Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Middle Schools

Best Middle Schools
in Tucson Unified District (4403)

This page covers 12 middle schools in Tucson Unified District (4403). Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

12
Schools Ranked
Arizona
State
None
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Middle Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 12
1
rank
Gridley Middle School
Grades 06–08530 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.5:1)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
12.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
45/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
58%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Wakefield Middle School
Grades 06–08222 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.7:1)
51
/100
Student:Teacher
9.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
64%
Near nat'l 52.2%
3
rank
Doolen Middle School
Grades 06–08538 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
49
/100
Student:Teacher
14.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
67%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Ida Flood Dodge Traditional Middle Magnet School
Grades 06–08396 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.0:1)
49
/100
Student:Teacher
13.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
52%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Magee Middle School
Grades 06–08350 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
48
/100
Student:Teacher
14.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
44/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
63%
Near nat'l 52.2%
6
rank
Utterback Middle School
Grades 06–08263 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.0:1)
48
/100
Student:Teacher
11.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
79%
High economic need
7
rank
Alice Vail Middle School
Grades 06–08630 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.1:1)
47
/100
Student:Teacher
13.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
40/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
65%
Near nat'l 52.2%
8
rank
Anna Lawrence Intermediate School
Grades 03–08264 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
46
/100
Student:Teacher
13.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
81%
High economic need
9
rank
Mansfeld Middle Magnet School
Grades 06–08817 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
45
/100
Student:Teacher
15.4:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
39/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
60%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Secrist Middle School
Grades 06–08304 students
Scores consistently across all ranking signals
42
/100
Student:Teacher
17.5:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
42/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$13,118
Near nat'l avg
Free Lunch
76%
High economic need
2 more middle schools in Tucson Unified District (4403) not shown here.
View all schools in Tucson Unified District (4403)
How We Rank Middle Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the middle school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
35%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Reflects long-run economic outcomes for children raised in this area.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes. Particularly important during the middle years when academic and social needs are at their most complex.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
15%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Reflects the economic profile of the community the school serves.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
12
Middle Schools
90
Total Schools
51
#1 Score
46
Avg Score
Top Ranked Middle School
1
Compare Tucson Unified District (4403) with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.