Cholla Middle School

Summary:

Cholla Middle School is a public middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 686 students in grades 5-8 and part of the Washington Elementary School District.

Cholla Middle School faces several challenges, including consistently underperforming on standardized tests compared to state and district averages across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 24% of 7th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 41% and the district average of 31%. Similarly, in 8th-grade math, Cholla's proficiency rate was 36%, while the state and district averages were 28% and 22%, respectively. The school has also seen a steady increase in its dropout rate, from 0.4% in 2016-2017 to 2.4% in 2021-2022, which is higher than nearby schools like Desert Sky Middle School and Madison Meadows School.

Despite the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students (86.88%) at Cholla Middle School, the school's per-student spending has fluctuated over the years, ranging from $6,696 to $9,101, which is comparable to the nearby schools. The school's performance also varies significantly among different student subgroups, with Asian and Native American students performing relatively better than their peers, while African American, Hispanic, and students with special needs tend to struggle more academically.


Detail:

Public 5-8

 3120 W Cholla St
       Phoenix, AZ  85029-4113


(602) 896-5400

District: Washington Elementary School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
319th of 533 Arizona Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $7,511 Help


Feeder schools for Cholla Middle School:

Elementary:    Cactus Wren Elementary School
    Lakeview Elementary School
    Sahuaro School
    Sunset School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  16.9 Help
Number of students:  686

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
54.4%
White:
26.7%
African American:
7.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  86.9% Help


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 Compare Cholla Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
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Compare Details Cholla Middle School ranks worse than 59.8% of middle schools in Arizona. It also ranks first among 5 ranked middle schools in the Washington Elementary School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 31.14. (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 (54.4%), White (26.7%), African American (7.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 86.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Cholla Middle School is 16.9. 2 middle schools in the Washington Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Cholla Middle School employs 40.5 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Cholla Middle School is $7,511. 2 middle schools in the Washington Elementary School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Cholla Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Cholla Middle School 319th of 533 Arizona public middle schools. (See Cholla 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:


Washington Elementary School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Washington Elementary School District 225th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Cholla Middle School.

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Rank History for Cholla Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 51.49 314th 663 52.6%
2010 54.03 300th 692 56.6%
2011 35.45 452nd 685 34.0%
2012 28.62 608th 772 21.2%
2013 29.05 619th 787 21.3%
2014 32.18 479th 690 30.6%
2015 31.57 326th 521 37.4%
2016 34.97 407th 677 39.9%
2017 33.16 428th 695 38.4%
2018 33.87 437th 711 38.5%
2019 31.49 380th 605 37.2%
2021 26.08 602nd 832 27.6%
2022 25.80 416th 605 31.2%
2023 36.34 477th 854 44.1%
2024 31.14 319th 533 40.2%
See the entire list of Arizona Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 9.47 42nd 43 2.3%
2021 41.48 360th 650 44.6%
2023 24.76 322nd 384 16.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 42.31 196th 606 67.7%
2023 22.45 120th 145 17.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.63 146th 178 18.0%
2021 33.33 555th 789 29.7%
2023 28.58 257th 363 29.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 48.86 214th 503 57.5%
2022 24.74 275th 369 25.5%
2023 32.22 467th 717 34.9%
2024 34.65 181st 314 42.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Homeless students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 27.63 43rd 64 32.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Homeless Students!

Rank History for Female students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 35.83 372nd 624 40.4%
2019 23.82 342nd 466 26.6%
2021 33.49 495th 820 39.6%
2022 20.07 405th 494 18.0%
2023 36.95 449th 806 44.3%
2024 24.98 260th 379 31.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 33.58 374th 617 39.4%
2019 26.71 301st 435 30.8%
2021 29.45 550th 818 32.8%
2022 24.54 352nd 476 26.1%
2023 42.00 394th 810 51.4%
2024 21.80 270th 356 24.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 50.30 204th 404 49.5%
2022 48.37 102nd 192 46.9%
2023 49.06 113th 247 54.3%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.51 69th 125 44.8%
2021 36.79 335th 573 41.5%
2023 15.63 366th 400 8.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 37.18 318th 543 41.4%
2019 30.30 255th 387 34.1%
2021 34.93 495th 802 38.3%
2022 23.95 303rd 392 22.7%
2023 42.23 381st 760 49.9%
2024 29.44 196th 322 39.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.61 2nd 62 96.8%
2021 52.31 90th 390 76.9%
2023 30.73 104th 159 34.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Middle Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Cholla Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.00 342nd 436 21.6%
2019 17.49 287th 337 14.8%
2021 31.65 566th 780 27.4%
2022 22.81 369th 446 17.3%
2023 35.79 422nd 675 37.5%
2024 22.51 216th 273 20.9%
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.

