Original Research by School Decision on Pace
PACE is a regular public high school in Casa Grande, Arizona, serving grades nine through twelve as part of the Casa Grande Union High School District. It is not a charter or magnet school. The school opened recently, and its enrollment is small, with only a couple of dozen students spread across the first two years of high school. That size alone defines the student experience: the school is small enough that every student is known individually, and the academic and social environment is intimate.
The student body is diverse. A little over half of the students identify as Hispanic, with White students making up the next largest group. Smaller shares of students are Black, multiracial, and American Indian or Alaska Native. The school reports no data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor on students with disabilities or English learners, so the share of the student population that comes from low-income households or receives special education services is not available for review.
Academically, there is a major gap in the evidence. The school has no reported state assessment results, no graduation rate, and no chronic absenteeism data. Because the school operates within the regular public school system, state testing would normally apply, but the data was simply not present in the available records. The same is true for the four-year graduation rate. Without these core measures, it is not possible to give a read on the school’s academic performance, whether proficiency levels, college readiness, or how well it serves students through to graduation. A parent or resident looking for a clear picture of student outcomes will find none here.
The comparison fact-set, which places PACE relative to other districts in Pinal County, could not compute any of its standard metrics—proficiency, graduation rate, or chronic absenteeism—because the school’s own data was missing. That leaves PACE unpositioned against its neighbors in the county on these fundamental measures.
Casa Grande itself is a city in transition. Once rooted in agriculture, it has grown rapidly, drawing residents who commute to Phoenix or Tucson and attracting major industrial employers like Lucid Motors. The population has increased sharply in recent years, and the city has invested in infrastructure like a freeway overpass to support continued commercial development. The housing market reflects this growth: home values in the area are somewhat below the state benchmark but remain above the national median, and rents have been rising moderately. The city is car-dependent, with a highway network and limited public transit options.
The district, Casa Grande Union High School District, was searched for recent parent-relevant changes, but no confirmed updates of lasting impact were found beyond basic fiscal and profile information.
What PACE offers is a very small, regular high school setting in a fast-growing city. Its size means close relationships and a contained environment. But the absence of any academic achievement data, graduation rates, or program details such as Advanced Placement, career pathways, or dual-credit options makes it difficult to assess the quality or direction of the academic pathway. There is no information on course access, staffing, or discipline. A family considering this school would want to ask the school directly about student outcomes, course offerings, and support services, because the public record does not provide those answers.
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