Towns with the best public schools in Arizona
Ranked by how far each town's public schools score above or below the Arizona average in math and reading proficiency, weighted by enrollment. 117 towns with 2,500+ residents.
St. Johns ranks #7 of 117
+19.0 pts vs. the AZ average in math + reading · Visit St. Johns →
1
Paradise Valley
+39.6 pts
Math 73.2% · Reading 75.7%
2
Catalina Foothills
+24.3 pts
Math 55.4% · Reading 63%
3
Heber-Overgaard
+23.6 pts
Math 66.3% · Reading 50.6%
How this ranking works
For every public school in a town we take its latest math and reading proficiency and subtract the Arizona average for the same test. The town’s score is the average of those gaps, weighted by each school’s enrollment, so a big high school counts more than a small annex. Private schools aren’t included.
Each state writes its own tests, so these scores compare towns within Arizona only. We don’t rank a town unless at least 150 students in its schools were tested. Test data: EDFacts via Urban Institute Education Data Portal (SY2020-21).
Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.