Desert Shadows Middle School

Summary:

Desert Shadows Middle School is a public middle school located in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 780 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Paradise Valley Unified District, which is ranked 108 out of 288 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Desert Shadows Middle School consistently performs above the state and district averages in standardized test scores for English Language Arts and Mathematics. In the 2023-2024 school year, 62% of 7th graders and 56% of 8th graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 50% and 41% for the district and state, respectively. In Mathematics, 56% of 7th graders and 45% of 8th graders were proficient or better, compared to 42% and 30% for the district and state. The school has maintained a strong statewide ranking, placing in the top 20% of Arizona middle schools for the past several years, and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger in the 2023-2024 school year.

When compared to other nearby middle schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District, Sunrise Middle School, which is located just 1.4 miles away, has similar demographic characteristics but lower test scores and a lower statewide ranking. Additionally, Echo Mountain Intermediate and Vista Verde Middle School have significantly higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting that Desert Shadows serves a more affluent student population compared to its neighbors.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 5858 E Sweetwater Ave
       Scottsdale, AZ  85254-4376


(602) 449-6800

District: Paradise Valley Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
95th of 533 Arizona Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $6,111 Help


Students who attend Desert Shadows Middle School usually attend:

High:    Horizon High School

Feeder schools for Desert Shadows Middle School:

Elementary:    Desert Shadows Elementary School
    Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School
    North Ranch Elementary School
    Sonoran Sky Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  20.4 Help
Number of students:  780

Racial breakdown:

White:
70.9%
Hispanic:
17.1%
Two or more races:
4.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  6.9% Help


 See top rated Arizona middle schools

 Compare Desert Shadows Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Desert Shadows Middle School ranks better than 82.2% of middle schools in Arizona. It also ranks 2nd among 7 ranked middle schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 77.43. (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 Desert Shadows Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Paradise Valley Unified District. Racial makeup is: White (70.9%), Hispanic (17.1%), two or more races (4.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 6.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Shadows Middle School is 20.4, which is the highest among 9 middle schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District! (See more...)
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Compare Desert Shadows Middle School employs 38.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Shadows Middle School is $6,111. 7 middle schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Desert Shadows Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Shadows Middle School 95th of 533 Arizona public middle schools. (See Desert Shadows 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:


Paradise Valley Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Paradise Valley Unified District 108th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Desert Shadows Middle School?

Rank History for Desert Shadows Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 91.18 24th 663 96.4%
2010 89.08 44th 692 93.6%
2011 88.63 50th 685 92.7%
2012 84.81 69th 772 91.1%
2013 82.02 101st 787 87.2%
2014 88.41 64th 690 90.7%
2015 77.74 102nd 521 80.4%
2016 80.21 109th 677 83.9%
2017 83.30 92nd 695 86.8%
2018 86.91 74th 711 89.6%
2019 83.23 84th 605 86.1%
2021 80.49 135th 832 83.8%
2022 77.63 102nd 605 83.1%
2023 84.44 95th 854 88.9%
2024 77.43 95th 533 82.2%
See the entire list of Arizona Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 87.99 4th 43 90.7%
2019 51.87 7th 14 50.0%
2021 69.50 121st 650 81.4%
2022 75.84 30th 211 85.8%
2023 89.01 12th 384 96.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 70.76 8th 606 98.7%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 89.06 8th 178 95.5%
2021 85.15 18th 789 97.7%
2023 44.33 149th 363 59.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 83.17 54th 503 89.3%
2022 43.22 191st 369 48.2%
2023 69.45 141st 717 80.3%
2024 57.89 97th 314 69.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 85.24 67th 624 89.3%
2019 79.83 71st 466 84.8%
2021 78.47 135th 820 83.5%
2022 74.87 79th 494 84.0%
2023 86.63 73rd 806 90.9%
2024 69.02 94th 379 75.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 84.22 81st 617 86.9%
2019 78.01 79th 435 81.8%
2021 80.08 122nd 818 85.1%
2022 73.35 85th 476 82.1%
2023 79.68 119th 810 85.3%
2024 71.89 78th 356 78.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.06 28th 42 33.3%
2021 70.14 81st 404 80.0%
2022 91.56 10th 192 94.8%
2023 61.42 78th 247 68.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 52.35 182nd 573 68.2%
2022 26.11 117th 129 9.3%
2023 50.19 162nd 400 59.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 87.04 42nd 543 92.3%
2019 81.67 59th 387 84.8%
2021 86.58 48th 802 94.0%
2022 73.91 79th 392 79.8%
2023 73.72 133rd 760 82.5%
2024 72.13 58th 322 82.0%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 67.79 36th 390 90.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Shadows Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 72.39 99th 436 77.3%
2019 66.95 96th 337 71.5%
2021 66.94 208th 780 73.3%
2022 57.84 172nd 446 61.4%
2023 71.65 132nd 675 80.4%
2024 56.90 108th 273 60.4%
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.

