The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 33%.
Original Research by School Decision on Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert
Learning Foundation and Performing Arts Gilbert is a charter school serving grades seven through twelve in the town of Gilbert, a large, primarily residential suburb of Phoenix. The school sits on Gilbert Road, one of the town’s major arterials, in a community that has transformed over recent decades from an agricultural hub into a fast-growing master-planned suburban area with single-family subdivisions, retail centers, and medical campuses.
The school’s enrollment is small for a secondary school serving six grade levels. The student body is diverse, with a mix of white, Hispanic, and Black students, along with smaller shares of multiracial and American Indian students. The school reports no data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or on special education and English learner populations, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those support services.
State test results for the 2024-25 school year are limited and mixed. Eighth-grade reading proficiency was reported and fell below the midpoint when compared with other schools across Maricopa County, while all other tested subjects and grade levels had results suppressed by the state, so a full academic picture is hard to draw from the available data. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint among districts in Maricopa County. Data for seventh-grade math and reading, eighth-grade math and science, and any high-school-level state assessments were all suppressed or missing. Because the school serves seventh through twelfth grade but testing data is reported only for seventh and eighth grade, a parent interested in how the high school grades perform on state measures will find little statistical evidence in the public record.
The school does not have a reported graduation rate, chronic absenteeism rate, or course access data, so those metrics cannot be evaluated here. A family considering this school may want to follow up directly on high school outcomes, including graduation rates and postsecondary pathways.
Gilbert itself has seen explosive population growth over several decades, though that pace has moderated. The housing market reflects the area’s desirability: home values are above the national median, and rents are similarly elevated. The town is car-dependent outside of a small historic Heritage District along Gilbert Road that features restaurants, murals, and civic buildings. Major employers include school districts, healthcare systems, and defense and professional services firms.
The charter school’s parent organization, CAFA Inc. dba Learning Foundation and Performing Arts, showed no recent district-level changes of note in publicly reported sources.
For a family weighing whether this school fits, the key considerations are the small size, the charter structure, and the limited public test data. The school’s focus on performing arts is part of its identity, though specific program offerings were not detailed in the available data. A parent who values a small setting and is comfortable seeking additional information directly from the school about high school outcomes, special populations support, and program specifics may find this a reasonable option to explore further. A family that prioritizes easily accessible comparative performance data or wants to see a full run of state test results across all grade levels may find the information gaps a challenge.
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