The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in English language arts. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Copper Rim Elementary School
Copper Rim Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Globe Unified District. The school sits in Globe, a small historic mining town that serves as the Gila County seat. The local economy depends heavily on copper mining, government functions, tourism, and retirees. The population has been slowly declining in recent years, and the community is focused on infrastructure recovery after historic flooding. A car is needed to get around the broader area, though downtown Globe’s Broad Street has a walkable historic core with shops, restaurants, and civic buildings.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year are available for English language arts, math, and science, with a note that some grade-level results were suppressed for privacy reasons where testing groups were small. In the grades where results were reported, the share of students reaching the proficient level was in the mid-to-high single digits to the low twenties, depending on the subject and grade. For example, English language arts proficiency rates were in the teens across third, fourth, and fifth grades. Math proficiency in fifth grade was in the low teens, and science proficiency in fifth grade was similarly modest. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Gila County. Multi-year trend data is limited to a single academic year, so it is not possible to assess whether performance is improving or declining over time. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to evaluate.
The student body is diverse. More than one in four students are Hispanic, roughly one in three are White, and about one in five are American Indian or Alaska Native, reflecting the school’s location near the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. Smaller shares identify as two or more races, Asian, Black, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Enrollment totals are in the mid-hundreds, making this a moderately sized elementary school for its grade band. Data on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available in the current data, so families may wish to ask the school directly about these supports and resources.
The community context surrounding Copper Rim Elementary is one of modest housing costs relative to state and national benchmarks. Typical home values in the area are well below the state median, and the housing market has seen a slight recent decline. The town’s economic anchors include the copper smelter, Gila County government, the regional medical center, and the nearby casino resort. The school district itself did not have any major recent changes such as boundary shifts, budget overrides, or curriculum reforms reported in publicly available information, so parents considering the school may want to check with the district office for any planned initiatives.
For a family evaluating Copper Rim Elementary, the academic picture is one where state test results show a modest share of students meeting proficiency benchmarks across the core subjects. The school is not among the higher-performing elementary schools in the county on this measure. The student population is racially and ethnically diverse, and the town offers a quiet, small-city atmosphere with a historic downtown but limited public transit and a slowly declining population. Families who value a close-knit community and lower housing costs may find the setting appealing, while those seeking stronger standardized test outcomes may want to look further into what academic interventions or enrichment programs the school offers.
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