 71.88 313th 1090 71.3%
2011 76.93 247th 1075 77.0%
2012 80.07 198th 1141 82.6%
2013 78.26 215th 1158 81.4%
2014 80.95 196th 1079 81.8%
2015 80.76 167th 955 82.5%
2016 81.49 197th 1079 81.7%
2017 73.23 290th 1106 73.8%
2018 64.77 369th 1109 66.7%
2019 67.04 344th 1039 66.9%
2021 87.72 152nd 1226 87.6%
2022 73.27 220th 1000 78.0%
2023 83.72 196th 1245 84.3%
2024 69.18 257th 904 71.6%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 56.88 357th 1027 65.2%
2022 51.60 214th 444 51.8%
2023 32.13 489th 617 20.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 39.24 754th 975 22.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 38.29 232nd 417 44.4%
2021 67.83 179th 1201 85.1%
2023 54.43 292nd 820 64.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 67.54 209th 820 74.5%
2022 57.75 259th 618 58.1%
2023 70.49 225th 1116 79.8%
2024 74.37 99th 546 81.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 69.37 319th 1023 68.8%
2019 64.60 280th 862 67.5%
2021 88.05 121st 1219 90.1%
2022 66.62 234th 824 71.6%
2023 82.88 181st 1219 85.2%
2024 58.97 212th 593 64.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Military Connected students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 46.03 160th 239 33.1%
2022 59.41 36th 101 64.4%
2023 23.60 131st 145 9.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Military Connected Students!

Rank History for Male students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 62.43 368th 1032 64.3%
2019 55.15 356th 850 58.1%
2021 85.15 164th 1220 86.6%
2022 66.60 233rd 830 71.9%
2023 79.84 216th 1216 82.2%
2024 52.18 275th 609 54.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 72.57 119th 620 80.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 82.73 40th 895 95.5%
2022 78.73 28th 289 90.3%
2023 61.00 206th 607 66.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 47.56 424th 911 53.5%
2019 58.14 267th 709 62.3%
2021 81.28 134th 1198 88.8%
2022 71.67 187th 716 73.9%
2023 85.00 116th 1170 90.1%
2024 82.47 68th 472 85.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Meridian

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 56.16 343rd 720 52.4%
2019 46.25 341st 595 42.7%
2021 79.81 176th 1161 84.8%
2022 57.54 302nd 800 62.3%
2023 71.64 242nd 1024 76.4%
2024 46.01 269th 477 43.6%
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.

Meridian 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:
No reviews have been submitted!


Enrollment information for Meridian

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2006 665 50 22 146 6 n/a n/a 0 889
2007 653 33 27 146 5 n/a n/a 0 864
2008 673 39 26 151 7 n/a n/a 0 896
2009 672 41 41 145 5 n/a n/a 0 904
2010 679 51 46 151 3 n/a n/a 0 930
2011 694 43 40 150 5 2 11 0 945
2012 693 42 36 172 7 6 17 0 973
2013 724 39 29 177 7 1 20 0 997
2014 715 33 33 196 9 2 20 0 1008
2015 691 27 26 200 6 3 29 0 982
2016 609 25 17 186 3 4 25 0 869
2017 581 29 13 188 2 7 22 0 842
2018 542 27 10 210 2 3 25 0 819
2019 512 30 10 182 1 5 32 0 772
2020 493 29 6 159 3 3 32 0 725
2021 419 22 8 201 1 1 28 0 680
2022 446 22 7 198 1 1 33 0 708
2023 509 20 7 217 4 2 32 0 791

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 Meridian

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 889 45.0 19.8 21.4
2007 864 45.6 18.9 20.5
2008 896 49.2 18.2 22.2
2009 904 50.2 18.0 24.3
2010 930 44.5 20.8 24
2011 945 48.7 19.3 29
2012 973 49.8 19.5 17.7
2013 997 52.3 19.0 n/a
2014 1008 52.3 19.2 0.3
2015 982 50.0 19.6 0
2016 869 48.0 18.1 0.3
2017 842 45.7 18.3 27.6
2018 819 45.7 17.8 26.9
2019 772 41.0 18.8 26.9
2020 725 41.0 17.6 23.9
2021 680 39.0 17.4 n/a
2022 708 40.0 17.7 8.9
2023 791 47.5 16.6 22.9

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 Meridian

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2006 889 45.0 19.8 21.4
2007 864 45.6 18.9 20.5
2008 896 49.2 18.2 22.2
2009 904 50.2 18.0 24.3
2010 930 44.5 20.8 24
2011 945 48.7 19.3 29
2012 973 49.8 19.5 17.7
2013 997 52.3 19.0 n/a
2014 1008 52.3 19.2 0.3
2015 982 50.0 19.6 0
2016 869 48.0 18.1 0.3
2017 842 45.7 18.3 27.6
2018 819 45.7 17.8 26.9
2019 772 41.0 18.8 26.9
2020 725 41.0 17.6 23.9
2021 680 39.0 17.4 n/a
2022 708 40.0 17.7 8.9
2023 791 47.5 16.6 22.9

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 Meridian

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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 $72 (0.9%) $123 (1.6%) $267 (3.4%) $6,330 (80.4%) $1,353 (17.2%) $7,683 (97.5%) $7,878
2020 $16 (0.2%) $163 (2.5%) $194 (3.0%) $6,315 (96.8%) $30 (0.5%) $6,345 (97.3%) $6,523
2021 $16 (0.2%) $220 (3.3%) $252 (3.7%) $6,474 (96.1%) $30 (0.4%) $6,504 (96.5%) $6,740
2022 $17 (0.2%) $10 (0.1%) $44 (0.6%) $7,374 (97.5%) $164 (2.2%) $7,537 (99.6%) $7,565

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Meridian

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 344th of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 196th of 1245 Elementary schools
 17.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students772791
 2.5%
African American3020
 33.3%
American Indian14
 300%
Asian107
 30%
Hispanic182217
 19.2%
Pacific Islander52
 60%
White512509
 0.6%
Two or More Races3232
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients26.9%22.9%
 4.1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Meridian

Students at Meridian are 64% White, 27% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Meridian ranks 257th of 904 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 791 students attended Meridian.

Students who attend Meridian usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Ridge Junior High
High : Desert Ridge High


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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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