Willow Canyon High School earned a 94.8% on the state's 2025-26 letter grades, released Oct. 28. That is the school's fifth straight A, second among Dysart Unified's four high schools behind Shadow Ridge, and 36th among Arizona's 230 traditional high schools.
Willow Canyon High School 2025-26 state letter grade
- District
- Dysart Unified
- Grade
- A, 94.8%
- Rank in Dysart
- 2nd of 4 high schools
- Rank in Arizona
- 36th of 230
- A's in a row
- 5
- Principal
- Lisa Parachini
Willow Canyon had Dysart's top high school score in 2016-17, the first year of the state's current formula, and again in 2021-22, when grades returned after the pandemic. It earned B's for the first three graded years and A's since. The state published no grades for 2019-20 or 2020-21.
| School year | Grade | Score | Rank in Dysart | Rank in Arizona |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | B | 74.2% | 1st of 4 | 116th of 269 |
| 2017-18 | B | 70.4% | 4th of 4 | 122nd of 235 |
| 2018-19 | B | 79.7% | 3rd of 4 | 69th of 226 |
| 2019-20 | No grades issued | |||
| 2020-21 | No grades issued | |||
| 2021-22 | A | 93.2% | 1st of 4 | 34th of 246 |
| 2022-23 | A | 83.6% | 2nd of 4 | 63rd of 229 |
| 2023-24 | A | 89.4% | 3rd of 4 | 68th of 234 |
| 2024-25 | A | Not yet public | ||
| 2025-26 | A | 94.8% | 2nd of 4 | 36th of 230 |
Ranks are among Dysart's four traditional high schools and among Arizona's traditional high schools, by the state's score. Dysart's online iSchool, graded as a high school in 2021-22 and 2022-23, scored below all four both years. The 2024-25 grade is from Dysart's report to its Governing Board; the state has not posted its final 2024-25 file.
Note: The state's overall percentage, bonus points included. No grades were issued for 2019-20 and 2020-21, and the state has not posted 2024-25 scores. The median is for traditional high schools. Years are school years ending in the year shown. Source: Arizona State Board of Education
Show the data
| year | Willow Canyon | Arizona high school median |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 74.2% | 71.2% |
| 2018 | 70.4% | 71.1% |
| 2019 | 79.7% | 71.7% |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2021 | — | — |
| 2022 | 93.2% | 73.5% |
| 2023 | 83.6% | 74.8% |
| 2024 | 89.4% | 81.2% |
| 2025 | — | — |
| 2026 | 94.8% | 83.4% |
How the grade is figured
Arizona grades a high school on five measures. Proficiency, how many students pass the state's tests, is 30% of the grade. Growth, how much their scores improve from one year to the next, is 20%. Graduation is 20%, college and career readiness is 20%, and English learners' progress is 10%. Schools can also earn bonus points on top.
The state's files break each school's grade into those parts.
| Year | Proficiency (30) | Growth (20) | Graduation (20) | Readiness (20) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16.3 | 14.2 | 20.0 | 14.3 |
| 2018 | 14.7 | 11.6 | 20.0 | 15.1 |
| 2019 | 17.1 | — | 20.0 | 18.2 |
| 2022 | 21.4 | 16.8 | 20.0 | 17.5 |
| 2023 | 20.0 | — | 20.0 | 17.8 |
| 2024 | 20.4 | 15.8 | 20.0 | 17.2 |
| 2026 | 21.2 | 17.7 | 20.0 | 18.4 |
Years are school years ending in the year shown. The most points possible in each part are in parentheses. The state's files for 2018-19 and 2022-23 give high schools no growth points; those years scored improvement among groups of students instead. Not shown are English learners, where Willow Canyon earned all 10 points every year except 2017-18 (7), and was not graded in 2016-17; and bonus points, 2 to 7.5 a year.
Proficiency is Willow Canyon's strength. It has been above the middle of Dysart's high schools every graded year, and this year's 21.2 of 30 points ranks 52nd among Arizona high schools, more than 5 points above the state's median.
- Willow Canyon
- Dysart median
- Arizona median
Note: Proficiency is 30% of a high school's grade. The Dysart median is the middle of its four high schools; the Arizona median is for traditional high schools. Source: Arizona State Board of Education
Show the data
| year | Willow Canyon | Dysart median | Arizona median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 16.3 | 14.4 | 14.9 |
| 2017-18 | 14.7 | 13.9 | 13.7 |
| 2018-19 | 17.1 | 16.5 | 14.3 |
| 2021-22 | 21.4 | 18.2 | 14.8 |
| 2022-23 | 20.0 | 19.4 | 16.3 |
| 2023-24 | 20.4 | 19.2 | 15.9 |
| 2025-26 | 21.2 | 20.1 | 15.6 |
Growth lags it. Willow Canyon's growth points were below the middle of Dysart's high schools in three of the five years the state scored growth, including this year. In 2023-24, its 15.8 of 20 ranked 162nd of 231 Arizona high schools.
