Freedom Traditional Academy, Surprise AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Freedom Traditional Academy

Freedom Traditional Academy is a regular public school in Surprise, serving prekindergarten through eighth grade. It sits within the Dysart Unified District, which recently rebranded as Dysart Schools and restructured several campuses to split elementary and middle school grades over the past few years. This school is one of the district's K–8 models, meaning students stay in the same building through the full span of elementary and middle school, a setup some families prefer for continuity.

Academically, the school posts strong results on Arizona’s state assessments. Proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are well above typical levels across most tested grades. Third grade math, seventh and eighth grade English language arts, and eighth grade science all show especially high attainment. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to districts in Maricopa County, a competitive field that includes hundreds of districts. A couple of grade-level results come in softer: fifth grade reading and sixth grade math are lower than the school’s own strong trend, and a parent may want to ask the school how it supports students at those transition points. Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Science results are available for grades five and eight and are solid, particularly at the upper grade.

The student body is diverse. About half of the students are White, roughly two-fifths are Hispanic, and the remainder includes Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, receiving special education services, or learning English as a second language was not available. That gap limits a full picture of the student support context; families may wish to ask the school directly about its programs for students with additional needs.

The district itself has been through notable changes. Starting in 2021, Dysart reconfigured eight schools into separate elementary and middle grade campuses, altering feeder patterns. This school appears to have retained its K–8 structure, but parents heading into high school should confirm which campus their child would attend after eighth grade, as the district’s high schools are separate. The district also rebranded in 2022, a signal of shifting identity.

Surprise, the city that houses the school, is a fast-growing suburban community northwest of Phoenix. It was long a small agricultural settlement before exploding in population driven by master-planned communities, including large active-adult retirement developments. Today the city has a sprawling, car-dependent layout with major arterial roads and limited public transit. The recreation campus at the city center—home to Surprise Stadium, a library, parks, and an aquatics center—functions as a walkable hub, but schools are dispersed across the city’s wide geography. The local housing market reflects the area’s growth: home values and rents are moderately above national norms, and the area has seen a slight recent dip in values.

For a family, Freedom Traditional Academy presents a K–8 option with consistently high academic performance in a growing suburban setting. Its top-quartile testing profile among Maricopa County districts is a clear academic strength. The missing data on economic and special population indicators means a parent should probe what support structures look like for students who need extra help. The school’s size and stable grade configuration may appeal to those who want their child in one community through middle school before transitioning to a larger high school. The city’s rapid growth means continued development and amenities, but also a reliance on cars and a spread-out landscape.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 394%

School 94% · District 46% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 50 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 30% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 593%

School 93% · District 30% · ▲ 63 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 33% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 776%

School 76% · District 27% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 44 pts above state median · ▲ 43 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 37% · ▲ 47 pts above district

▲ 52 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 381%

School 81% · District 41% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 37 pts above county median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 40% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 564%

School 64% · District 33% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Grade 680%

School 80% · District 46% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 794%

School 94% · District 50% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 51 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 895%

School 95% · District 51% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 55 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

Science

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 43% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 42% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

This schoolDysart Unified District (4243), 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.