The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 50%.
Original Research by School Decision on Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona
The Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona, serving grades nine through twelve, is a regular charter high school in midtown Phoenix. It functions as one campus within the CPLC Community Schools charter network, a small Arizona network that added this single-gender program in 2021. As a school that admits only young women and frames its curriculum around leadership, it is structured differently from a typical coeducational comprehensive high school from the start.
The student body is small. The school sits centrally in Phoenix, a sprawling, car-oriented city that functions as a major financial and transportation hub for the Mountain West. The area's economy concentrates on high-technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services. The school's immediate neighborhood is midtown, a location within the large city's interior.
The vast majority of students are Hispanic. Smaller groups of white, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and two-or-more-races students complete the enrollment. The data set contained no information on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners. A parent may want to ask the school directly about student supports and the share of families facing economic disadvantage.
State testing data for the school is limited to a single year and a single reported result. The most recent available state assessment results come from a period that does not reflect the current high school program or the current student body. In that academic year, the school reported a proficiency result for eighth-grade English language arts on the then-current state assessment; the data showed that half of the small group of tested eighth graders scored proficient or above. Results for math, science, and other tested grades that year were suppressed, meaning the number of students tested fell below state thresholds for reporting. Because the school currently serves only grades nine through twelve, and because the only available state testing data comes from grades the school no longer serves, there is no current state assessment picture to draw from. The comparison set of Maricopa County districts places this school above the midpoint on an overall proficiency index that draws from whatever reported rates exist, but that index relies on the same sparse data.
No graduation rate was available in the data. No information was provided about college enrollment, AP course offerings, dual enrollment, career and technical education programs, or extracurricular activities. A family considering this school would want to contact the school directly for current academic outcomes and program offerings.
In terms of what this school means for a family, the distinctive feature is the single-gender, girls-only environment paired with a stated leadership focus. For a student who would thrive in such an environment, that may be a strong draw. The school is very small, which can mean close relationships among students and staff, but also narrower course menus than a large comprehensive high school would offer. The lack of current state testing data and the absence of outcome measures such as graduation rate mean that a parent cannot easily compare this school's academic results with those of other options in Phoenix; that is a practical gap to close through direct inquiry. The housing market near the school is central urban Phoenix, which in the most recent available data showed home values slightly above the state median and rents on a recent slight decline, consistent with many parts of the city.
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