Calibre Academy Surprise, Surprise AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Calibre Academy Surprise

Calibre Academy Surprise is a K-8 charter school in the northwestern Phoenix suburb of Surprise, a city that has grown rapidly from a small agricultural settlement into a sprawling residential community anchored by large master-planned neighborhoods, Sun City Grand's retirement enclave, and a recreation campus built around spring training baseball. As a charter school, it operates as a public school of choice within the Calibre Academy district, and it offers families a tuition-free alternative to the area's traditional district schools, which are mainly run by Dysart Unified.

The school serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, so there is no high school graduation rate to consider. State testing data from the most recent school year covers math, English language arts, and science across grades three through eight, and the overall picture is mixed. On the state's proficiency index, which averages results across all tested subjects and grades, Calibre Academy Surprise sits below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Maricopa County. By subject, math proficiency varies widely by grade: it is lowest in sixth and eighth grades, where roughly one in four students met the bar, and highest in fifth grade, where about half did. English language arts results are somewhat stronger, with several grades showing half or more of students scoring proficient, though sixth and eighth grade also dip below that mark. Science is assessed only in fifth and eighth grade; fifth graders performed moderately well, while eighth graders had a lower share meeting proficiency. A parent considering this school may want to ask the school directly about the patterns by grade level and what supports are in place to lift performance in the weaker areas.

The student body is a moderately sized group with a fairly diverse mix: white students make up the largest share, followed by a substantial Hispanic population, and smaller representations of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner status was not reported in the available records, so a family would need to inquire with the school about those supports and the share of students who qualify for them. Because the school is a charter, enrollment is open to any family in the area who chooses to apply, and the district has established a full-time remote learning program called Calibre Virtual Academy, which offers a tuition-free K-8 option with personalized pacing and teacher support. This gives families a lasting alternative for flexible at-home education within the same charter network.

Surprise itself is a car-dependent suburb with minimal transit, limited walkable street life outside the civic campus, and a growing inventory of parks and recreation facilities. The housing market in the area sits roughly in line with the state average, with home values that are typical for this stretch of the Phoenix metro. The city's explosive growth over the past few decades has brought a mix of retirees drawn to Sun City Grand and younger families filling new subdivisions, so the peer environment at the school likely reflects both long-term residents and newcomers.

For a parent weighing options, Calibre Academy Surprise offers a public charter choice with a full elementary and middle school span and a remote learning track, but the academic results on state assessments are below the county average overall, particularly in math at the upper elementary and middle school levels. That is a detail worth exploring with the school staff to understand what curriculum, intervention, and enrichment strategies are being used.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 28% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 624%

School 24% · District 21% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 34% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 24%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 31% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 53% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 35% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 758%

School 58% · District 51% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 38% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 48%

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolCalibre Academy (79055), 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.