The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in Science. The lowest is 37% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Gem Charter School
Gem Charter School, located in Mesa, Arizona, is the single campus operated by Gem Charter School Inc. The most important fact for any family considering this school is that it is currently not operating. For the 2024-2025 school year, the school is listed as temporarily closed with no students reported. The district brief confirms an inactive status. A parent looking into Gem Charter School should first verify whether it plans to reopen and on what timeline.
When the school was last active and testing data was collected, in the 2022-2023 school year, its academic performance placed it above the midpoint among districts across Maricopa County, based on an overall proficiency index that averages results across tested subjects and grades. That is a positive signal for a small charter school, though it is important to note that the comparison is a broad one across the county’s many districts, and the school’s small size means results can fluctuate.
Looking at the state test results by grade and subject, performance varied noticeably. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency rose steadily from third grade through fifth grade before dropping in sixth grade. Reading and English language arts results showed a similar pattern: third grade proficiency was lower, fourth and fifth grades were stronger, and sixth grade fell in between. In science, tested only in fifth grade, a large majority of students met the proficiency bar. Overall, the school’s strongest showing was in the middle elementary grades, while the upper elementary and early middle school grades were more mixed. A parent may want to ask the school about how it supports students who are not yet at proficiency, particularly in the early and later grades, and how it addresses the drop-off seen in sixth grade.
No enrollment data, demographic breakdowns, or free-and-reduced-price lunch information were available for the school. The same is true for chronic absenteeism and graduation rate — the latter is not applicable because the school does not appear to serve high school grades. The exact grade span is not clearly defined in the data, but state testing covers grades three through six, which suggests the school served an elementary and early middle school range.
The school is a regular charter school, meaning it is publicly funded but operates independently of the local district. It is located in Mesa, a large, sprawling suburban city that is the third most populous in Arizona. Mesa extends east-west across a grid of wide arterial roads and is heavily auto-oriented, with a modest downtown core anchored by the Mesa Arts Center and light rail connections to Tempe and Phoenix. The city has a mix of older neighborhoods in West Mesa and newer suburban development to the east, and is home to major employers like Boeing, Banner Health, and several higher education campuses. Housing values in the school’s ZIP code area are near the national median but have seen a slight decline recently, and rents have remained quite stable.
For a family exploring school options in Mesa, Gem Charter School’s past academic performance was solid relative to other schools in the county, but its current closure means it is not an active option. If the school does reopen, a family would want to understand the reasons for the closure and what has changed. The lack of available data on student demographics, class sizes, and staffing makes it difficult to get a fuller picture of the school’s day-to-day environment. Until the school’s status changes, it remains a question mark.
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