Inca Elementary School, Buckeye AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Inca Elementary School

Inca Elementary School serves students from preschool through eighth grade in Buckeye, Arizona, as a regular public school within the Buckeye Elementary District. The school sits in a city that blends historic agricultural roots with rapid suburban expansion. Buckeye was founded as a farming community along the Buckeye Canal and remains a major producer of Pima cotton, but it has transformed into one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, with nearly thirty master-planned communities under development. That growth gives the area a mix of original small-town downtown character along Monroe Avenue and sprawling suburban neighborhoods built around car travel. Major employers include the state government, Walmart, and the school districts themselves, while newer economic anchors include a battery cell manufacturer and large distribution centers. The housing market in the area has seen home values around the national median, with rents slightly above what would normally be considered affordable relative to national median income; a parent should evaluate their own budget against local conditions.

The school itself has an enrollment that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of white, Black, and multiracial students, and very small numbers of Asian, Native American, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not available, and information on students with disabilities or English learners was also missing, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports.

State testing results for the most recent school year show a pattern of low proficiency across grades and subjects. In math, the percentage of students meeting the state’s proficiency standard ranged from roughly one-sixth to one-third of students depending on the grade level, with most grades landing near the lower end of that range. In English language arts, proficiency rates were similarly modest, spanning from just over one-fifth to about one-third of students. In science, the share of fifth-grade students proficient was under one-fifth, and eighth-grade science proficiency was similarly low. Eighth-grade math results were not reported due to data suppression, though the number of students tested was large enough that a parent may want to follow up with the school for that information. Compared with other districts in Maricopa County, Inca Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quarter of the distribution. Because the school serves only kindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report.

The school’s academic profile is a soft point. Proficiency levels are well below what families might hope for, and the data does not show improvement over recent years. The school reports an overall proficiency index that places it among the lowest-performing schools in Maricopa County for which data is available. That said, the data is limited to a single year of assessment results, and no trend information was provided from prior years, so a parent would benefit from asking the school about specific academic interventions, curriculum changes, or support programs being implemented.

The broader district context includes rapid growth. Buckeye Elementary District opened John S. McCain III Elementary School as a new K-8 school, which publicly reported expansion in capacity for a fast-growing area. New schools can shift attendance boundaries and ease overcrowding, but the district brief did not provide information about whether boundaries have changed or whether Inca Elementary has been affected. No additional information was available about program offerings, such as gifted education, arts, or career pathways; the data provided shows no course access or staffing details. A parent considering Inca Elementary should seek out current information on class sizes, enrichment programs, and how the school supports students who are below grade level, as the testing results suggest that many students need additional academic support. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet, and no information about Title I status was provided.

Families who value being in a rapidly growing area with new housing developments and access to regional parks such as Skyline Regional Park may find Buckeye appealing, but they should weigh that against the academic challenges visible in the school’s state assessment results. The school serves a diverse student body in a community that is still building its infrastructure, and the academic data points to a place where improvement efforts would likely be the central topic for any incoming parent.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 33%

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

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 34% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 21% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 616%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 716%

School 16% · District 21% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 22% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 522%

School 22% · District 26% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 622%

School 22% · District 30% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 31% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 32% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 26% · ▼ 8 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 23% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

This schoolBuckeye Elementary District (4269), 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.