Leman Academy of Excellence-oro Valley Arizona, Oro Valley AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Leman Academy of Excellence-oro Valley Arizona

Leman Academy of Excellence-Oro Valley is a K-8 charter school in a fast-growing, affluent corner of Pima County. It operates as a regular public school under the state's charter system, meaning it is publicly funded but operates independently of the local district. Its parent organization is Leman Academy of Excellence Inc., which runs a small network of similar schools in Arizona.

What a parent will notice first is the academic profile. On the most recent state assessments, which the school reports across all grades from third through eighth, the results cluster at a level that places the school in the top quartile of schools within Pima County. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient is consistently solid, with several grade levels landing in the mid-sixties or higher. One grade, sixth, stands out with a notably strong result. Math proficiency is more mixed. It still sits above the county median overall, but there is a visible dip in some middle-grade years, and the lowest proficiency rate in math appears at eighth grade. Science results, available for fifth and eighth grades, show a smaller share of students reaching proficiency, a pattern common across many schools where science attainment tends to trail literacy. A parent with an eye on STEM preparation may want to ask the school directly how it addresses science instruction in those grades.

The school serves a large student body for a charter serving only through eighth grade. Its racial and ethnic composition is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. The data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner status is not reported here, so a parent who needs information on those supports should request it directly from the school.

The community around the school shapes the daily experience. Oro Valley is an upscale suburban town that has grown rapidly in recent decades, with a built environment built around cars and segmented residential subdivisions. Its economy is anchored by a cluster of biotech, medical, and technology employers in Innovation Park, including some well-known names. The town's public life is centered on a large and active park system, including a major park with sports fields and a riverfront park with trails. There is no walkable downtown core in the traditional sense. The town has attracted many seasonal and second-home residents, which can shift its population patterns through the year.

Leman Academy of Excellence-Oro Valley is not part of the local district, but it shares the same town with schools in Amphitheater Public Schools. For families considering the area, the relationship between the charter and the district-run schools is worth understanding. The school itself has been operating as a charter, and no notable recent changes or disruptions have been reported for the parent organization.

In sum, this is a school with a clear academic strength in literacy and a position well above the typical school in Pima County on overall proficiency, though its math and science numbers are more uneven. It operates in an upscale, fast-growing suburb with a strong base of high-income jobs and large parks. A family considering this school will want to weigh the academic fit against the school's size, its charter model, and the particular strengths and gaps visible in the state test results. The absence of data on special education and English learner services means any family with a child who may need those supports should plan a direct conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 46% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 48% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 46% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

Grade 649%

School 49% · District 39% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 43% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 38% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 53% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 62% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 53% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 58% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 57% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 57% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 33% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 37% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

This schoolLeman Academy of Excellence Inc. (92730), 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.