Desert Shadows 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: 1)
0%

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100%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Open Quote GRAVE safety & security issues. Not only bullying and threats of violence from other students, but parents of the students. Use the new AZ ESAs to go to private schools, where everything from safety to learnings is better. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Desert Shadows Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 880 10 7 20 2 n/a n/a -58 861
1989 866 13 12 12 4 n/a n/a -8 899
1990 896 13 11 10 3 n/a n/a -2 931
1991 928 18 11 17 4 n/a n/a -39 939
1992 889 21 16 21 7 n/a n/a 0 954
1993 847 8 26 20 2 n/a n/a 0 903
1994 851 13 28 16 2 n/a n/a 0 910
1995 959 15 20 20 7 n/a n/a 0 1021
1996 959 15 20 20 7 n/a n/a 0 1021
1997 893 12 18 27 4 n/a n/a 0 954
1998 763 9 23 22 2 n/a n/a 0 819
1999 739 18 23 31 2 n/a n/a 0 813
2000 771 17 23 35 4 n/a n/a 0 850
2001 729 14 23 30 4 n/a n/a 0 800
2002 716 16 20 26 4 n/a n/a 0 782
2003 716 16 20 26 4 n/a n/a 0 782
2004 754 18 18 36 6 n/a n/a 0 832
2005 714 10 19 45 2 n/a n/a 0 790
2006 693 10 14 42 2 n/a n/a 0 761
2007 675 12 19 50 2 n/a n/a 0 758
2008 660 12 22 48 3 n/a n/a 0 745
2009 597 19 27 61 5 n/a n/a 0 709
2010 562 24 27 61 2 n/a n/a 0 676
2011 516 10 24 95 1 0 54 0 700
2012 530 13 30 82 3 1 42 0 701
2013 543 10 26 74 5 0 22 0 680
2014 651 15 28 82 6 1 25 0 808
2015 723 15 31 99 7 2 29 0 906
2016 720 17 30 118 4 0 38 0 927
2017 746 16 32 108 5 1 37 0 945
2018 738 14 29 110 7 1 38 0 937
2019 663 13 27 136 4 3 49 0 895
2020 663 14 31 144 4 4 52 0 912
2021 647 16 28 122 9 1 51 0 874
2022 649 23 28 124 9 1 43 0 877
2023 553 21 32 133 3 1 37 0 780

