Great Hearts Academies - Arete Prep, Gilbert AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Great Hearts Academies - Arete Prep

Great Hearts Academies – Arete Prep is a charter school serving grades six through twelve, located in the southeastern Phoenix suburb of Gilbert. It is part of the Great Hearts Academies network, which operates a number of tuition-free public charter schools across Arizona. The campus sits on Baseline Road, in a stretch of Gilbert that is primarily residential and car-dependent. Gilbert itself has been one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the country, transforming over recent decades from a farming community into a large master-planned suburb. The town’s Heritage District offers a small historic downtown with restaurants and civic buildings, but most of the built environment is wide arterial roads and single-family subdivisions. The school draws from this broad suburban area.

Academically, Arete Prep’s performance on state assessments places it above the midpoint among districts in Maricopa County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates for the middle school grades are solidly above half. Math proficiency is more mixed, running below the ELA rates, and shows room for growth. Science proficiency in grade eight sits at a level comparable to the school’s own math figures. Data on high school state testing was not available in the information we have, nor was a graduation rate, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about upper-grades academic outcomes and on-time graduation. The school’s multi-year trend data is thin, with only two points available, making it difficult to assess improvement or decline.

The student body is moderately sized for a school that spans both middle and high school grades, with enrollment tapering noticeably from the lower grades to the upper ones. That shape is common in charter schools that have grown from the middle school up. The student population is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic share, and smaller but present groups of Asian, Black, multiracial, and Native American students. Key student support statistics are missing from the available data: free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education identification, and English learner counts are all absent. A family considering Arete Prep may want to inquire about these directly, as they bear on the resources and support structures available to students.

Housing in the area is notably expensive compared to both state and national medians, reflecting Gilbert’s status as a high-demand suburb. Rental costs are similarly elevated. The town’s employment base is anchored by the school districts themselves, healthcare systems, and government, with a presence from defense and professional services as well. The school operates as a single-site charter district, meaning the charter holds its own district status. Publicly reported information on recent district-level changes such as curriculum shifts, bond measures, or policy updates is minimal for this entity, so parents should monitor the school’s own communications for developments.

For families drawn to a charter environment with a middle-through-high-school grade span and academic proficiency that is above the county median, Arete Prep offers a clear option. The areas where data is missing—particularly high school outcomes, free-lunch populations, and special education counts—are gaps a parent would want to fill before enrolling. The school’s setting in a fast-growing, car-dependent suburb with high housing costs means the commute and local lifestyle are factors as much as the classroom.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 46 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

512 schools plotted. 33 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 44%

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

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 55%

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

Grade 760%

School 60% · District 60%

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

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 62%

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

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 42%

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

This schoolArete Preparatory Academy (89486), 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.