Desert Sunrise High School: Profile, Programs, and ADE Data

By James Sanson, REALTOR. Licensed Arizona REALTOR since August 2002. Maricopa specialist since 2004. 1,000+ closings. See about James Sanson and the team.

Published 2026-05-22. Last reviewed 2026-05-22. Every fact on this page cites a primary source.

Quick answer

Desert Sunrise High School is one of two comprehensive high schools in the Maricopa Unified School District, serving grades 9 through 12 at 16200 N. Murphy Road. It opened in July 2022 and is led by Principal Marlene Armstrong. The school enrolled 1,230 students per the 2025 Arizona Department of Education report card and earned a B letter grade for 2025 (72.24 percent) on the 9-12 accountability model, with a strong College and Career Readiness score of 19.2 out of 20. Because the school is new, it has not yet had a full four-year graduating cohort, so the graduation rate did not factor into the 2025 grade (explained below). Call 520-838-8037 if you are researching homes in the Desert Sunrise attendance area.

On this page

1. School at a glance
2. 2025 A-F letter grade (9-12 model)
3. Graduation rate and the new-school context
4. College and Career Readiness
5. Enrollment and demographics
6. Teacher qualifications
7. School finance and improvement funds
8. Feeder pattern and zoning
9. Location and contact

School at a glance

The verified fact table below is drawn from the official 2025 Arizona Department of Education report card for Desert Sunrise High School (azreportcards.azed.gov).

Desert Sunrise High School is MUSD's second comprehensive high school, opened in July 2022 to serve the district's growing enrollment alongside Maricopa High School. The mascot is the Golden Hawks, per James Sanson's team field verification. The 2025 ADE report card did not list academic offerings, sports, music, clubs, or facilities for the school, so none are stated here; contact the school at (520) 509-0400 for current program information.

2025 A-F letter grade (9-12 model)

Desert Sunrise High School received a B letter grade for 2025, according to the Arizona Department of Education, with a final percentage of 72.24. High schools are scored under the 9-12 accountability model, which differs from the K-8 model used for elementary and middle schools: it weighs proficiency, growth, English-learner progress, graduation rate, and College and Career Readiness (CCRI) rather than the K-8 acceleration-readiness measure. The breakdown is shown below.

For reference, the ADE 9-12 model cut scores differ from the K-8 cut scores:

The school earned its B largely on a strong College and Career Readiness score (19.2 of 20) and solid growth (14.96 of 20), with proficiency at 13.43 of 30 and English-learner progress at 7 of 10. As explained in the next section, the graduation rate has not yet been factored in. Letter grades are published annually and can move year to year. For the current letter grade, verify directly at azreportcards.azed.gov.

Graduation rate and the new-school context

One feature of Desert Sunrise's 2025 report card is important to read correctly: the school did not yet have a full four-year graduating cohort in 2025, because it opened in July 2022.

1. The four-year graduation rate measures the share of students who graduate within four years of starting 9th grade. A school that opened in 2022 would see its first full freshman class reach a four-year mark in the 2025-2026 school year.
2. On the 2025 report card, the A-F Graduation Points Earned showed "No data available," and graduation rate and graduation rate improvement did not contribute points to the 2025 grade. Any small graduation percentage shown for 2025 reflects a limited number of students rather than a representative four-year rate, so it should not be read as the school's graduation rate.
3. Because graduation points were not yet part of the calculation, Desert Sunrise's B grade was earned on the indicators available to it: proficiency, growth, English-learner progress, and College and Career Readiness.

As the first cohorts complete their fourth year, future report cards are expected to include a meaningful graduation rate. For the most current data, verify at azreportcards.azed.gov. Call 520-838-8037 if you would like help understanding how a new school's accountability data fits into a Maricopa home decision.

College and Career Readiness

Desert Sunrise High School earned a College and Career Readiness Index (CCRI) score of 19.2 out of 20 on the 2025 report card, one of the stronger components in its grade. Per ADE, the CCRI score reflects the share of seniors who complete programs, assessments, or activities shown to predict success after high school, such as career and technical education completion, college-credit coursework, industry certifications, or college-entrance assessments.

