Poston Junior High School

Summary:

Poston Junior High School is a public middle school in Mesa, Arizona, serving 869 students in grades 7-9. The school is part of the Mesa Unified District, which has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Poston Junior High School faces significant academic challenges, consistently underperforming compared to district and state averages in English Language Arts and Mathematics proficiency. For example, in 2023-2024, only 31% of 7th graders and 22% of 8th graders were proficient in ELA, compared to the district's 36% and 29%, and the state's 41% and 35%, respectively. The school also struggles with the academic performance of several student subgroups, particularly Hispanic, African American, and low socioeconomic status students, who consistently rank in the bottom quartile of Arizona middle schools. Additionally, Poston Junior High School has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 1.2% to 3.6% over the past few years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools, such as Fremont Junior High, Franklin Junior High, and Stapley Junior High, generally outperform Poston Junior High School in academic proficiency, subgroup performance, and overall school rankings, suggesting that the challenges faced by Poston Junior High may be unique to the school or the specific student population it serves. The school's high percentage of students (58.91%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, a proxy for low socioeconomic status, may also contribute to its academic challenges and require targeted interventions and support.


Detail:

Public 7-9

 2433 E Adobe St
       Mesa, AZ  85213-6803


(480) 472-2100

District: Mesa Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
426th of 550 Arizona Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,415 Help


Students who attend Poston Junior High School usually attend:

High:    Mountain View High School

Feeder schools for Poston Junior High School:

Elementary:    Entz Elementary School
    Field Elementary School
    Hale Elementary School
    Highland Arts Elementary
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  17.9 Help
Number of students:  881

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
52.4%
White:
34.8%
African American:
4.9%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  58.9% Help


 See top rated Arizona middle schools

 Compare Poston Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Poston Junior High School ranks worse than 77.5% of middle schools in Arizona. It also ranks 6th among 10 ranked middle schools in the Mesa Unified District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.88. (See more...)
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (52.4%), White (34.8%), African American (4.9%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 58.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Poston Junior High School is 17.9. 6 middle schools in the Mesa Unified District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Poston Junior High School employs 49 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Poston Junior High School is $7,415, which is the 4th highest among 10 middle schools in the Mesa Unified District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Poston Junior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Poston Junior High School 426th of 550 Arizona public middle schools. (See Poston 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:


Mesa Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Mesa Unified District 187th of 297 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Poston Junior High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 87.25 57th 663 91.4%
2010 83.14 99th 692 85.7%
2011 84.82 81st 685 88.2%
2012 79.42 119th 772 84.6%
2013 65.99 237th 787 69.9%
2014 62.20 251st 690 63.6%
2015 42.28 266th 521 48.9%
2016 42.12 345th 677 49.0%
2017 43.62 323rd 695 53.5%
2018 47.66 317th 711 55.4%
2019 38.50 327th 605 46.0%
2021 47.82 347th 832 58.3%
2022 29.85 383rd 605 36.7%
2023 37.36 465th 854 45.6%
2024 19.88 426th 550 22.5%
See the entire list of Arizona Middle School Rankings!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 44.23 327th 650 49.7%
2023 12.68 368th 384 4.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 50.57 115th 606 81.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.91 93rd 178 47.8%
2021 63.53 94th 789 88.1%
2023 18.38 329th 363 9.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

