The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Heritage Elementary School (81076)
Heritage Elementary School is a small Arizona district serving kindergarten through eighth grade across two campuses. It operates as a single district covering elementary and middle grades, so it has no high school and therefore no graduation rate or advanced course data to report. Because of its grade span, state testing results are available for grades three through eight, and the picture they paint is one that a parent will want to look into further with the school.
In math, the district’s proficiency rates decline noticeably as students move through the grades. The youngest tested students in third grade scored near the midpoint of what one would see in a typical Arizona district, but by seventh grade the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency bar dropped sharply. Eighth grade math rebounded somewhat but still sat well below the third-grade level. English language arts followed a different pattern, holding more steady across the grades. Third and fourth grade had modest proficiency rates, dipping a bit in fifth and sixth, then climbing back in seventh before dropping again in eighth. Science results, available for fifth and eighth graders, showed a relatively small share of students reaching proficiency at both grade levels.
When placed among Maricopa County’s districts, Heritage Elementary’s combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of its peers. That single number captures what the grade-by-grade data already suggests: academic attainment, on the whole, is lower than in many nearby districts. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate, however, is above the midpoint in a favorable direction, meaning a smaller share of students are missing excessive days compared with many other county districts. Per-pupil spending falls in the middle range but on the upper side of that range, indicating that the district’s financial resources are not unusually low relative to its neighbors.
The student body is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest group, followed by Black students and White students in roughly similar numbers. Students who identify as two or more races are also present in notable proportion. The district does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor does it report the percentage of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent would need to ask the school directly for those figures to understand the level of economic and learning support in place.
The district runs two schools: Heritage Elementary School itself and Heritage Elementary - Williams. Both are listed as open, but no further detail on their individual programs or special emphases is available in the data. A search for recent district changes turned up only directory and profile information, with no lasting, parent-relevant developments in recent years. That means the district appears to be operating on a stable trajectory with no major shift in leadership, facilities, or programming that is publicly reported.
For a family considering this district, the main takeaway is straightforward. The academic results are below the county average, with math proficiency dropping off especially in the middle grades. The peer environment is diverse, and absenteeism is not as severe a problem here as it is in many other districts. The two small campuses likely mean a more contained, neighborhood-scale feel. A parent who values strong test scores or a direct line to advanced high school coursework will not find evidence of that here. A parent who wants a close look at why proficiency declines and what supports are in place might want to schedule a visit or ask for recent building-level data.
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