Gadsden Elementary School, Gadsden AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Gadsden Elementary School

Gadsden Elementary School is a regular public school serving students from Pre-K through grade 8 in the small, unincorporated colonia of Gadsden in Yuma County. The school is part of the Gadsden Elementary District, and the community it serves is overwhelmingly Hispanic, strongly agricultural, and has experienced population decline over recent years. Housing values in the area are below the state average, and the median household income in the CDP is low.

The school enrolls a population that is nearly entirely Hispanic, with a single white student recorded. While the total enrollment is modest for a PK-8 school, the grade-level distribution shows that the school serves Pre-K through grade 6 on-site; grades 7 and 8 show no enrollment, which may indicate that those students attend a different school or that the school’s grade configuration is shifting—the data notes grades served as PK through 8, but current enrollment is only through grade 6. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals was not reported, and data on students with disabilities and English learners was also missing. The district does offer free breakfast and lunch to all students through the federal Community Eligibility Provision, as confirmed by district sources.

State assessment results for the 2024-2025 school year are available for grades 4, 5, and 6 in math and English language arts, and for grade 5 in science, though the science result was suppressed. In math, proficiency rates ranged from around a quarter of students to just over two-fifths across those grades. In English language arts, proficiency was lower, with between about a fifth and a third of students meeting the bar, varying by grade. These results place the school’s overall proficiency index below the midpoint relative to other school districts in Yuma County. Only a single year of assessment data is available, so no trend can be assessed. A parent may want to discuss with the school how these results compare to local expectations and what supports are in place for students who are not yet at the proficient level.

Gadsden Elementary does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate applies. The district has implemented a new literacy program for early childhood education, aiming to build foundational reading skills for its youngest students. There is also an early college program that gives middle school students exposure to college-level coursework through partnerships with community colleges, though this program’s current reach and impact at the school were not detailed in the available information.

The community itself offers limited civic amenities and is characterized by rural housing and agricultural employment. The school serves as a central institution within this setting. Families considering Gadsden Elementary will find a small, tightly knit school serving a predominantly Hispanic student body in a low-income, agricultural area, with academic achievement that families will want to investigate further and monitor over time.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 36% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 34% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 34% · ▲ 2 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 35% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 32% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolGadsden Elementary District (4505), 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.