A high CCRI score indicates that, among the students who reached the senior level, a large share met one or more of these readiness benchmarks. As with all single-year indicators, this can change year to year; verify the current figure at azreportcards.azed.gov. Call 520-838-8037 if you would like help researching Maricopa high schools as part of a home search.

Enrollment and demographics

Desert Sunrise High School enrolled 1,230 students, according to the 2025 Arizona Department of Education report card, and its enrollment has grown each year since it opened in 2022.

Desert Sunrise holds Title I status, which means it receives federal funds to support students from low-income households per the federal Title I program.

Teacher qualifications

Per the 2025 ADE report card, teacher qualification data for Desert Sunrise High School:

1. Appropriately certified teachers: 38 (82.61 percent)
2. Teaching out of field: 8 (17.39 percent)
3. Emergency credentials: 0 (0.00 percent)
4. Experienced (3 or more years in position): 37 (75.51 percent)
5. Inexperienced (less than 3 years): 12 (24.49 percent)

Per the 2025 data, Desert Sunrise reported no teachers on emergency credentials. A higher share of staff is in the inexperienced category (24.49 percent), which is common at a school that opened recently and built its faculty quickly. ADE reports experience figures for teachers, principals, and school leaders, and certification figures for teachers.

School finance and improvement funds

Per the 2025 ADE report card, Desert Sunrise High School reported a total per-pupil expenditure of $8,905.58, broken down as follows:

The 2025 report card also notes that Desert Sunrise received $69,377.97 in School Improvement Funds. Per ADE, School Improvement Funds are awarded through a competitive grant process under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The reported strategies were "S2: Improving the effective use of assessment," "S3: Improving the effective use of instructional practices," and "S6: Improving the effective use of data." The school was not identified as low-performing under the LPS, LPB, or LGR criteria on the 2025 report card. Funding levels are published by ADE and the Arizona School Financial Transparency Portal at schoolspending.az.gov and can change year to year. The relatively lower per-pupil figure, compared with some MUSD schools, is common at a newer, larger high school that is still scaling its programs.

Feeder pattern and zoning

Desert Sunrise High School is one of two traditional MUSD high schools serving grades 9-12, alongside Maricopa High School. The general pattern that leads into the high schools is:

1. Elementary (PK-5/6): MUSD elementary schools. See our Butterfield, Pima Butte, Saddleback, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa profiles.
2. Middle school (6-8): Desert Wind Middle School or Maricopa Wells Middle School.
3. High school (9-12): Desert Sunrise High School or Maricopa High School, depending on the specific address and the current boundary map.

Verify your specific address. Adding Desert Sunrise as the district's second high school has changed which campus serves some addresses, and MUSD's board approved a K-8 boundary adjustment in December 2025, effective for the 2026-2027 school year. While students are initially assigned to a default neighborhood school, Arizona law also allows families to use MUSD open enrollment to apply to another MUSD school, subject to capacity constraints. To confirm the current high school assignment for a specific address, use the MUSD School Finder at musd20.org or contact the district office at (520) 568-5100.

For the broader district, see our MUSD overview and Maricopa schools hub.

Location and contact

Desert Sunrise High School is located at 16200 N. Murphy Road, Maricopa, AZ 85138-4697, with a phone number of (520) 509-0400. Confirm the exact high school attendance boundary for a specific home with the MUSD School Finder before relying on it, since the boundary between Desert Sunrise and Maricopa High School affects which campus a given address is zoned for.

For families with high-school-age children, the assigned high school is one factor among many in a home purchase decision. We present the school's data and let families weigh it against their own priorities, in keeping with the Arizona Department of Real Estate and federal Fair Housing guidance. For the full Maricopa neighborhood directory, see our Maricopa neighborhoods directory.

Call 520-838-8037 to talk through how Desert Sunrise school zoning applies to a specific Maricopa address you are considering buying or selling. For school assignment, open enrollment, and boundary questions, you can also contact MUSD at (520) 568-5100 or visit musd20.org.

James Sanson | Real Broker LLC | Licensed in Arizona