Manuel Pena Jr. School, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Manuel Pena Jr. School

Manuel Pena Jr. School is a regular public elementary school in the Cartwright Elementary District, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. It sits in Phoenix, a large, sprawling urban center that grew fast over recent decades and continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The city’s built environment is car-oriented, with wide roadways and a precise grid, reflecting a pattern common across very large Sun Belt cities. The school itself is located in the western part of the city, and its grade band means families will need to plan for a transition to a middle school after sixth grade.

State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year, covering math, English language arts, and science, place the school’s overall proficiency index in the bottom quartile relative to all districts in Maricopa County. In math, proficiency rates in grades three through six were low, with a modest uptick by sixth grade. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with low proficiency across the board, though a slightly higher share of fourth graders met the bar compared to the lower grades. Science results, available only for fifth graders, also showed a low proficiency rate. A parent considering this school would want to look into what academic intervention and support programs are in place, as these numbers point to a student body that faces substantial challenges meeting grade-level standards.

The student population is heavily concentrated in a few racial and ethnic groups. The large majority of students are Hispanic, and a substantial share are Black. Smaller numbers of students are American Indian or Alaska Native, white, Asian, or of two or more races. Data on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, English learner status, and special education identification were not available in the source data, so families should ask the school directly about the extent of these supports and resources. Given the school’s grade span and its demographic profile, it is reasonable to expect that many students come from households with limited economic resources, though the exact share is not reported here.

The housing market in the school’s zip code reflects a more affordable corner of the Phoenix metro area. Home values sit below the national median, and rents are moderate. Both home values and rents have slipped somewhat in the most recent year, which may be relevant for families weighing a move to the neighborhood. Phoenix’s economy is broad, with concentrations in technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services, and major employers include aerospace and electronics firms. The city’s job base has drawn steady population growth, though the school’s immediate area is residential and typical of the west-side suburbs.

No recent district-level changes were publicly available in the sources reviewed, and the school itself appears to operate without a magnet or charter designation. For a family weighing options, Manuel Pena Jr. School offers a full prekindergarten-through-elementary pathway within a large urban district, but the current academic results are a clear area of concern that merits direct conversation with school leadership.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 24% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 23% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 19% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 14% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 16% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 27%

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 21%

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

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 23% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 17% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

This schoolCartwright Elementary District (4282), 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.