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D

Balsz Elementary District

Public school districtGrades PK–8

Serves Phoenix.

Phoenix’s School Grade B+ better than 73% of Arizona school districts

Students
1,936
Schools
6
Spent per student
$18,176
AZ $12,318
Students per teacher
16:1
Debt
$31.6M
fiscal 2024
The gist

What stands out about Balsz Elementary District

  • Its letter, D: results better than 11% of Arizona districts
  • Math proficiency 26 pts below the state
  • Reading proficiency 23 pts below the state
  • Spends 48% more per student than the AZ average
  • 16 students per teacher
  • Enrollment down 11.9% since 2020–21
  • Debt of $31.6M, about $16,325 per student
The School Grade

What this district adds to its towns’ grade

D: better than 11% of the 577 Arizona school districts we grade. Each town’s School Grade weighs its districts by the students they test; spending and class size are shown but don’t count.

Test scoresReading and math well below the state, 2021–22
D
The town it serves, and its School Grade
B+Phoenix 1,642,323

How TownRatings grades schools →

Where would my kid go?

The school path for Phoenix. Grade by grade →

PK–618 schoolsDeer Valley Unified District
7–811 middle schoolsDeer Valley Unified District
9–1218 high schoolsPhoenix Union High School District

Test scores vs. AZ

2021–22
Math proficiency9%
State average 34.8% · 1,543 students tested
Reading / language arts17%
State average 40.4% · 1,537 students tested

100% of students in the tested grades sat the 2022 tests.

Graduation rate 75% at Phoenix Union High School District, which runs the high school (state 77.8%) · class of 2023.

Reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute); the newest year for each measure.

Where the money goes

fiscal 2024
$18,176 per student · 48% above AZ
Spending
Classroom instruction 38%Support & administration 57%Other 6%
Paid for by
Local (mostly property tax) 31%State 41%Federal 28%

Fiscal 2022–24 includes federal pandemic relief (ESSER).

U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances.

Enrollment over time
2,198’20
2,278’21
2,176’22
2,092’23
1,936’24

Down 11.9% since 2020–21.

Students
Hispanic 64%Black 21%American Indian/Alaska Native 7%White 4%Two or more races 3%Asian <1%Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander <1%

Schools in the district

6 public schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Arizona’s other public schools.

Pat Tillman Middle School
Elementary · Grades PK–8 · Phoenix
D
598 students17:1
David Crockett Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Phoenix
C+
466 students17:1
Griffith Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Phoenix
D
422 students15:1
Brunson-Lee Elementary School
Elementary · Grades PK–6 · Phoenix
C−
412 students16:1
Orangedale Early Learning Center
Prekindergarten · Grades PK · Phoenix
32 students16:1
Balsz Online Academy (B.O.A.)
Elementary · Grades K–8 · Phoenix
6 students

Nearby districts

Compare spending and schools next door.

Deer Valley Unified DistrictCave Creek, Glendale, Peoria
$11,444per student
Cave Creek Unified DistrictCave Creek, Scottsdale
$10,334per student
Glendale Union High School DistrictGlendale, Peoria
$11,218per student
Kyrene Elementary DistrictGuadalupe, Tempe
$10,909per student

District facts: U.S. Department of Education (NCES school directory 2024–25 and district boundaries) and the U.S. Census Bureau’s school finance survey. Test scores and graduation: state results reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express and the Urban Institute). The letters are our own summary, graded within Arizona.