The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Gary A. Knox Elementary School
Gary A. Knox Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Yuma, Arizona, as part of the Crane Elementary District. The school is a regular public school. The student body, serving children in this grade band, is overwhelmingly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of white students and very small numbers of students identifying as Asian, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, who receive special education services, or who are classified as English learners was not available, which limits a full picture of the school’s support needs and resource demands.
Yuma itself is a city with a mix of residential, commercial, military, and agricultural activity. It is the county seat, and agriculture, the Marine Corps Air Station, and Yuma Proving Ground are major economic forces. The city sees a seasonal influx of winter visitors. The larger built environment is sprawling and car-dependent, though there is a historic downtown. A parent or resident considering this school should be aware of the city’s broad geography and the commute patterns that come with it.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Knox Elementary’s proficiency rates in math and English language arts were generally below the state average, with some variation by grade. In math, the share of students scoring proficient ranged from a lower point in third grade to a somewhat higher point in fifth grade, with fourth and sixth grades falling in between. In English language arts, fourth graders posted a notably higher proficiency rate than the other tested grades, while third, fifth, and sixth graders were each below that level. Science results for fifth graders showed a similar pattern, with a modest share of students meeting the proficiency benchmark. Compared to other schools within Yuma County, Knox Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands above the midpoint of the distribution, meaning it performs better than several of its peers in the county, though the spread runs from a low floor to a very high performer elsewhere.
There are no multi-year trend data available to see whether performance is moving up or down over time, as only the single year of results was reported for this analysis. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies.
The Crane Elementary District, which includes Knox, successfully passed a maintenance and operations budget override in late 2023. That override is in effect for a span of years and is intended to fund smaller class sizes, art, music, physical education, and teacher and staff compensation. This is a concrete change that directly affects the classroom environment and program offerings across the district’s elementary and middle schools, including Knox. For a family, this means the district has made a public commitment to preserving enrichment programming and competitive pay, which can influence teacher retention and the breadth of what is available to students.
Support for students with disabilities and English learners could not be assessed from the available data. A parent with a child who may need special education services or language support would want to contact the school directly to understand what is in place. No information on chronic absenteeism or discipline patterns was available, so those are also factors a family may wish to ask about.
Overall, Knox Elementary serves a predominantly Hispanic student body in a mid-sized desert city with a strong agricultural and military base. Its academic results, while modest in absolute terms, place it in the middle-to-higher range among its county peers. The district’s recent override vote signals an effort to maintain class-size limits and enrichment programming. Families looking at this school will want to follow up on support services and enrichment specifics directly with the school.
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