Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Summary:

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School is a public elementary school in Scottsdale, Arizona, serving 371 students in grades PK-6 and part of the Paradise Valley Unified District. The school has consistently ranked in the top 25-30% of Arizona elementary schools over the past 8-10 years, with strong academic performance, particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Desert Springs Preparatory's students generally outperform their peers in the district and state on state assessments, with 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th-grade students exceeding proficiency rates in ELA and Mathematics in the 2023-2024 school year. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate is also higher than the district and state averages. While the school's racial diversity is lower compared to some nearby schools, its performance for female students has been particularly strong, ranking in the top 20% of Arizona elementary schools.

When compared to other high-performing schools in the area, such as Copper Canyon Elementary, Sonoran Sky Elementary, and North Ranch Elementary, Desert Springs Preparatory's academic performance is generally on par or slightly lower, particularly in Mathematics and for certain student subgroups. The school's per-student spending has increased in recent years, and its student-teacher ratio remains relatively low, which may contribute to its strong academic outcomes.


Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

 6010 E Acoma Dr
       Scottsdale, AZ  85254-2521


(602) 449-7100

District: Paradise Valley Unified District

SchoolDigger Rank:
330th of 904 Arizona Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $11,908 Help


Students who attend Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Desert Shadows Middle School
High:    Horizon High School

Student/teacher ratio:  11.9 Help
Number of students:  371

Racial breakdown:

White:
67.1%
Hispanic:
21.0%
Asian:
6.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  11.9% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School ranks better than 63.5% of elementary schools in Arizona. It also ranks 16th among 25 ranked elementary schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 60.29. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (67.1%), Hispanic (21%), Asian (6.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 11.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School is 11.9, which is the 6th best among 25 elementary schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District. (See more...)
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Compare Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School employs 31 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School is $11,908, which is the 4th highest among 25 elementary schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School 330th of 904 Arizona public elementary schools. (See Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Female students:
Male 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 Springs Preparatory Elementary School?

Rank History for Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 90.20 45th 1062 95.8%
2010 89.53 65th 1090 94.0%
2011 83.06 160th 1075 85.1%
2012 78.89 215th 1141 81.2%
2013 83.44 132nd 1158 88.6%
2014 78.37 228th 1079 78.9%
2015 66.13 293rd 955 69.3%
2016 79.14 228th 1079 78.9%
2017 74.67 270th 1106 75.6%
2018 78.68 235th 1109 78.8%
2019 73.95 271st 1039 73.9%
2021 81.43 225th 1226 81.6%
2022 74.63 207th 1000 79.3%
2023 78.46 245th 1245 80.3%
2024 60.29 330th 904 63.5%
See the entire list of Arizona Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 54.96 389th 1027 62.1%
2022 60.03 157th 444 64.6%
2023 62.44 160th 617 74.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 75.96 47th 417 88.7%
2021 58.79 301st 1201 74.9%
2022 51.79 84th 145 42.1%
2023 66.01 171st 820 79.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 55.94 273rd 618 55.8%
2023 74.93 181st 1116 83.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 81.13 184th 1023 82.0%
2019 77.39 163rd 862 81.1%
2021 83.59 184th 1219 84.9%
2022 71.24 194th 824 76.5%
2023 79.62 217th 1219 82.2%
2024 76.37 106th 593 82.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 71.87 287th 1032 72.2%
2019 67.79 252nd 850 70.4%
2021 74.73 267th 1220 78.1%
2022 63.01 269th 830 67.6%
2023 72.27 293rd 1216 75.9%
2024 56.41 243rd 609 60.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 51.45 331st 620 46.6%
2022 33.61 194th 270 28.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 45.90 383rd 895 57.2%
2022 54.95 170th 289 41.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 60.37 375th 1198 68.7%
2022 26.34 546th 716 23.7%
2023 56.71 432nd 1170 63.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 64.05 267th 720 62.9%
2019 53.73 277th 595 53.4%
2021 72.95 259th 1161 77.7%
2022 67.59 203rd 800 74.6%
2023 64.71 321st 1024 68.7%
2024 40.68 297th 477 37.7%
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.

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary 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
Thursday, August 9, 2018

Open Quote Love the attention my daughter gets love the teachers and school. Very positive experience. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, November 8, 2012

Open Quote Desert Springs Prep offers extraoridary academic programs such as Core Knowledge and Spaulding. My child loves school and the teachers, staff and prinicpal play a huge part in this schools success. The PTA and parent involvement provides a true sense of community! We love this school and are so proud to be a HAWK! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 945 9 11 18 1 n/a n/a -337 647
1989 665 6 13 6 0 n/a n/a -43 647
1990 642 5 26 8 n/a n/a n/a 64 745
1991 729 7 29 19 0 n/a n/a 26 810
1992 752 14 33 16 2 n/a n/a 0 817
1993 803 11 30 21 3 n/a n/a 0 868
1994 708 13 24 14 0 n/a n/a 0 759
1995 691 11 19 15 0 n/a n/a 0 736
1996 691 11 19 15 0 n/a n/a 0 736
1997 664 10 22 17 0 n/a n/a 0 713
1998 630 6 19 12 0 n/a n/a 0 667
1999 555 4 17 14 0 n/a n/a 0 590
2000 549 5 17 11 0 n/a n/a 0 582
2001 513 9 14 11 0 n/a n/a 0 547
2002 500 9 13 17 0 n/a n/a 0 539
2003 500 9 13 17 0 n/a n/a 0 539
2004 426 6 17 18 0 n/a n/a 0 467
2005 412 5 14 23 1 n/a n/a 0 455
2006 412 3 13 29 3 n/a n/a 0 460
2007 418 7 16 34 1 n/a n/a 0 476
2008 385 6 14 34 0 n/a n/a 0 439
2009 360 7 16 41 4 n/a n/a 0 428
2010 322 8 10 29 0 n/a n/a 0 369
2011 319 7 10 42 0 0 9 0 387
2012 327 10 7 33 1 0 12 0 390
2013 345 7 13 45 1 0 11 0 422
2014 339 4 12 61 2 0 9 0 427
2015 374 4 13 57 1 0 12 0 461
2016 361 8 8 59 2 0 13 0 451
2017 363 8 13 67 2 0 16 0 469
2018 331 11 16 58 2 0 16 0 434
2019 309 8 18 56 1 0 15 0 407
2020 312 6 19 46 3 0 13 0 399
2021 279 9 19 54 0 0 18 0 379
2022 263 4 14 64 1 0 17 0 363
2023 249 3 23 78 1 0 17 0 371

