Desert Shadows Elementary School

Desert Shadows Elementary School serves 479 students in grades PK through 6 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school earns a composite score of 9.1 out of 10 — rated Exceptional by MySchoolScout — with a 9.4 academic score and a 9.1 growth score driving that result. Together, those marks reflect where students perform and how fast they are improving.

The rankings sharpen the picture. Desert Shadows sits #1 out of 41 public schools in Scottsdale and #22 out of 2,000 public schools across Arizona, outperforming 99% of schools statewide. Among Arizona elementary schools specifically, it places 21st out of 1,216.

For parents comparing across districts, these numbers signal that Desert Shadows does not just lead locally — it competes at the very top of every public elementary school in the state. A student-teacher ratio of 14.1 to 1 keeps class sizes manageable across 479 students. Desert Shadows is a regular public school, meaning its Exceptional rating is achieved through an open-enrollment model.

The school's growth score of 9.1 — nearly matching its already-high academic score — indicates that students are making above-average year-over-year progress, not simply arriving with prior advantages.