Mesquite Elementary, Yuma AZ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mesquite Elementary

Mesquite Elementary is a regular public school in Yuma, Arizona, serving students from prekindergarten through sixth grade. It is part of the Crane Elementary District, a district that primarily educates elementary-aged children. The school sits within a community that blends agriculture, military presence, and seasonal tourism, with a sprawling, car-dependent layout outside a historic downtown core.

On state assessments, the school’s overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects places it below the midpoint relative to districts in Yuma County. In math, roughly one in three third graders met the proficiency standard, while in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades the share was closer to one in five. In English language arts, the pattern was somewhat higher: about a third of third graders, a third of fourth graders, about three in ten fifth graders, and nearly four in ten sixth graders scored proficient. In science, the only tested grade was fifth, where about three in ten students reached proficiency. These figures give a clear picture of a school where most students are not yet hitting the state’s academic benchmarks, and a family considering the school may want to discuss how the school supports students who are below grade level.

Because Mesquite serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism were not available, nor were counts of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, students in special education, or English learners. A parent looking into these support systems would need to ask the school directly for that picture.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of White students and even smaller numbers from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The enrollment is sizable for an elementary school, and the school runs a prekindergarten program. No information about program offerings such as gifted education, music, arts, or extracurriculars was present in the data, so families should inquire directly about what is available.

The housing context around the school reflects a market that is moderately priced compared to state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents that are not extreme. The typical monthly mortgage in the area runs somewhat higher than the typical rent, suggesting that renting may be the more accessible option for many households. Yuma itself has a modest population that swells seasonally with winter visitors, and the local economy is anchored in farming, the Marine Corps Air Station, and trucking logistics. The city’s historic downtown is a cultural hub, but the broader built environment is suburban and auto-oriented.

In the district, voters approved a maintenance and operations budget override in the November 2023 election, a move publicly reported as supporting smaller class sizes, art, music, physical education, and teacher and staff compensation. For a family, that override signals a district-level investment in classroom conditions and enrichment programming, though how those resources reach Mesquite specifically is not detailed in the available data.

Mesquite Elementary is a school where academic proficiency is a challenge across both math and reading, and where the available data leave several important questions unanswered. The school is part of a district that recently secured voter support for additional funding, and it serves a community shaped by Yuma’s agricultural and military economy. A parent weighing this school would benefit from a direct conversation with the school about instruction, intervention, and the full range of services and activities it offers.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 31% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 37% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 35% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 333%

School 33% · District 30% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 42% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 35% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 37% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Science

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 30% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

This schoolCrane Elementary District (4501), 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.