The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in English language arts. The lowest is 63% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mary Ellen Halvorson Educational Foundation. Dba: (10965)
Mary Ellen Halvorson Educational Foundation, doing business as Tri-City College Prep, is a single-school charter district in Yavapai County serving grades five through twelve. The school is located in Prescott, though the district’s directory information does not list a street address. It is a small district by enrollment and is the only entity operating under this foundation.
Academically, the school posts results that place it among the top tier of districts in Yavapai County. On the state’s 2024-25 assessments, seventh graders showed strong proficiency in both math and English language arts, and eighth graders also performed well in English language arts. Math proficiency among eighth graders was solid but at a lower level than the seventh-grade results. In eighth-grade science, a majority of students met the state’s proficiency bar. The district’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades, which averages these rates, is the highest in the county among the districts for which this index could be calculated. Only a single year of testing data is available for this district, so there is no trend to review for improvement or decline.
The school’s chronic absenteeism rate is comparatively low, sitting in a favorable position among Yavapai County’s districts. Spending per pupil is on the lower end relative to other districts in the county, which is not unusual for a small charter operation. The district’s four-year graduation rate is not reported in the available data, likely because the grade band includes early high school grades but the data set does not contain that specific metric for this entity; a parent interested in graduation outcomes would need to ask the school directly.
Enrollment is small and concentrated in the upper grades. The student body is predominantly White, with a Hispanic student population representing a meaningful share of roughly one in six students. Asian, Black, multiracial, and Native American students are present in very small numbers. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners is not available, so families seeking to understand the school’s socioeconomic and support-service profile will need to request that information from the school.
The district operates a single school, Tri-City College Prep, and the name itself signals an academic orientation toward college preparation. Program offerings such as Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment, career and technical education pathways, or extracurriculars are not detailed in the available data, so a parent should confirm with the school what is actually available for each grade level.
The district brief searched for recent parent-relevant changes—such as leadership turnover, boundary adjustments, program expansions, or facility changes—and found none that could be confirmed from public sources. The school appears to be in a steady state with no major announced shifts.
For a family considering this school, the picture is of a small, academically strong charter serving a focused grade band. The test results are a clear strength and place the school well above the typical district in the county. The chronic absenteeism rate is low, which often correlates with consistent attendance and a focused school environment. On the other hand, the small size means fewer students and potentially a narrower range of elective and extracurricular offerings than a large comprehensive high school might provide. The lack of information on special education and English learner services, as well as on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, makes it hard to assess what supports are in place for students who need them. A parent with a child who requires specialized instruction or language support will want to have a direct conversation with the administration. The lower per-pupil spending may reflect lean operations rather than a lack of resources, but families may want to ask about class sizes, materials, and facility conditions to gauge the day-to-day learning environment.
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