(The Center Square) — The Arizona Department of Education has assigned and released preliminary letter grades for the 2023-24 school year. While the majority of public and charter schools received higher grades of A’s and B’s, some even improving from last year, others have continued to underperform, receiving D’s and F’s.
This grading system to evaluate Arizona’s schools is mandated by Arizona law. The grades are calculated using a number of factors, including educational proficiency, student improvement and graduation rates.
These grades, however, can be appealed by school administrators. Schools have until Nov. 15 to submit an appeal to the Arizona Department of Education before the official school report cards are finalized, providing detailed information on all of Arizona schools.
Some schools have seen dramatic changes, jumping multiple letter grades in either direction. For example Morristown Elementary in Maricopa County improved from a C last year to an A this year. However, Arlington Elementary fell from a B to a D. A recent change in how school grades are averaged and include improvement metrics allows for failing schools to make significant jumps in this manner.
Numerous K-8 schools received D grades which means students were “minimally proficient.” The proficiency scores are calculated by looking at three different areas — English language arts, math and science. Schools earn points for students who score “partially proficient” or higher, with more points awarded for higher proficiency levels. A school can earn up to 30 points. However, many schools earned less than ten.
One of the lowest performing schools in Arizona is San Carlos Middle School in Gila County, receiving only 2.51 points. San Carlos is one of 51 K-8 schools that received less than half of the maximum possible points. Other low performing schools include Sacaton Middle School in Pinal County with 2.85 points and Rice Elementary School in Gila County with 4.94 points.
K-8 schools that received an F score include AIM Higher College Prep Academy in Maricopa County, Imagine Superstition Middle in Maricopa County, Peach Springs School in Mohave County and Step Up School in Maricopa County. All except Peach Springs are charter schools.
The letter grades for grades 9-12 are based on proficiency, graduation rates and college and career readiness. The proficiency rates are calculated the same as in K-8 schools, but the graduation rate and college and career readiness scores are determined by more complex factors.
Schools can receive a graduation rate of up to 10 points if they have a 90% or higher graduation rate. However, they can also receive a high number of points if their graduation rate has improved since 2022.
College and career readiness points are capped at 20 points and are determined by a very broad number of factors, including how students place on statewide tests, GPAs, FAFSA completions, technical assessments and college credits.
Consequently, almost all of the 9-12 schools received a grade of C or higher, even if they had low proficiency scores.
For example, Shonto Preparatory Technology High School in Navajo County received a C grade even though it received only 2.19 proficiency points out of 30, and San Carlos High School in Gila County received a C grade with only 3.57 proficiency points.
These are two of 37 schools that received less than half of the possible proficiency points. The school that received the lowest grade is Ganado High School in Apache County, with a D. The school received a 5.71 proficiency score, an 8.34 graduation rate score and a 15.3 college and career readiness score.
More information on Arizona’s 2024 and historic letter grades can be found here.
