Original Research by School Decision on Elfrida Elementary District (4185)
Elfrida Elementary District is a small, rural elementary district in Cochise County, serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. The entire district consists of a single school, Elfrida Elementary School. Because the district does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
With a total enrollment that is quite small, the district offers an intimate educational setting. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial share of white students and much smaller numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native and multiracial students. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, as well as counts of students with disabilities and English learners, were not available in the provided records.
State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year are suppressed for every tested grade and subject. This suppression is due to the small number of students in each grade, a common practice to protect student privacy. However, a multi-year academic trend line that aggregates across grades offers a single-year snapshot: the district’s overall proficiency rate in English language arts is modest, and its overall proficiency rate in math is lower still. These figures represent the district’s performance on the Arizona Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) for grades 3-8. With only one year of aggregated data available, no trend direction can be established. A parent considering this district may wish to speak directly with the school about how it supports student learning in these areas.
Chronic absenteeism is a notable concern. Among Cochise County’s districts, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate sits in the bottom quartile, meaning it is higher than most of its neighbors. This is a metric worth discussing with the school, as frequent absences can affect both individual progress and classroom dynamics. Per-pupil current spending falls in the middle range, lower half of the county comparison, suggesting the district operates with a leaner budget than many peers.
The community context shows that typical home values in the zip codes the district draws from — Elfrida and Pearce — are well below the statewide median. The housing market in this area has seen a slight downward movement in values over the past year, while nationally home values have edged upward. The affordability picture, estimated using national mortgage rates, suggests that homeownership may be more accessible here than in many parts of Arizona, though no local rental cost data was available.
The district recently underwent a performance audit by the Arizona Office of the Auditor General, a review that covered both academic and financial performance. This reflects ongoing state oversight of how the district operates and allocates resources. Beyond this audit, the district brief did not turn up other major parent-relevant changes such as recent curriculum shifts, referendums, or property tax adjustments.
Elfrida Elementary District offers a very small, rural elementary-through-middle-school experience. The limited enrollment means a close-knit environment, but also that some data points — particularly test results — are suppressed or based on a small pool. The district’s academic performance, based on the aggregated proficiency rates available, appears to be an area of challenge, and the high chronic absenteeism rate is an additional factor families should explore. This district may suit families who want a quiet, low-cost rural setting and are comfortable engaging directly with school staff to understand how the school addresses these academic and attendance dynamics.
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