Wildfire Elementary School vs Fireside Elementary School

Wildfire Elementary School and Fireside Elementary School sit just 1.1 miles apart in Phoenix, Arizona, yet their state rankings tell a meaningful story: Fireside Elementary School places #31 of 2002 Arizona schools while Wildfire Elementary School comes in at #42 of 2002 — an 11-spot gap that puts Fireside in the top 1.5% of the state compared to Wildfire's top 2.1%. Their overall ratings are nearly identical, with Fireside at 9.2/10 edging Wildfire at 9.1/10 by just 0.1 points, meaning both schools are performing at an exceptional level relative to the broader Arizona landscape.

The academic and growth score deltas are small but consistent, and they all tilt the same direction. Fireside Elementary School scores 9.9/10 on academics versus Wildfire Elementary School's 9.5/10 — a 0.4-point gap that, at the top of the scale, is harder to close than it looks. On growth, Fireside again leads 8.9/10 to Wildfire's 8.7/10. Students at both schools are advancing well, but Fireside's combination of higher ceiling scores and stronger growth suggests it is pushing high-performing students further rather than plateauing.

Enrollment and staffing differ more sharply. Wildfire Elementary School serves 443 students against Fireside Elementary School's 689 — a 55% larger student body at Fireside. Wildfire's student-teacher ratio of 15.3:1 is tighter than Fireside's 16.0:1, meaning Wildfire teachers carry roughly one fewer student per class on average. For families who prioritize access to individual teacher attention, Wildfire's smaller scale offers a structural advantage even if Fireside's aggregate outcomes are slightly stronger.

Both schools cover the same grade band, PK through 6, so families with children across early elementary years can make a full K–6 commitment at either campus without a mid-run school change. No differentiated magnet programs, language immersion tracks, or special admissions criteria appear in the available data for either school, making the choice between them primarily a question of size, proximity, and the narrow but consistent academic edge Fireside holds.