Desert Ridge High
Mesa · AZ · Gilbert Unified District (4239) · Public · K-12 combined
Similar nearby schools
Most similar nearby schools
Skyline High School → Williams Field High School → Higley High School → Queen Creek High School → Gilbert High School → Highland High School → Campo Verde High School → Eastmark High School →At a glance
- 28 AP courses offered — Elite
- Dual-enrollment program (college credit while in HS)
- Gifted & talented program
- 46 calculus classes · 12 physics · 26 chemistry
- AP rigor: Top 3.7% of US high schools
- SAT/ACT participation: Top 1.3% by test-taker volume
- 4-yr grad rate: 93% in 2019 (67th percentile nationally)
Composed from federal CRDC offerings, EDFacts graduation data, and other public data. Full breakdowns below.
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How Desert Ridge High compares for families
Among the nation's most academically rigorous high schools.
- ▸ StatewideAP rigor sits in the top 3.7% of US high schools with 28 AP courses.
- ▸ LocallyAZ sits right at the US average on NAEP 8th-grade math — local school quality will set your kid apart.
- ▸ vs Similar SchoolsThe closest comparables nearby: Skyline High School, Williams Field High School, Higley High School and 5 more. See the sidebar to compare side-by-side.
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Academic rigor
AP + advanced-course offerings
Elite — exceptional AP + advanced course breadth
Top 3.7% of US high schools
Gifted/talented program
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). CRDC reports what's offered + enrolled — it doesn't collect AP exam pass rates (College Board owns that data and doesn't release it school-level).
SAT / ACT participation
CRDC federal data · 2020-21Top 1.3% by test-taker volume
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2020-21). Volume — not score — is what's reported here. A higher count means more students at this school are entering the college admissions pipeline. Note: 2020-21 was COVID-disrupted; some districts (especially those that stayed remote longer) report unusually low or zero takers.
4-year graduation rate · federal EDFacts
What % of students graduate on time?
67th percentile nationally
Source: federal EDFacts ACGR (Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate), 2019 vintage via Urban Institute. EDFacts publishes a range (low-high) to preserve privacy on small cohorts; we display the midpoint.
Teacher workforce · federal CRDC
Teacher experience & reliability
Source: federal Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC 2017-18 — the most recent vintage that publishes per-school teacher quality fields; the 2020-21 sweep had them suppressed). "Inexperienced" = teachers in their first or second year. "Chronic absence" = teachers absent 10+ days/year.
Your state's public flagship
University of Arizona
The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $16,674/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.
Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.
Counselor capacity
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.
Enrollment trend & projection
Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).
If the recent trend holds…
At its recent rate of -4.1%/year, projecting from 2024's 2,103 students:
≈ 402 fewer students by 2029 — a real revenue/relevance risk worth getting ahead of.
An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.
Revenue at risk
At $10,851 per student in district revenue, the 402 students projected to be lost by 2029 represent ≈ $4,362,102/year in funding at risk.
District total revenue ÷ enrollment, NCES F-33. Public funding largely follows enrollment, so a shrinking class is a recurring budget hit.
Most similar nearby high schools
The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.
| School | Type | Miles | HS enrollment | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyline High School MESA |
Public | 2.0 | 1,995 | -13.9% |
| Williams Field High School Gilbert |
Public | 7.2 | 2,150 | +9.4% |
| Higley High School GILBERT |
Public | 7.2 | 2,005 | -7.8% |
| Queen Creek High School QUEEN CREEK |
Public | 8.6 | 1,968 | -15.9% |
| Gilbert High School GILBERT |
Public | 8.7 | 2,296 | +0.0% |
| Highland High School GILBERT |
Public | 4.7 | 2,992 | -4.9% |
| Campo Verde High School GILBERT |
Public | 10.4 | 1,863 | -4.3% |
| Eastmark High School Mesa |
Public | 3.4 | 1,189 | +15.1% |
At a glance
JSON · Using this page with an AI assistantDesert Ridge High is a public high school in Mesa, AZ, enrolling 2,103 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.
Enrollment is down 16% from 2021 to 2024.
It offers 28 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 96% of U.S. high schools, and has a dual-enrollment program (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).
928 students took the SAT or ACT in the most recent federal count, a participation level above 99% of U.S. high schools.
Its federal four-year graduation rate was about 93% in the latest EDFacts release.
It has about 350 students per school counselor.
Sources: National Center for Education Statistics (enrollment), the federal Civil Rights Data Collection and EDFacts, state education agencies where named, and the school's own published documents where named.
Questions families ask
How many AP courses does Desert Ridge High offer? Desert Ridge High offers 28 AP courses, a course-rigor profile stronger than 96% of U.S. high schools, and has a dual-enrollment program (federal Civil Rights Data Collection).
What is Desert Ridge High's graduation rate? Desert Ridge High's federal four-year graduation rate was about 93% in the latest EDFacts release.
How many students attend Desert Ridge High? Desert Ridge High is a public high school in Mesa, AZ, enrolling 2,103 students in grades 9-12 in 2024.
Analysis: Test Prep Gurus (High School Reach, highschoolreach.com). These figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.
What does AI tell parents about Desert Ridge High?
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Related reading
AP courses · October 2026
Test scores · October 2026