The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in English language arts. The lowest is 54% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Daisy Education Corporation Dba Paragon Science Ac (89917)
Daisy Education Corporation, which does business as Paragon Science Academy, is a small school district in Maricopa County serving kindergarten through twelfth grade under one roof. The district operates a single school, Paragon Science Academy, and based on its enrollment it is one of the smaller districts in the county. Because the district is a single-school entity, families choosing it are choosing that one school; there is no variety of attendance zones or multiple campuses.
State testing data is available for grades three through eight in math and English language arts, and for grades five and eight in science. Scores varied by grade and subject, but overall the district's combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint among Maricopa County's districts. This places it in a stronger position than a typical district in the county, though it is not among the top tier. In early elementary grades, a solid majority of students met proficiency benchmarks in both reading and math, while middle school results were more mixed, with some grade-level proficiency rates notably lower than the district's own elementary peaks. Science results followed a similar pattern: more than half of fifth graders scored proficient, while eighth-grade proficiency was below that level.
Only one year of state testing data was available, so there is no basis for a trend. A parent would need to look at future results to see whether the school's performance is steady, improving, or declining.
The student body is racially and ethnically diverse. The largest groups are white students and Black students, each making up a substantial share of enrollment, followed by Asian students, a smaller share of Hispanic students, and a very small number of Native American and multiracial students. Information on students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not reported, nor were counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these dimensions of student support, as they are not available in the public data for this district.
Chronic absenteeism, a measure of how many students miss a significant number of school days, is reported for this district and compares favorably to many others in Maricopa County. The district's chronic absenteeism rate is better than the midpoint among county districts, meaning students are generally attending school regularly.
Per-pupil spending is in the lower range when measured against other districts in Maricopa County. That is a typical position for a small charter-like district with a single site; it may reflect a lean operational model rather than a shortfall in resources, but a parent may want to understand how that translates into classroom support and extracurricular offerings.
The district offers a full grade span, kindergarten through twelfth grade, so a student can attend from elementary through high school without changing schools. However, high school academic outcomes such as graduation rate, college readiness indicators, and advanced coursework were not available in the data. The state testing data only goes through eighth grade, and no high school test results or graduation rate were provided. Given that the district includes high school grades, the absence of these metrics is a gap that a parent would want to follow up on directly with the school.
No information about program offerings, such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education, or arts programs, was found. The district's name includes "Science Academy," which may indicate a focus on science, but there is no publicly available detail on curriculum or academic emphasis to confirm that.
The district brief noted that a search for recent district changes turned up little of lasting impact. That means there are no major recent developments such as a new leadership, construction, or policy change that would shape the near-term experience for families.
For a parent or resident trying to understand this place, the picture is of a small, single-site district that serves a diverse student population and produces academic results that are better than the county median but uneven across grades and subjects. Attendance is generally good, spending is lean, and the high school years remain a question mark because public outcome data is missing. A family considering this district would want to visit the school, ask about high school graduation rates and college going, and learn about the school's actual program focus and supports for students with different needs.
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