The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Imagine Middle at Surprise Inc. (88372)
Imagine Middle at Surprise is a small Arizona district that serves a single grade band, sixth through eighth, in a single school, Imagine Surprise Middle. Because it is a middle-level district, there is no high school and therefore no graduation rate or postsecondary pathway data to consider.
The student body is mixed in its composition but leans majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility data was not available, and neither were counts for students receiving special education services or English learner support, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the extent of those programs and how students in those groups are served.
On state assessments, the district’s overall proficiency across subjects and tested grades sits below the midpoint among Maricopa County’s districts. In English language arts, a bit more than a third of students scored proficient, and the rate dropped between sixth and eighth grade. In mathematics, roughly a quarter of students met the proficiency bar in sixth and seventh grade, and the eighth grade math proficiency rate was lower. Science results for eighth graders were similar in range. These are soft spots that a parent would want to investigate further with the school, especially since there is no multi-year trend data to show whether performance is moving in a consistent direction.
Chronic absenteeism, at a rate that falls below the midpoint among the county’s districts, is a notable concern. Roughly two in five students are chronically absent, which is high and can affect academic continuity. The district’s per-pupil current spending sits in the upper range compared to other Maricopa County districts, which is a meaningful point of context given the academic outcomes.
The district operates as a single-school entity, which means the school is the district. The district brief found no evidence of lasting parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts, program launches, or leadership turnover in recent years, so the picture here is largely static.
For a family considering this option, the takeaway is of a small middle school serving a diverse student population, with academic performance that falls below county averages, a high chronic absenteeism rate, and relatively high spending per student. The lack of data on special populations and the limited academic trend information means that a site visit and a conversation with the school about student support, attendance patterns, and instructional strategy would be essential before making a decision.
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