Cholla 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: 4)
50%

0%

50%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Thursday, May 3, 2018

Open Quote My child has improved so much at Cholla. Her teachers motivate her to work hard. The teachers at Cholla are amazing. Thank you to all of you teacher! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Cholla 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 699 10 7 50 4 n/a n/a 103 873
1989 832 15 11 42 4 n/a n/a -65 839
1990 801 12 12 46 4 n/a n/a -77 798
1991 746 11 15 54 2 n/a n/a 11 839
1992 769 17 17 73 4 n/a n/a 0 880
1993 772 24 19 75 5 n/a n/a 0 895
1994 795 40 16 75 1 n/a n/a 0 927
1995 828 35 25 118 12 n/a n/a 0 1018
1996 828 35 25 118 12 n/a n/a 0 1018
1997 680 31 17 109 6 n/a n/a 0 843
1998 647 28 20 95 7 n/a n/a 0 797
1999 680 30 21 119 11 n/a n/a 0 861
2000 627 42 17 125 12 n/a n/a 0 823
2001 604 38 14 134 15 n/a n/a 0 805
2002 533 64 11 193 15 n/a n/a 0 816
2003 533 64 11 193 15 n/a n/a 0 816
2004 547 67 17 218 21 n/a n/a 0 870
2005 498 60 22 237 21 n/a n/a 0 838
2006 460 72 28 280 25 n/a n/a 0 865
2007 403 56 30 332 30 n/a n/a 0 851
2008 407 64 40 367 34 n/a n/a 0 912
2009 427 51 44 370 31 n/a n/a 0 923
2010 388 51 42 348 40 n/a n/a 0 869
2011 327 58 23 326 34 0 2 0 770
2012 299 60 20 333 16 1 10 0 739
2013 295 75 29 334 28 2 15 0 778
2014 269 66 17 286 29 1 16 0 684
2015 232 61 23 312 15 0 15 0 658
2016 211 63 30 345 15 0 17 0 681
2017 208 83 27 363 22 3 20 0 726
2018 213 82 18 357 26 4 28 0 728
2019 211 77 20 325 21 3 32 0 689
2020 217 67 17 323 23 5 47 0 699
2021 174 59 14 361 21 5 40 0 674
2022 162 55 17 399 18 2 46 0 699
2023 183 53 20 373 19 3 35 0 686

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 Cholla Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 873 47.8 18.2 n/a
1989 839 44.5 18.8 n/a
1990 798 45.6 17.5 n/a
1991 839 43.1 19.4 n/a
1992 880 45.0 19.5 n/a
1993 895 46.0 19.5 n/a
1994 927 48.0 19.3 n/a
1995 1018 49.5 20.6 n/a
1996 1018 49.5 20.6 n/a
1997 843 50.6 16.7 n/a
1998 797 45.0 17.7 n/a
1999 861 44.5 19.3 n/a
2000 823 47.5 17.3 n/a
2001 805 46.0 17.5 n/a
2002 816 54.6 14.9 42.5
2003 816 54.6 14.9 42.5
2004 870 51.6 16.9 54.7
2005 838 45.5 18.4 55.8
2006 865 46.5 18.6 56.2
2007 851 45.4 18.7 50.5
2008 912 49.0 18.6 53.3
2009 923 52.3 17.6 58.2
2010 869 45.9 18.9 49.1
2011 770 49.9 15.4 66.1
2012 739 47.6 15.5 68.9
2013 778 44.5 17.4 73.7
2014 684 42.6 16.0 77.9
2015 658 39.0 16.8 0
2016 681 42.0 16.2 100
2017 726 40.1 18.0 100
2018 728 50.4 14.4 77.9
2019 689 44.6 15.4 77.9
2020 699 42.8 16.3 86.8
2021 674 43.4 15.5 n/a
2022 699 44.5 15.7 86.8
2023 686 40.5 16.9 86.9

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 Cholla Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 873 47.8 18.2 n/a
1989 839 44.5 18.8 n/a
1990 798 45.6 17.5 n/a
1991 839 43.1 19.4 n/a
1992 880 45.0 19.5 n/a
1993 895 46.0 19.5 n/a
1994 927 48.0 19.3 n/a
1995 1018 49.5 20.6 n/a
1996 1018 49.5 20.6 n/a
1997 843 50.6 16.7 n/a
1998 797 45.0 17.7 n/a
1999 861 44.5 19.3 n/a
2000 823 47.5 17.3 n/a
2001 805 46.0 17.5 n/a
2002 816 54.6 14.9 42.5
2003 816 54.6 14.9 42.5
2004 870 51.6 16.9 54.7
2005 838 45.5 18.4 55.8
2006 865 46.5 18.6 56.2
2007 851 45.4 18.7 50.5
2008 912 49.0 18.6 53.3
2009 923 52.3 17.6 58.2
2010 869 45.9 18.9 49.1
2011 770 49.9 15.4 66.1
2012 739 47.6 15.5 68.9
2013 778 44.5 17.4 73.7
2014 684 42.6 16.0 77.9
2015 658 39.0 16.8 0
2016 681 42.0 16.2 100
2017 726 40.1 18.0 100
2018 728 50.4 14.4 77.9
2019 689 44.6 15.4 77.9
2020 699 42.8 16.3 86.8
2021 674 43.4 15.5 n/a
2022 699 44.5 15.7 86.8
2023 686 40.5 16.9 86.9

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 Cholla 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 $756 (8.3%) $124 (1.4%) $1,637 (18.0%) $6,218 (68.3%) $2,002 (22.0%) $8,220 (90.3%) $9,101
2020 $604 (9.0%) $826 (12.3%) $2,034 (30.4%) $5,220 (78.0%) $46 (0.7%) $5,266 (78.6%) $6,696
2022 $638 (8.5%) $159 (2.1%) $1,434 (19.1%) $5,468 (72.8%) $1,246 (16.6%) $6,714 (89.4%) $7,511

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Cholla 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 380th of 605 Middle schoolsRanks 477th of 854 Middle schools
 7%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students689686
 0.4%
African American7753
 31.2%
American Indian2119
 9.5%
Asian2020
Hispanic325373
 14.8%
Pacific Islander33
White211183
 13.3%
Two or More Races3235
 9.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients77.9%86.9%
 8.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Cholla Middle School

In the 2022-23 school year, 686 students attended Cholla Middle School.

Cholla Middle School ranks 319th of 533 Arizona middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Cholla Middle School are 54% Hispanic, 27% White, 8% African American, 5% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 3% American Indian.


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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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