Young Scholars Academy, Bullhead City AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Young Scholars Academy

Young Scholars Academy is a charter school in Bullhead City serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as part of the Young Scholars Academy Charter School Corp., a single-school district. The school enrolls a moderately sized student body for a KG-8 campus, with roughly balanced grade-level cohorts. Students are predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian and Black students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available, which is a gap a parent may want to explore with the school directly.

State testing results from the most recent school year show a clear pattern. In reading, proficiency rates start strong in third grade and climb through the middle school years, reaching levels that compare well to state averages. The seventh and eighth grade reading results are a standout strength for the school. Math results follow a different arc. Proficiency in the early grades is decent, with fourth grade math being a high point, but the rates drop as students move into the upper elementary and middle school grades. By seventh grade, math proficiency is substantially lower. Science results were reported only for fifth grade and were low. Eighth grade science and math results were suppressed, likely due to a small tested population, so a full picture in those areas is not available.

Overall, across tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency index lands above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Mohave County. The two-year trend data shows little change, with reading and math proficiency essentially flat, meaning the school is maintaining its performance level rather than improving or declining quickly.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. High school options in Bullhead City would be a separate choice for families after this school.

Bullhead City itself is a growing desert community on the Colorado River, directly across from Laughlin, Nevada’s casino corridor. Tourism and retail are major economic drivers, and the city serves as a regional shopping hub. The population has grown steadily over recent decades. The built environment is low-density and car-dependent, without a traditional walkable downtown. Civic amenities are spread across the city and include riverfront parks, a municipal pool, a public library, and a transit system. Major local employers include a regional medical center, a mine, the city government, and a food distribution center, with many residents also working in Laughlin’s casinos and hotels.

Housing values in the area sit below the state average, and rents are also comparatively moderate, making the area more accessible for homebuyers than much of Arizona. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was around the national average at the time of this data. The unemployment rate was slightly above the national figure, and real median household income was below the national median.

No recent district-level changes in curriculum, pedagogy, or facilities were identified in publicly available materials. The school’s website or district communications may provide more information on program offerings, enrichment, or extracurricular activities, but those details were not present in the data reviewed here.

For a family considering Young Scholars Academy, the academic picture is mixed. Reading instruction appears to be a genuine strength, particularly in the middle grades. Math proficiency fades as students get older, and science achievement is an area of concern. The school is a charter, meaning it operates with some freedom from traditional district rules, and it serves a single campus. Bullhead City offers a relatively affordable housing market and a growing economy anchored by tourism and healthcare, though the area’s car-dependent layout and lack of a traditional downtown may not suit every family. The school’s small charter district structure means there is no broader set of feeder schools or district-wide program choices, so a family’s experience is essentially tied to this one campus until eighth grade.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 49% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 65% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 49% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 645%

School 45% · District 44% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 730%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 2 pts below state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 361%

School 61% · District 56% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 45% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 50% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 772%

School 72% · District 72%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Science

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

This schoolYoung Scholars Academy Charter School Corp. (4385), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.