The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lura Kinsey Elementary School
Lura Kinsey Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Flagstaff Unified District. The school is located in the southern part of Flagstaff, a city that blends a historic downtown built from local red sandstone with the presence of Northern Arizona University, tourism tied to the Grand Canyon and surrounding public lands, and federal scientific installations like the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Naval Observatory. The city remains a distribution hub and county seat, with an economy that draws on education, government, tourism, and distribution. Flagstaff’s downtown and university campus function as related but separate centers, and the broader city extends into suburban and auto-dependent areas.
Enrollment at Lura Kinsey is small for its grade band, creating a setting where students and staff are likely to know one another. The student body is diverse, with a clear demographic center. Just over half of the students are American Indian or Alaska Native, making this the largest group. Hispanic students make up about a fifth of enrollment, and white students account for a bit under a fifth. Smaller shares of students are Black, Asian, or of two or more races. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not available. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was also not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of support available for those students.
State testing results are available for a limited set of grades and subjects. For fourth grade, reading proficiency was reported at a rate that was moderate, while math proficiency for that same grade was lower. Results for third and fifth grade in both reading and math were suppressed, and science results for fifth grade were also suppressed, meaning the data was not released due to small numbers or other privacy considerations. The overall proficiency picture, combining all reported subjects and grades, places the school below the midpoint relative to other elementary schools in Coconino County. The school’s two-year trend data shows that overall proficiency in both reading and math was low in the first year and remained low in the second year, with reading slightly higher than math. A parent looking at these numbers may want to speak with the school about how instruction is tailored to support students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks.
Because Lura Kinsey serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The Flagstaff Unified District, which oversees the school, has expanded magnet programs that include bilingual and arts-focused options at other elementary schools, as well as dual-enrollment and career and technical education pathways at the high school level. The district also relies on local funding sources, including voter-approved overrides, which have been a topic of recent elections. For families considering Lura Kinsey, the school’s small size and its student composition are defining characteristics. The academic data points to a school where most students are not reaching grade-level standards in math and reading, and where the available testing information is incomplete due to suppression, making it hard to see a full picture from the data alone.
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