Florence K-8, Florence AZ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Florence K-8

Florence K-8 sits in the historic town of Florence, the Pinal County seat, a place that blends Old West character with a large correctional-facility presence and new master-planned development on its outskirts. The school itself is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the Florence Unified School District, which promotes itself as a district of choice with open enrollment, one-to-one technology, and career and technical education offerings.

This is a large K-8 campus for its grade band. The student body is majority Hispanic and white, with smaller populations of students who are two or more races, Black, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are English learners was not available.

The academic picture from state testing is one that families will want to examine closely. On the most recent state assessments, proficiency rates in math fell below one in four students at every grade level. The strongest performance was in sixth grade, where just over a quarter of students met the mark, and the lowest was in fourth grade. In English language arts, results were more varied. Fourth graders posted the highest rate, with more than two in five students proficient. Every other grade tested in ELA showed proficiency rates between roughly one in five and one in three. Science results were also low, with about one in five fifth graders and a similar share of eighth graders at or above the proficient bar.

When compared against other districts in Pinal County, Florence K-8 sits below the midpoint in overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to evaluate. Parents looking for a multi-year trend will find that the available data is limited, with only a couple of years of comparable results, making it hard to say whether performance is clearly improving or declining.

The school reports a discipline record, course access data, and staffing ratios; those figures were not present in the available data. Similarly, program offerings beyond what the district as a whole describes were not listed in the school’s profile. The district’s emphasis on CTE and one-to-one technology may not reach a K-8 building in the same way it does the high school, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about what those opportunities look like for elementary and middle school students.

Florence is a town where growth is a real factor. It has added new homes steadily in recent years, most visibly in the Anthem master-planned community northwest of the historic downtown. The school sits near the historic core, just off Park Street, in a part of town that is car-dependent outside of a walkable Main Street district. Housing values in the area are slightly below the state benchmark, which is something for families who are considering relocating. Rents have been climbing modestly.

For the family considering this school, the decision likely comes down to fit. The campus is large and serves a wide grade span, which means a child could attend from kindergarten through eighth grade without switching schools. The academic numbers are a soft spot, and a parent may want to have a direct conversation with the principal about what supports are in place for students who are not yet proficient and what the school’s approach is to raising achievement. The district’s open enrollment policy means that families living outside the attendance boundary can still apply to attend Florence K-8, which may expand options. On the other side, families who live in the attendance area also have the option to open enroll elsewhere in the district if another school is a better match.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 28% · ▼ 10 pts below district

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

Grade 413%

School 13% · District 26% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 514%

School 14% · District 22% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 19% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 14% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 15% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 320%

School 20% · District 23% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 34% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 19% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 22% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 27% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 30% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 22% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

This schoolFlorence Unified School District (4437), 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.