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

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 36.03 306th 503 39.2%
2022 19.65 315th 369 14.6%
2023 27.15 528th 717 26.4%
2024 11.41 312th 320 2.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Migrant students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 47.99 12th 29 58.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Migrant Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 53.30 56th 257 78.2%
2023 12.49 58th 64 9.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 45.11 298th 624 52.2%
2019 35.65 270th 466 42.1%
2021 43.96 389th 820 52.6%
2022 26.00 360th 494 27.1%
2023 39.46 420th 806 47.9%
2024 16.71 320th 386 17.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 43.37 74th 166 55.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Male students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 43.22 293rd 617 52.5%
2019 29.13 286th 435 34.3%
2021 51.10 314th 818 61.6%
2022 24.62 351st 476 26.3%
2023 32.84 504th 810 37.8%
2024 10.92 337th 370 8.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.10 75th 125 40.0%
2021 48.20 218th 573 62.0%
2023 15.02 372nd 400 7.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 27.87 399th 543 26.5%
2019 20.88 322nd 387 16.8%
2021 37.83 448th 802 44.1%
2022 18.81 336th 392 14.3%
2023 21.83 618th 760 18.7%
2024 12.46 306th 329 7.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 52.99 24th 62 61.3%
2021 43.00 175th 390 55.1%
2023 36.66 94th 159 40.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 60.11 13th 108 88.0%
2023 23.07 12th 19 36.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Poston Junior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 59.07 173rd 436 60.3%
2019 58.50 137th 337 59.3%
2021 60.64 252nd 780 67.7%
2022 41.14 288th 446 35.4%
2023 53.41 286th 675 57.6%
2024 20.84 232nd 288 19.4%
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.

Poston 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 Poston Junior High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 1432 11 18 73 50 n/a n/a -237 1347
1989 1305 8 15 60 39 n/a n/a 10 1437
1990 1360 9 10 75 44 n/a n/a 18 1516
1991 1442 8 12 72 42 n/a n/a 7 1583
1992 1515 11 12 74 43 n/a n/a 0 1655
1993 1582 13 14 74 46 n/a n/a 0 1729
1994 1621 23 15 79 50 n/a n/a 0 1788
1995 1238 21 8 64 26 n/a n/a 0 1357
1996 1238 21 8 64 26 n/a n/a 0 1357
1997 1266 15 11 88 44 n/a n/a 0 1424
1998 1238 24 22 97 28 n/a n/a 0 1409
1999 1225 31 25 125 27 n/a n/a 0 1433
2000 1210 28 19 133 23 n/a n/a 0 1413
2001 1233 33 18 134 37 n/a n/a 0 1455
2002 1191 36 14 170 32 n/a n/a 0 1443
2003 1191 36 14 170 32 n/a n/a 0 1443
2004 1128 41 24 189 33 n/a n/a 0 1415
2005 1124 37 28 214 33 n/a n/a 0 1436
2006 1099 39 25 223 33 n/a n/a 0 1419
2007 1077 32 26 249 38 n/a n/a 0 1422
2008 1069 49 22 274 30 n/a n/a 0 1444
2009 1060 56 24 295 34 n/a n/a 0 1469
2010 1026 58 30 285 27 n/a n/a 0 1426
2011 943 60 30 300 28 0 0 0 1361
2012 568 38 23 194 27 0 3 0 853
2013 552 43 22 350 38 0 6 0 1011
2014 490 37 22 424 35 1 4 0 1013
2015 440 49 20 452 28 0 8 0 997
2016 439 51 10 473 29 6 9 0 1017
2017 390 49 12 484 31 8 17 0 991
2018 351 44 7 499 37 8 15 0 961
2019 353 53 5 530 33 6 18 0 998
2020 367 43 3 531 34 5 28 0 1011
2021 343 45 3 545 25 7 22 0 990
2022 344 52 1 504 30 7 36 0 974
2023 307 43 5 462 25 9 30 0 881

