Phoenix has an abundance of highly rated schools, and they're found throughout the city and surrounding area. This makes Phoenix unusual, as many cities in our analysis have entire swathes devoid of highly-rated schools.
Possibly due to that abundance, no single area of Phoenix dominates when it comes to school quality. That being said, the area north of Scottsdale roughly centered on the Airpark neighborhood is a cluster of superb schools that would be our pick for the best area of Phoenix if one is going purely by average school rating.
As well as identifying good parts of town to look, we will use average property rent and school ratings to identify properties throughout the area that are our picks to provide the best value for each grade level.
Viewing school ratings by neighborhood allows us to find the areas with superb overall schools, rather than just identifying one-off instances of an individually exemplary school. By this metric, Airpark is the neighborhood in the Phoenix area that is closest to the best overall schools.
| Neighborhood Rank | Neighborhood | Neighborhood City and State | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airpark | Scottsdale, AZ | 9.0 |
| 2 | Highland Groves at Morrison Ranch | Gilbert, AZ | 8.7 |
| 3 | McDowell Mountain Ranch | Scottsdale, AZ | 8.7 |
| 4 | Sonoran | Scottsdale, AZ | 8.7 |
| 5 | Via Linda Corridor | Scottsdale, AZ | 8.7 |
| 6 | Desert View | Phoenix, AZ | 8.6 |
| 7 | West Cactus | Scottsdale, AZ | 8.5 |
| 8 | San Tan Ranch | Gilbert, AZ | 8.3 |
| 9 | Scottsdale Ranch | Scottsdale, AZ | 8.3 |
| 10 | Stonefield | Chandler, AZ | 8.3 |
Having looked at the best overall neighborhoods, we now look to find the best individual properties near the best schools at the elementary, middle and high school level. Click on any location circle in our interactive maps to pull up info on properties for that location.
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connect On Union Apartments Phase II | Scottsdale, AZ | $878 | 9.0 |
| 2 | Atwater | Phoenix, AZ | $800 | 8.0 |
| 3 | Sonoma View | Mesa, AZ | $859 | 8.0 |
| 4 | Cornerstone Ranch | Chandler, AZ | $1,083 | 10.0 |
| 5 | Hohokam Villas | Chandler, AZ | $1,084 | 10.0 |
| 6 | Villa Montana | Scottsdale, AZ | $1,120 | 10.0 |
| 7 | Casa Santa Fe | Scottsdale, AZ | $1,139 | 10.0 |
| 8 | Frank's on Shea | Scottsdale, AZ | $1,150 | 10.0 |
| 9 | River Ranch | Chandler, AZ | $1,043 | 9.0 |
| 10 | The Cortina | Phoenix, AZ | $1,044 | 9.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Towers on 19th | Phoenix, AZ | $740 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Atwater | Phoenix, AZ | $800 | 7.0 |
| 3 | Crosswinds | Chandler, AZ | $1,035 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Stonebridge Ranch | Chandler, AZ | $1,039 | 9.0 |
| 5 | Fairways at Cave Creek | Phoenix, AZ | $815 | 7.0 |
| 6 | Desert Willow | Tempe, AZ | $703 | 6.0 |
| 7 | Towne Square Apartments | Chandler, AZ | $1,062 | 9.0 |
| 8 | Cornerstone Ranch | Chandler, AZ | $1,083 | 9.0 |
| 9 | Latitude Apartments and Casitas | Phoenix, AZ | $859 | 7.0 |
| 10 | Chandler Court | Chandler, AZ | $1,107 | 9.0 |
| Value Rank | Property Name | Location | Avg. Rent | Avg. School Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia Crossing | Mesa, AZ | $758 | 7.0 |
| 2 | Connect On Union Apartments Phase II | Scottsdale, AZ | $878 | 8.0 |
| 3 | Paradise Vista Apartments | Glendale, AZ | $660 | 6.0 |
| 4 | Rancho Valencia Apartments | Phoenix, AZ | $673 | 6.0 |
| 5 | Gilbert Square | Mesa, AZ | $788 | 7.0 |
| 6 | Desert Willow | Tempe, AZ | $703 | 6.0 |
| 7 | The View at North Mountain | Phoenix, AZ | $729 | 6.0 |
| 8 | Vista Montana At Val Vista Lakes | Gilbert, AZ | $983 | 8.0 |
| 9 | Towers on 19th | Phoenix, AZ | $740 | 6.0 |
| 10 | West 35th Apartments | Phoenix, AZ | $864 | 7.0 |
Jared is a Baton Rouge, La.-based freelance journalist focused on, in his words, "finding data, 'interviewing it' and then telling its story through interactive tools and traditional journalism." His past work includes analyzing pension shortfalls, looking at election results, tracking campaign finance contributions and analyzing educational and school system data. Some of his work has previously appeared on The Daily Advocate and unfundedmichigan.org.