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 Springs Preparatory Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 647 32.5 19.9 n/a
1989 647 33.7 19.1 n/a
1990 745 35.2 21.1 n/a
1991 810 39.2 20.6 n/a
1992 817 39.1 20.8 n/a
1993 868 42.2 20.6 n/a
1994 759 37.8 20.1 n/a
1995 736 36.8 20.0 n/a
1996 736 36.8 20.0 n/a
1997 713 36.0 19.8 n/a
1998 667 36.1 18.5 n/a
1999 590 32.6 18.1 n/a
2000 582 31.3 18.6 n/a
2001 547 28.6 19.1 n/a
2002 539 32.1 16.8 5.8
2003 539 32.1 16.8 5.8
2004 467 28.6 16.3 5.4
2005 455 26.1 17.4 7
2006 460 28.5 16.1 8.5
2007 476 28.0 17.0 6.7
2008 439 31.5 13.9 8.7
2009 428 28.4 15.1 13.3
2010 369 25.0 14.7 12.5
2011 387 28.5 13.5 12.4
2012 390 28.0 13.9 15.1
2013 422 31.5 13.3 n/a
2014 427 29.0 14.7 4.4
2015 461 33.0 13.9 16.9
2016 451 33.0 13.6 11.5
2017 469 34.0 13.7 13
2018 434 33.0 13.1 15.9
2019 407 31.0 13.1 11.8
2020 399 32.0 12.4 8.5
2021 379 35.0 10.8 n/a
2022 363 32.6 11.1 9.9
2023 371 31.0 11.9 11.9

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 Springs Preparatory Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 647 32.5 19.9 n/a
1989 647 33.7 19.1 n/a
1990 745 35.2 21.1 n/a
1991 810 39.2 20.6 n/a
1992 817 39.1 20.8 n/a
1993 868 42.2 20.6 n/a
1994 759 37.8 20.1 n/a
1995 736 36.8 20.0 n/a
1996 736 36.8 20.0 n/a
1997 713 36.0 19.8 n/a
1998 667 36.1 18.5 n/a
1999 590 32.6 18.1 n/a
2000 582 31.3 18.6 n/a
2001 547 28.6 19.1 n/a
2002 539 32.1 16.8 5.8
2003 539 32.1 16.8 5.8
2004 467 28.6 16.3 5.4
2005 455 26.1 17.4 7
2006 460 28.5 16.1 8.5
2007 476 28.0 17.0 6.7
2008 439 31.5 13.9 8.7
2009 428 28.4 15.1 13.3
2010 369 25.0 14.7 12.5
2011 387 28.5 13.5 12.4
2012 390 28.0 13.9 15.1
2013 422 31.5 13.3 n/a
2014 427 29.0 14.7 4.4
2015 461 33.0 13.9 16.9
2016 451 33.0 13.6 11.5
2017 469 34.0 13.7 13
2018 434 33.0 13.1 15.9
2019 407 31.0 13.1 11.8
2020 399 32.0 12.4 8.5
2021 379 35.0 10.8 n/a
2022 363 32.6 11.1 9.9
2023 371 31.0 11.9 11.9

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 Springs Preparatory Elementary 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 $510 (4.4%) $51 (0.4%) $1,071 (9.2%) $9,257 (79.6%) $1,809 (15.6%) $11,066 (95.2%) $11,627
2020 $00 (0.0%) n/a n/a $9,770 (95.4%) $465 (4.5%) $10,236 (100.0%) $10,236
2021 $1,194 (10.8%) $37 (0.3%) $2,424 (21.9%) $9,194 (83.0%) $647 (5.8%) $9,842 (88.9%) $11,072
2022 $412 (3.5%) $311 (2.6%) $1,135 (9.5%) $10,710 (89.9%) $474 (4.0%) $11,185 (93.9%) $11,908

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary 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 271st of 1039 Elementary schoolsRanks 245th of 1245 Elementary schools
 6.4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students407371
 8.8%
African American83
 62.5%
American Indian11
Asian1823
 27.8%
Hispanic5678
 39.3%
Pacific Islander00
White309249
 19.4%
Two or More Races1517
 13.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients11.8%11.9%
 0.1%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School

In the 2022-23 school year, 371 students attended Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School.

Students at Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School are 67% White, 21% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% Two or more races.

Students who attend Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Desert Shadows Middle School
High : Horizon High School

Desert Springs Preparatory Elementary School ranks 330th of 904 Arizona elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.


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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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