Original Research by School Decision on Pine Strawberry Elementary District (4214)
Pine Strawberry Elementary District is a small, rural elementary district in Gila County, serving students from preschool through eighth grade. Because the district does not operate a high school, there is no graduation rate or secondary-level academic data to report. The district comprises a single school, Pine Strawberry Elementary School, and the communities it serves are the unincorporated mountain settlements of Pine and Strawberry, along with some families in the Payson area.
The student body is small and predominantly White, with a share of Hispanic students and a very small number of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The district is small enough that data on economic disadvantage, students with disabilities, and English learners is not publicly reported, which is common for districts of this size. Enrollment is spread across all elementary and middle school grades, with small class groups in each.
State testing data for the most recent school year is almost entirely suppressed. This is a direct consequence of the district's small size: when too few students test in a given grade and subject, the state withholds results to protect individual privacy. A single-year trend file shows an overall proficiency rate for all tested grades combined in ELA and a separate rate for math, but because the district has only one year of comparable data, there is no way to assess whether performance is improving, declining, or stable. A parent looking for a clear picture of academic attainment will find that the available evidence is too thin to draw conclusions from. This is not unusual for a district this small, but it does mean a family considering the area would want to ask the school directly about how students are progressing.
Chronic absenteeism, which measures the share of students missing a significant number of school days, falls above the midpoint among Gila County's districts. That is a soft spot worth noting. The rate is not the highest in the county, but it is elevated, and a parent may want to ask what the district is doing to support consistent attendance, particularly in the middle school grades where attendance patterns often shift.
Per-pupil current spending is in the upper range among the county's districts and well above the county median. For a district this size, high per-pupil spending is to be expected: fixed costs for a building, staff, and transportation are spread across a small number of students. The spending figure itself tells little about program quality or academic outcomes, but it does indicate that the district is not operating on a bare-bones budget relative to its peers in Gila County.
The housing market in the district's attendance area reflects its mountain recreation setting. Home values are above the statewide benchmark, though they have softened slightly. Rental data is thin, available only for the Payson zip code, which suggests that the rental market in Pine and Strawberry themselves may be limited. Mortgage rates and the general economic context are consistent with national conditions. Affordability is a meaningful consideration here: the district's area is not cheap, and families moving in should expect housing costs that are high relative to the rest of the state.
No information is available about course offerings, such as Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education, or arts programs. Because the district ends at eighth grade, high school pathways are not part of its scope; families will need to plan for where students attend high school, typically in nearby Payson or through other arrangements. The district brief turned up no recent changes that would materially affect a family's decision, so the picture is one of stability rather than transition.
This district fits a family looking for a very small, rural elementary setting where the school is likely to know every student by name. It does not offer the data-rich profile that larger districts do, and a parent who relies on test scores and program lists to make a decision will find little to work with here. The chronic absenteeism rate warrants a conversation with the school. For a family already oriented toward a small mountain community and willing to gather information directly from the staff, this district could be a good match. For a family that wants a clear comparative read on academic performance before moving, the available evidence will not provide it.
See more original research from School Decision →