Centerra Mirage Stem Academy, Goodyear AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Centerra Mirage Stem Academy

Centerra Mirage STEM Academy serves students from preschool through eighth grade in Goodyear, a suburban city west of Phoenix that has grown rapidly in recent years. The school is part of the Avondale Elementary District. The name signals a science, technology, engineering, and math focus, but no specific program details or course offerings were available in the data reviewed, so a family would want to ask the school directly what that emphasis looks like in practice.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a meaningful White enrollment and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. The school's overall size is typical for an elementary-through-middle-grade campus in this part of the metro area. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, receiving special education services, or identified as English learners was not reported in the available records, which leaves an important gap in understanding the level of support a child might need or the economic context of the peer environment.

On state assessments from the most recent testing year, the school's combined proficiency across math, English language arts, and science landed below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Maricopa County. Looking grade by grade, math results varied. In the early elementary grades, roughly half of fifth graders met proficiency, but the rates dropped in upper elementary and middle school, with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math showing a much smaller share at the proficient level. English language arts followed a somewhat similar pattern but with less dramatic drops: between roughly a quarter and two-fifths of students scored proficient across grades three through eight, with the highest showing in fourth and eighth grades. Science, tested in fifth and eighth grades, returned about a quarter of students at proficiency. The data contained only a single year of results for the current test format, so no trend line is available yet to see whether performance is moving up or down over time.

Goodyear itself is a car-dependent place defined by master-planned subdivisions and separated commercial strips rather than a walkable downtown core. The city recently opened a new civic complex that combines city hall, a library, and park space, aiming to create a more centralized gathering spot. Population growth has been strong, driven by large residential communities that continue to add homes. Home values in the area sit roughly in line with the state average, and rents are moderate relative to local incomes. The housing market has softened somewhat in the most recent year, though it remains within the broader Phoenix metro pattern.

The school's district did not have publicly reported recent changes such as budget overrides, bond measures, or major curriculum shifts that met the threshold for lasting impact. Families considering Centerra Mirage STEM Academy should note that while the school's overall test results sit lower than many peer districts in the county, some grade levels and subjects perform differently than others. The most notable soft spots are in middle-grade math and in science, where fewer than one in three students reached the proficient bar. A parent may want to investigate further with the school to understand what academic interventions or enrichment are in place, particularly as students move into the upper grades. The lack of data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner enrollment also makes it harder to gauge the full support resources available. For a family weighing options in Goodyear's growing suburban landscape, this school offers a PK-8 pathway through a regular public school setting with a stated STEM orientation, but the academic picture as measured by state tests suggests room for improvement, and a direct conversation with the school about curriculum and student support would be a wise next step.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 35% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 28% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 26% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 620%

School 20% · District 19% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 27% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 30% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 25% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 35% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 28% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 38% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 42% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 44% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 23% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 30% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolAvondale Elementary District (4272), 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.