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 Poston Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1347 62.3 21.6 n/a
1989 1437 63.7 22.5 n/a
1990 1516 67.8 22.3 n/a
1991 1583 72.6 21.8 n/a
1992 1655 74.7 22.1 n/a
1993 1729 79.6 21.7 n/a
1994 1788 81.2 22.0 n/a
1995 1357 63.5 21.4 n/a
1996 1357 63.5 21.4 n/a
1997 1424 66.7 21.3 n/a
1998 1409 68.5 20.6 n/a
1999 1433 65.3 21.9 n/a
2000 1413 67.4 21.0 n/a
2001 1455 67.6 21.5 n/a
2002 1443 67.7 21.3 23.6
2003 1443 67.7 21.3 23.6
2004 1415 67.0 21.1 28.9
2005 1436 67.2 21.4 32
2006 1419 69.4 20.4 32.3
2007 1422 68.5 20.8 26.9
2008 1444 70.1 20.6 30.3
2009 1469 70.5 20.8 28.9
2010 1426 70.2 20.2 39.6
2011 1361 68.6 19.8 40
2012 853 41.6 20.5 43.7
2013 1011 55.1 18.3 54.8
2014 1013 55.0 18.4 59.1
2015 997 55.0 18.1 55.7
2016 1017 54.0 18.8 65.1
2017 991 54.8 18.0 67.6
2018 961 50.6 18.9 66.9
2019 998 49.5 20.1 64.8
2020 1011 51.4 19.6 60.9
2021 990 51.3 19.2 n/a
2022 974 48.6 20.0 27.1
2023 881 49.0 17.9 58.9

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 Poston Junior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1347 62.3 21.6 n/a
1989 1437 63.7 22.5 n/a
1990 1516 67.8 22.3 n/a
1991 1583 72.6 21.8 n/a
1992 1655 74.7 22.1 n/a
1993 1729 79.6 21.7 n/a
1994 1788 81.2 22.0 n/a
1995 1357 63.5 21.4 n/a
1996 1357 63.5 21.4 n/a
1997 1424 66.7 21.3 n/a
1998 1409 68.5 20.6 n/a
1999 1433 65.3 21.9 n/a
2000 1413 67.4 21.0 n/a
2001 1455 67.6 21.5 n/a
2002 1443 67.7 21.3 23.6
2003 1443 67.7 21.3 23.6
2004 1415 67.0 21.1 28.9
2005 1436 67.2 21.4 32
2006 1419 69.4 20.4 32.3
2007 1422 68.5 20.8 26.9
2008 1444 70.1 20.6 30.3
2009 1469 70.5 20.8 28.9
2010 1426 70.2 20.2 39.6
2011 1361 68.6 19.8 40
2012 853 41.6 20.5 43.7
2013 1011 55.1 18.3 54.8
2014 1013 55.0 18.4 59.1
2015 997 55.0 18.1 55.7
2016 1017 54.0 18.8 65.1
2017 991 54.8 18.0 67.6
2018 961 50.6 18.9 66.9
2019 998 49.5 20.1 64.8
2020 1011 51.4 19.6 60.9
2021 990 51.3 19.2 n/a
2022 974 48.6 20.0 27.1
2023 881 49.0 17.9 58.9

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 Poston 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 $262 (2.8%) $34 (0.4%) $558 (5.9%) $6,562 (69.6%) $2,575 (27.3%) $9,137 (96.9%) $9,433
2020 $531 (9.0%) $476 (8.0%) $1,537 (25.9%) $5,275 (89.0%) n/a $4,918 (83.0%) $5,925
2021 $1,242 (17.8%) $104 (1.5%) $2,588 (37.1%) $4,888 (70.0%) $743 (10.6%) $5,631 (80.7%) $6,978
2022 $370 (5.0%) $57 (0.8%) $798 (10.8%) $6,292 (84.9%) $695 (9.4%) $6,987 (94.2%) $7,415

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Poston 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 327th of 605 Middle schoolsRanks 465th of 854 Middle schools
 0.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students998881
 11.7%
African American5343
 18.9%
American Indian3325
 24.2%
Asian55
Hispanic530462
 12.8%
Pacific Islander69
 50%
White353307
 13%
Two or More Races1830
 66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients64.8%58.9%
 5.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Poston Junior High School

Students at Poston Junior High School are 52% Hispanic, 35% White, 5% African American, 3% Two or more races, 3% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

Poston Junior High School ranks in the bottom 22.5% of Arizona middle schools.

Students who attend Poston Junior High School usually go on to attend Mountain View High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 881 students attended Poston 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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