Legacy Traditional School - Goodyear, Goodyear AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Legacy Traditional School - Goodyear

Legacy Traditional School – Goodyear is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Goodyear, a fast-growing suburban city about a short drive west of downtown Phoenix. The school is part of the Legacy Traditional School network but operates as its own single-school charter district. It is not a magnet or Title I school, and its enrollment is moderate for its grade span.

The student body is diverse. About half of students identify as Hispanic, roughly a quarter as white, and smaller shares as Black, multiracial, Asian, or Native American. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals was not available, nor was information on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about its support programs for those populations.

On state assessments for the most recent year, Legacy Traditional – Goodyear performed well in mathematics in the lower elementary grades, with a strong showing in third grade. The proficiency rate declined in fourth grade relative to third, rose again in fifth, then dropped more sharply in sixth. In English language arts, performance was more consistent across grades, with the middle grades showing solid results. Science results for fifth graders were not as strong as the math and reading scores, indicating an area a parent may want to explore further. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Maricopa County. This is a meaningful benchmark because it compares Legacy Traditional – Goodyear against a large set of school systems, including the county’s many charter and traditional district schools.

Because the school serves only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The data does not show what academic track students move into after leaving the school, though Legacy Traditional also operates high schools elsewhere in the valley.

Goodyear itself is a car-dependent, master-planned city that has grown rapidly in recent years, with large residential communities such as Estrella and Palm Valley adding population. The school is located along Lower Buckeye Road, in a part of the city shaped by suburban development. Housing values in the zip code are slightly above the statewide benchmark, with rent at a similar level relative to the state. The school’s setting means most families drive their children to school; there is no traditional walkable downtown nearby.

This is a school where academic performance in math and reading in the early and middle grades is generally above what many families will find across the county. The drop in math proficiency between fifth and sixth grade, and the science scores, are aspects to discuss with the school to understand how it supports students as they move into the upper grades. For a family looking for a charter school in a growing outer-suburban area with a diverse student population, and whose child is in elementary or middle school, Legacy Traditional – Goodyear offers a solid academic profile, particularly in the early years. The absence of information about student support programs and economic demographics means that families seeking a fuller picture of who the school serves and how will need to go beyond the available data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 372%

School 72% · District 68% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 65% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 568%

School 68% · District 64% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 53% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 58% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 56% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 61% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 43%

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

This schoolLegacy Traditional School - Goodyear (1000283), 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.