Best Schools & Parks
Choosing where to live often starts with schools. We ranked all communities by their top school district’s Niche grade, then layered in parks, safety, and childcare data so you can see the full family picture.
42 communities · 8 regions
Rankings
Community Comparison
| # | Community | District | Grade | Violent Crime | Parks | Childcare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chandler East Valley | Chandler Unified School District #80 (CUSD) | A+ | 389 violent crimes in 2024 (third consecutive year of decline, down 23% from 505 in 2023) | 8 | — |
| 2 | Gilbert East Valley | Gilbert Public Schools (GPS) | A | 2.125 per 1,000 residents; 1 in 757 chance of violent victimization (NeighborhoodScout/CrimeGrade) | 8 | — |
| 3 | Anthem North Valley | Deer Valley Unified School District | A- | ~2.4 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade / NeighborhoodScout 2025) | 7 | — |
| 4 | Peoria West Valley | Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) | B+ | 254.7 per 100,000 (512 violent crimes last reporting year) | 6 | — |
| 5 | Phoenix (Desert Ridge / Norterra) Central Phoenix | Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) | A | Phoenix citywide: 1 in 126 residents (NeighborhoodScout); northern Phoenix master-planned areas including Desert Ridge reported under 4 per 1,000 by ApartmentList 2025 | 6 | — |
| 6 | Paradise Valley Scottsdale Northeast | Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) | A | ~0.6 per 1,000 (FBI UCR) | 6 | Very limited within town (residential-only zoning restricts commercial childcare operations) |
| 7 | Scottsdale Scottsdale Northeast | Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) | A | 371 violent crimes in first 11 months of 2025 (trending down from 500+ in 2021) | 8 | — |
| 8 | Mesa East Valley | Mesa Public Schools (Mesa USD) | B+ | 1,846 violent crime incidents in 2025 (Mesa PD — includes aggravated assault, homicide, rape, robbery), down from 2,144 in 2024 | 9 | — |
| 9 | Tempe East Valley | Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) | A- | ~584 per 100,000 (2024 data; NeighborhoodScout / Tempe PD) | 10 | 150+ licensed centers within city limits (AZ DES Childcare Licensing) |
| 10 | Queen Creek Southeast Valley | Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD) | A | 1 per 1,000 residents (NeighborhoodScout); 1 in 832 chance of violent victimization | 8 | — |
| 11 | San Tan Valley Southeast Valley | Florence Unified School District (FUSD) | C+ | 16.9 per 1,000 (vs. US average 22.7) — approximately 25% below national average per DoorProfit / NeighborhoodScout | 7 | — |
| 12 | Glendale West Valley | Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD) | A- | 4.88 per 1,000 residents (FBI UCR; 1 in 205 chance annually; 36% above national rate, 16% above AZ rate) | 9 | — |
| 13 | Phoenix (Ahwatukee Foothills) South Phoenix | Kyrene Elementary School District #28 (K-8) | A | Violent crime approximately 60% below the Phoenix city average per local data (buffered by South Mountain limiting through-traffic) | 10 | — |
| 14 | Phoenix (Arcadia / Biltmore) Central Phoenix | Scottsdale Unified School District — Arcadia Learning Community | A- | Phoenix citywide ~800 per 100,000 (2024 FBI); Arcadia area reports above-average safety from property crime on NeighborhoodScout | 10 | Dense — KinderCare, Bright Horizons, Sunrise Preschools, La Petite Academy, Primrose Schools across 85016/85018 |
| 15 | Phoenix (Central) Central Phoenix | Phoenix Union High School District | C+ | Approximately 800 per 100,000 (2024 FBI data, city-wide) | 9 | Dense network across central Phoenix — KinderCare, Bright Horizons, Sunrise Preschools, La Petite Academy, Primrose Schools |
| 16 | Phoenix (North Mountain / Sunnyslope) Central Phoenix | Washington Elementary School District | C+ | ~7.0 per 1,000 Phoenix citywide (FBI UCR, latest) | 6 | — |
| 17 | Guadalupe East Valley | Tempe Elementary School District No. 3 (TESD) | B | 6.24 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade, 2025) | 6 | — |
| 18 | Maricopa Southeast Valley | Maricopa Unified School District (MUSD) | B+ | Violent crime -12% YoY (2024); chance of violent victimization 1 in 445 | 8 | — |
| 19 | New River North Valley | Deer Valley Unified School District No. 97 | A- | Maricopa County overall 3.73 per 1,000 residents; MCSO patrols New River as unincorporated area | 6 | Limited within New River CDP; multiple options in Anthem (5-10 min S) |
| 20 | Avondale West Valley | Agua Fria Union High School District | A- | 2.854 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade 2025; C+ grade; 51st percentile nationally) | 6 | — |
| 21 | Goodyear West Valley | Agua Fria Union High School District (9-12) | A- | Violent crime rate approximately 2.32x below the Arizona state average and 1.97x below the national average (NeighborhoodScout; 1 in 549 chance of violent victimization) | 10 | — |