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 Shadows Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 861 40.8 21.1 n/a
1989 899 41.4 21.7 n/a
1990 931 43.1 21.6 n/a
1991 939 43.3 21.6 n/a
1992 954 44.3 21.5 n/a
1993 903 41.9 21.6 n/a
1994 910 43.3 21.0 n/a
1995 1021 46.9 21.8 n/a
1996 1021 46.9 21.8 n/a
1997 954 45.6 20.9 n/a
1998 819 40.5 20.2 n/a
1999 813 39.5 20.6 n/a
2000 850 39.1 21.7 n/a
2001 800 37.8 21.2 n/a
2002 782 36.5 21.4 13.7
2003 782 36.5 21.4 13.7
2004 832 38.7 21.5 7.6
2005 790 32.8 24.1 9
2006 761 37.8 20.1 7.5
2007 758 42.2 18.0 6.5
2008 745 38.3 19.5 7.7
2009 709 37.9 18.7 8.9
2010 676 31.3 21.5 9.9
2011 700 29.9 23.3 12.3
2012 701 29.9 23.4 13.8
2013 680 30.2 22.4 20.1
2014 808 33.5 24.1 2.8
2015 906 34.0 26.6 9.4
2016 927 37.0 25.0 7.9
2017 945 37.5 25.1 8.7
2018 937 38.0 24.6 7.9
2019 895 37.3 23.9 9.8
2020 912 38.5 23.6 7.9
2021 874 40.3 21.6 n/a
2022 877 40.7 21.5 4.9
2023 780 38.1 20.4 6.9

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 Desert Shadows Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 861 40.8 21.1 n/a
1989 899 41.4 21.7 n/a
1990 931 43.1 21.6 n/a
1991 939 43.3 21.6 n/a
1992 954 44.3 21.5 n/a
1993 903 41.9 21.6 n/a
1994 910 43.3 21.0 n/a
1995 1021 46.9 21.8 n/a
1996 1021 46.9 21.8 n/a
1997 954 45.6 20.9 n/a
1998 819 40.5 20.2 n/a
1999 813 39.5 20.6 n/a
2000 850 39.1 21.7 n/a
2001 800 37.8 21.2 n/a
2002 782 36.5 21.4 13.7
2003 782 36.5 21.4 13.7
2004 832 38.7 21.5 7.6
2005 790 32.8 24.1 9
2006 761 37.8 20.1 7.5
2007 758 42.2 18.0 6.5
2008 745 38.3 19.5 7.7
2009 709 37.9 18.7 8.9
2010 676 31.3 21.5 9.9
2011 700 29.9 23.3 12.3
2012 701 29.9 23.4 13.8
2013 680 30.2 22.4 20.1
2014 808 33.5 24.1 2.8
2015 906 34.0 26.6 9.4
2016 927 37.0 25.0 7.9
2017 945 37.5 25.1 8.7
2018 937 38.0 24.6 7.9
2019 895 37.3 23.9 9.8
2020 912 38.5 23.6 7.9
2021 874 40.3 21.6 n/a
2022 877 40.7 21.5 4.9
2023 780 38.1 20.4 6.9

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 Desert Shadows 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 $112 (1.5%) $51 (0.7%) $275 (3.7%) $5,400 (72.6%) $1,877 (25.2%) $7,276 (97.8%) $7,439
2020 $00 (0.0%) n/a n/a $4,633 (90.2%) $503 (9.8%) $5,136 (100.0%) $5,136
2021 $975 (15.4%) $18 (0.3%) $1,968 (31.2%) $3,995 (63.2%) $1,330 (21.1%) $5,324 (84.3%) $6,317
2022 $194 (3.2%) $100 (1.6%) $487 (8.0%) $5,382 (88.1%) $436 (7.1%) $5,818 (95.2%) $6,111

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Shadows 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 84th of 605 Middle schoolsRanks 95th of 854 Middle schools
 2.8%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students895780
 12.8%
African American1321
 61.5%
American Indian43
 25%
Asian2732
 18.5%
Hispanic136133
 2.2%
Pacific Islander31
 66.7%
White663553
 16.6%
Two or More Races4937
 24.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients9.8%6.9%
 2.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Shadows Middle School

Desert Shadows Middle School ranks 95th of 533 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Desert Shadows Middle School usually go on to attend Horizon High School

Students at Desert Shadows Middle School are 71% White, 17% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 3% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 780 students attended Desert Shadows 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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