The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 61% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bennett Academy - Venture Site
Bennett Academy – Venture Site is a small charter school in Phoenix serving kindergarten through seventh grade. It operates under Twenty First Century Charter School, Inc., a charter network, and sits at a modest campus on Dunlap Avenue in a city that sprawls across a vast, sun-baked grid of wide roads. For a parent weighing choices in this school marketplace, what matters most is what the data shows and what it leaves unsaid.
This is a school with a clear performance profile. The most recent testing year on record is 2018-19, where state assessment results in reading and math for third graders were strong. The proficiency rate in math met a solid majority, and in English language arts it reached a level that many families would consider above average. Science results from the 2016-17 school year for fourth graders also showed a healthy majority of students meeting proficiency standards. When compared across all districts in Maricopa County, this school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it in the top quartile. That is a genuine strength, and it suggests that for the grades and subjects tested, academic outcomes have been competitive.
But the data is thin in ways that matter. There is only one year of recent testing results, and they come from a single grade level, third grade. The school serves through seventh grade, but no test results appear for those upper elementary and middle school years. A parent should look into whether later testing results are available directly from the school or the charter network, as the picture here is incomplete. There is no graduation rate to consider, since the school does not serve high school grades, which is expected for its grade band.
The enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a Black student population making up a notable share, and smaller numbers of white students and students identifying as Asian or two or more races. No data is available on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on students with disabilities or English learners. A parent may want to ask what supports are in place, since these figures are simply not reported in the available record.
Phoenix itself is a fast-growing urban center with a diversified economy in technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services. Housing values near the school have been slightly above the Arizona state benchmark and have shown a modest year-over-year decline. Rent, as measured locally, has also edged down. For a small charter school in a large city, the housing context is one of a relatively stable but not booming market, typical of many Phoenix neighborhoods.
The district brief returned nothing noteworthy about recent changes at the charter organization. That is not unusual for a small, single-site charter network. The school operates as a regular public charter school, and it is not a magnet. No information was available on discipline, attendance, staffing, or course access. A parent considering this school should fill in those blanks with a direct visit and conversation with school leadership.
In sum, Bennett Academy – Venture Site offers a small, academically solid option during the early grades, with a top-quartile proficiency signal from the most recent data. The gaps in the record, particularly for grades above third and for student support populations, mean that a family’s decision will depend on what they learn by asking the school directly. It fits a parent who values a small environment and strong early academic results, and who is prepared to investigate further what the school provides beyond the testing years it reports.
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