| 22 | Litchfield Park West Valley | Litchfield Elementary School District (LESD-79) | A- | 1.766 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade typical year; A-; 83rd percentile nationally) | 7 | — |
| 23 | Surprise West Valley | Dysart Unified School District (DUSD #89) | B | 1.986 per 1,000 residents annually (CrimeGrade B+; 77th percentile nationally; NeighborhoodScout reports 3.87× lower than Arizona state average and 3.29× lower than US average) | 8 | — |
| 24 | Sun City Sun Cities | Dysart Unified School District | B+ | ~1.2-1.8 per 1,000 residents (NeighborhoodScout 2025) -- below the US average of ~4.0 | 14 | Minimal inside Sun City by HOPA design; nearby Peoria and Surprise offer standard daycare options |
| 25 | Fountain Hills Scottsdale Northeast | Fountain Hills Unified School District | B+ | 3.3 per 1,000 residents (NeighborhoodScout, 2025) | 6 | — |
| 26 | Rio Verde Scottsdale Northeast | Cave Creek Unified School District No. 93 | B+ | Low per Niche and Homefacts; policed by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) | 6 | — |
| 27 | Carefree North Valley | Cave Creek Unified School District | B+ | ~0.8 per 1,000 residents (NeighborhoodScout, 1 in 1,245 chance) | 7 | — |
| 28 | Cave Creek North Valley | Cave Creek Unified School District (CCUSD #93) | B+ | 194.9 per 100,000 residents (CrimeGrade, 2025) -- 49% below U.S. average | 6 | — |
| 29 | Sun City West Sun Cities | Dysart Unified School District No. 89 | B+ | 1 in 394 chance (Niche, FBI UCR 2024); policed by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office District 3 | 6 | None within community — age-restricted 55+ per HOPA means rare under-19 residents |
| 30 | Gold Canyon Southeast Valley | Apache Junction Unified School District | B | 2.78 per 1,000 residents annually (well below national average; NeighborhoodScout) | 8 | — |
| 31 | Buckeye West Valley | Buckeye Elementary School District #33 (BESD) | B | ~2 per 1,000 residents; 1 in 599 chance of violent victimization (NeighborhoodScout, 2024 FBI data released Oct 2025) | 7 | — |
| 32 | El Mirage Sun Cities | Dysart Unified School District (DUSD #89) | B | ~4 per 1,000 residents (FBI 2024 release, Oct 2025) | 8 | — |
| 33 | Youngtown Sun Cities | Dysart Unified School District #89 | B | ~8.9 per 1,000 residents (NeighborhoodScout 2024 FBI data; 1 in 112 chance) | 8 | — |
| 34 | Tolleson South Phoenix | Tolleson Elementary School District | C | 2.72 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade, 2025; 55th percentile nationally; B- grade) | 7 | — |
| 35 | Phoenix (Maryvale) Central Phoenix | Cartwright Elementary School District (CESD) | C- | ~4.675 per 1,000 residents (46th percentile for safety per CrimeGrade) | 7 | Dense network of KinderCare, La Petite Academy, Children's Learning Adventure, plus numerous home-based and faith-based providers along 51st Ave, 75th Ave, Indian School Rd, and Thomas Rd corridors |
| 36 | Casa Grande Southeast Valley | Casa Grande Elementary School District (CGESD) | C | 276 reported incidents per latest FBI UCR year; 1 in 244 chance of violent victimization per HomeSnacks/FBI data | 8 | — |
| 37 | Eloy Southeast Valley | Eloy Elementary School District (EESD) | C | 7.71 per 1,000 residents (CrimeGrade 2025); NeighborhoodScout methodology reports 25.9 per 1,000 | 6 | — |
| 38 | Phoenix (Laveen) South Phoenix | Laveen Elementary School District (LESD) | C+ | — | 6 | ~15 providers (9 centers, 6 home-based per Care.com aggregation) |
| 39 | Apache Junction Southeast Valley | Apache Junction Unified School District (AJUSD) | C | ~426 violent crime incidents per 100,000 residents (FBI most recent reporting year) — 179 incidents total | 10 | — |
| 40 | Coolidge Southeast Valley | Coolidge Unified School District (CUSD) | C+ | 3 per 1,000 residents; 1 in 317 chance of violent victimization (NeighborhoodScout, 2024 FBI data released Oct 2025) | 7 | — |
| 41 | Florence Southeast Valley | Florence Unified School District (FUSD) | C+ | ~120 per 100,000 (28 violent-crime incidents in most recent reporting year — AreaVibes synthesis) | 10 | — |
| 42 | Wickenburg Sun Cities | Wickenburg Unified School District (WUSD) | C | Overall crime index 18.55 vs. 33.37 US national (AreaVibes 2025) | 7 | — |
Common Questions
FAQ — Phoenix communities
How are school districts organized?
School districts don’t always follow city boundaries. A single community may be split across 2–4 districts. Always verify your district by entering your address on the district’s website.
What is a Niche grade?
Niche.com grades school districts from A+ to F based on academics, teachers, diversity, college prep, and parent reviews. It’s one of the most widely used school comparison tools in the U.S.
How do I verify which school district serves my address?
Enter your address directly on the school district’s enrollment page. District boundaries can change block by block, especially in communities served by multiple districts.