The top reported proficiency rate is 23% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Magma Ranch K8 School
Magma Ranch K8 School serves students from preschool through eighth grade in Florence, Arizona, as part of the Florence Unified School District. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits within a town that blends historic small-town character with significant correctional-facility employment and new master-planned residential growth. Florence itself is the Pinal County seat, with a preserved Main Street National Historic District, adobe buildings, and an annual rodeo, but its population skews adult-heavy due to the prison population and retirement communities. The town has grown steadily, with new home construction and the Anthem master-planned community northwest of the historic core, and it sits roughly equidistant from Phoenix and Tucson.
Magma Ranch K8 School serves students from preschool through eighth grade. The student body is diverse, with a substantial share of students identifying as Hispanic and a large share identifying as White, along with smaller populations of students who are Black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. 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 in the data provided.
State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year are limited. For several grade levels in math and English language arts, proficiency rates were suppressed, meaning the data was not reported publicly. For the grades where results were available, the picture is mixed. In sixth-grade math, about one in six students scored proficient or above. In sixth-grade English language arts, roughly one in five students met that bar. Seventh-grade English language arts showed a similar rate, and eighth-grade English language arts was slightly higher, at just over one in four. Science results for fifth grade showed about one in five students proficient or above. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places Magma Ranch in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Pinal County. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand the full picture, especially since results for several grade levels were suppressed and not publicly reported.
The school serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, so there is no graduation rate to report. That is a function of the grade band, not a missing metric.
Florence itself is a town with a distinctive character. Its historic downtown Main Street is walkable and preserved, with buildings on the National Register, a historic courthouse, and the Pinal County Historical Museum. Outside that core, the town is car-dependent, spread across the Sonoran Desert. The local economy is dominated by government and corrections, with nine correctional institutions in and around Florence, along with the school district, a hospital, and retail. The town has grown steadily, with new home construction and the Anthem master-planned community northwest of downtown. Housing values in the area are below the state average, and rents are moderate relative to incomes.
The Florence Unified School District, of which Magma Ranch is a part, promotes itself as a district of educational choice with open enrollment, meaning families can apply to attend schools outside their boundary area. The district also emphasizes career and technical education programs and 1:1 technology. No specific bond, override, or curriculum-referendum results from recent years were surfaced in the available information.
For a family considering Magma Ranch K8 School, the key takeaway is that this is a school where state assessment results are limited and, where available, show proficiency rates that are below the midpoint among Pinal County districts. The school serves a broad pre-K through eighth grade span in a growing town with a distinctive economy and a mix of historic and new development. The district offers open enrollment and CTE programs, though those are more relevant at the high school level. A parent would want to visit the school, ask about the suppressed test data, and understand how the school supports students academically before making a decision.
See more original research from School Decision →