About Our School

At Desert Trails, our experienced, and dedicated staff offers a wide range of opportunities for diverse learners from Pre-K through 6th grade, including self-contained gifted, as well as self-contained special needs classes. We also have staff who specialize in PE, STEM, Art, Music, Band and Strings.

Desert Trails is a PBIS school (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports).  Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.

Desert Trails implements PBIS:

• Using a continuum of evidence-based practices to support student needs
• Engaging students, families, and community members to co-create culturally responsive practices
• Regularly checking the effectiveness of their practices
• Relying on teams to guide implementation
• Using data to identify strengths, uncover needs, and monitor student progress
• Developing content expertise through coaching and on-going professional development

PBIS is not a curriculum that can be purchased or something you learn during a one-day professional development training. It is an ongoing commitment to supporting students, educators, and families through systems change. When you implement PBIS well, students experience improved behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes; schools and programs reduce their use of exclusionary discipline practices and improve their overall climate. 

We partner with parents and the community in many ways, including our active, supportive PTO members, who collaborate with us to provide specialized classroom materials and sponsor events enjoyed by all. The result of everyone working together – teachers, support staff, parents, students, and the surrounding community – is a positive, safe school environment where our students excel at mastering Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, as evidenced by our school consistency ranking among the top 50 schools in the state of Arizona.

Our Mission

The Mission of Desert Trails Elementary School (DTES) is to assure the highest level of learning for all students, to develop life-long learners who exhibit self-discipline, global awareness and excel as independent thinkers and high achievers through a supportive partnership of staff, parents, and all community stakeholders.

Our Vision

Our students will be the leaders of tomorrow with the skills, knowledge and confidence to realize their dreams in an ever-changing world.