- Willow Canyon
- Dysart median
- Arizona median
Note: Growth is 20% of a high school's grade. The state's files have no high school growth points for 2018-19 or 2022-23. The Dysart median is the middle of its four high schools; the Arizona median is for traditional high schools. Source: Arizona State Board of Education
Show the data
| year | Willow Canyon | Dysart median | Arizona median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 14.2 | 13.5 | 13.2 |
| 2017-18 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 14.0 |
| 2021-22 | 16.8 | 16.8 | 16.2 |
| 2023-24 | 15.8 | 17.4 | 17.3 |
| 2025-26 | 17.7 | 18.3 | 17.1 |
The 2022-23 drop
Willow Canyon's score fell from 93.2% in 2021-22 to 83.6% in 2022-23, the largest one-year drop among Dysart's high schools.
That year, the state graded high schools without growth. In its place were points for improvement among groups of students: up to 10 for improving their proficiency, 5 for their graduation rates and 5 for their dropout rates. Willow Canyon earned 0.71 of the 10 proficiency improvement points. The state's median high school earned 6, and Dysart's other three high schools earned 7.5 to 9.4. Only 14 of 217 high schools graded on it earned 0.71 or less.
Its proficiency points also dipped, from 21.4 to 20.0, and its bonus points from 7.5 to 6. Willow Canyon's score recovered to 89.4% the next year, when growth returned to the grade.
College and career readiness
Willow Canyon earned 18.4 of 20 readiness points this year, 129th of 228 high schools and just below the state's median of 18.7. It has been above the middle of Dysart's high schools in six of seven graded years.
The state scores readiness from what a school's seniors have done before graduating. School districts' explanations of the measure list things like passing college-level courses or exams, earning industry credentials and meeting test benchmarks.
Across Dysart, readiness is the weak spot. The middle of the district's four high schools has trailed the state's median every graded year, though the gap has narrowed, from 3.8 points in 2016-17 to 0.6 this year.
- Willow Canyon
- Dysart median
- Arizona median
Note: Readiness is 20% of a high school's grade. The Dysart median is the middle of its four high schools; the Arizona median is for traditional high schools. Source: Arizona State Board of Education
Show the data
| year | Willow Canyon | Dysart median | Arizona median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 14.3 | 12.9 | 16.7 |
| 2017-18 | 15.1 | 15.4 | 16.4 |
| 2018-19 | 18.2 | 16.2 | 17.4 |
| 2021-22 | 17.5 | 14.7 | 16.1 |
| 2022-23 | 17.8 | 16.1 | 17.1 |
| 2023-24 | 17.2 | 17.0 | 18.1 |
| 2025-26 | 18.4 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
A higher curve
Willow Canyon's scores rose as grades rose across Arizona. The state's median high school scored 71.2% in 2016-17 and 83.4% this year. About one in five Arizona high schools earned an A in 2016-17; this year, 128 of 230 did.
Part of that is in how the grade is built. Since 2022-23, the state has split the 20 graduation points into 10 for a school's graduation rate and 10 for improving it. This year, 85% of high schools earned all 10 rate points and 76% earned all 10 improvement points. Dysart's four high schools have earned all 20 every year since the split.
Bonus points add more. Willow Canyon's 7.5 bonus points this year are the difference between 87.3% and 94.8%. The Arizona Auditor General reported in June that bonus points were "potentially inflating" grades statewide, and the State Board of Education has voted to drop them.
Willow Canyon has also moved up against other schools. It ranked 116th in Arizona in 2016-17 and 36th this year.
At the school
Principal Lisa Parachini and Willow Canyon's International Baccalaureate English teachers presented their work to the Governing Board on Jan. 26, 2026. IB courses let students earn college credit through exam scores, and Parachini said the school often pairs them with dual enrollment, "providing a double layer of college credit opportunity."
The team, which teaches IB English across all four grades, said it uses common rubrics and timed writing to track students' progress. "When students struggle, we don't wait until they fail," one teacher said. A slide said the team's goal for this year targets the part of the IB exams where its students' average is lowest, analysis and evaluation.
The school's IB coordinator told the board that 12 seniors and 22 juniors were candidates for the full IB diploma this year, and that more than 50 sophomores had been invited into the program.
Willow Canyon earned a C in 2013-14, under the state's earlier grading formula, the only Dysart high school to earn one that year. That formula used a different scale, so its scores do not compare with the current ones.