Empower College Prep, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Empower College Prep

Empower College Prep is a charter school in Phoenix serving kindergarten through eighth grade. It is a single-school charter organization, so the school and its district are the same entity. The school is located on West Colter Street, in a residential and commercial area of the city.

The student body at Empower College Prep is heavily Hispanic, with a large majority of students identifying as such. Black students make up a meaningful share of the school’s enrollment, while white, Asian, and Native American students each represent a very small portion. The school serves roughly 680 students. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not available. The same goes for the share of students with IEPs or who are English learners. A parent looking to understand the full support picture at the school would need to ask the school directly for those figures.

State testing results for the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are low across every grade that was reported. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient ranged from about 15 percent in seventh grade to 35 percent in fourth grade. In math, proficiency rates fell between roughly 19 percent in eighth grade and 31 percent in third, fourth, and sixth grades. The fifth-grade math rate was a bit lower. The results for seventh-grade math and for sixth-grade English language arts and fifth-grade science were suppressed, meaning the state did not release them, likely due to small group sizes. The eighth-grade science proficiency rate was reported at 15 percent, which is also low. When the school’s overall proficiency is compared against other districts in Maricopa County, Empower College Prep falls in the bottom quarter. These are soft spots in the school’s performance; a family weighing the school should consider what academic support and intervention the school offers and talk with the school about its approach.

Because Empower College Prep ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report. The school’s academic pathway is entirely focused on the elementary and middle grades. There was no data provided on program offerings, such as gifted and talented, arts, or extracurriculars. A family interested in those aspects would need to inquire with the school directly.

Phoenix is a large, rapidly growing urban center. The school sits within a city that is a transportation and economic hub for the region, with a mix of industries including technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services. The housing market in the area has seen modest softening recently. Home values in the zip code are below the state median but close to the national median. Rents have also eased slightly. National mortgage rates have been at elevated levels. These conditions shape the broader affordability context for families living in the area.

There were no notable recent changes or developments at the district level reported in the search. The school operates as a single-charter entity without a larger district structure behind it. For parents, that means there is a single point of contact for school governance and decisions. The school’s charter status means it is publicly funded but operates with some independence from traditional district policies. A family considering Empower College Prep should weigh the school’s academic performance data carefully and seek direct information about supports, programs, and school culture from the school itself.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

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

Grade 431%

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

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

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 23% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 631%

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

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 35%

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

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

This schoolEmpower College Prep (91277), 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.