The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Asu Preparatory Academy - Phoenix Middle School
ASU Preparatory Academy – Phoenix Middle School serves grades five through eight as a charter school in Arizona. It is a regular school, not a magnet or alternative program. The school sits in Phoenix, a large, sprawling urban center that blends commercial, residential, and industrial uses across a vast footprint. Phoenix has a car-oriented built environment with wide, gridded roadways. The city is among the fastest-growing in the nation, with an economy concentrated in high-technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services. Sky Harbor International Airport is a key transportation facility. Major civic anchors include Papago Park, South Mountain, the Phoenix Art Museum, and Chase Field. The district itself, ASU Preparatory Academy, is a single-school charter with limited public record of recent policy or tax changes; a search for recent district-level changes found little of lasting impact.
The school's enrollment is moderate for a middle school. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with other groups represented including Black students, White students, and a small number of Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available. Likewise, the data did not include counts or rates for students with disabilities or English learners, so a family cannot gauge those proportions from this source. State testing data for the 2024-25 school year supplies a picture of academic performance. In English language arts, proficiency rates were reported for each grade level and fell short of a majority, sitting in the low to mid-twenties for each tested grade. In mathematics, only grade six had a reported proficiency rate, also well below a majority; scores for grades five, seven, and eight were suppressed in the data. In science, grade five and grade eight results were reported and showed a similar pattern, with proficiency in the teens. Because some scores were suppressed, the full academic picture across all grades and subjects is not complete. A combined proficiency index, which averages all reported rates, placed this school in the bottom quartile among the many districts in Maricopa County, a large and varied comparison set. This is a soft spot in the school's profile. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the academic support in place and the context behind the results.
The school is a charter, which means it operates with its own governance and enrollment policies within the public school system. It is not a Title I school, according to the available data, but that status was not confirmed in the source. There is no information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access in the provided data, so a parent cannot assess those dimensions from this source. Housing values in the school's zip code are near the national and state benchmarks, though prices have seen a modest decline recently. Rents also show a slight downward movement. The national 30-year fixed mortgage rate was at a moderate level at the time of the data, and the national unemployment rate was low, indicating a stable economic backdrop.
This is a charter middle school in a fast-growing, economically diverse city. Its academic proficiency numbers, where reported, are below the county median, which is a point for careful consideration. The school draws a student population that is largely Hispanic, and the charter structure gives it a distinct governance model. There is no information here about special programs, extracurriculars, or student supports, which would be essential for a family trying to match this school to a child's needs. The gaps in the civil rights and outcomes data, including discipline and absenteeism, are notable missing pieces. A family considering this school would want to visit, speak with the principal, and learn about the actual academic program and school climate, as the testing data alone raises questions that only the school itself can answer.
See more original research from School Decision →