The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cooley Middle School
Cooley Middle School serves grades six through eight in Gilbert, part of the Higley Unified School District. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it sits in a portion of this large, fast-growing Phoenix suburb. Gilbert has transformed from a farming community into a sprawling master-planned residential suburb with commercial corridors and a small historic downtown core, the Heritage District. The town remains incorporated and continues to develop, though at a slower pace than in earlier decades.
The student body is diverse in background. The largest group is white, making up a little over half of the enrollment. Hispanic students account for about a quarter of the student population, with smaller shares of Black, Asian, multiracial, and Native American or Pacific Islander students. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were figures on students with disabilities or English learners. A parent may wish to ask the school directly about these numbers.
Cooley’s state testing results give a mixed picture. In English language arts, the school’s seventh graders recorded proficiency that was slightly below the midpoint, while eighth graders were above that mark. In math, seventh-grade proficiency was in a similar range, and eighth-grade results were a bit higher. In science, the eighth-grade proficiency rate was lower than the school’s overall pattern. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared with other schools in Maricopa County. The data does not include a clear multi-year trend that can be reliably interpreted, as the assessment framework may have changed. This is a school where a family will want to look at the specific grade-level and subject-area numbers to gauge fit for their student.
Because Cooley is a middle school serving only through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. Enrollment is concentrated in seventh and eighth grades, with a very small number of sixth graders on record, which may reflect a reporting anomaly or a specific program arrangement.
The housing context in this area of Gilbert is expensive. Home values and rents are above the national average, and with the current mortgage rate environment, monthly costs are substantial. Rents, while still high, are lower than a typical mortgage payment. The broader economic picture shows stable unemployment and median household income that has seen modest recent growth, but affordability remains a real consideration for families moving into the district.
Overall, Cooley Middle School serves a middle-school population in an affluent suburban setting. Its academic performance is mixed, with English language arts results that improve from seventh to eighth grade, math hovering around the middle of the county, and science on the lower side. The school does not appear to offer programs or magnet themes that stand out from the data, so a family should look into course access, electives, and support services directly. The surrounding community is car-dependent, residential, and oriented toward families, with a civic core in the Heritage District and extensive park and recreation facilities. The rapid growth of earlier decades has settled, but the town remains a major Phoenix suburb with a strong employment base in education, healthcare, and government. This is a school that fits families already living in or moving to this part of Gilbert, with the understanding that the academic profile is average to slightly above average depending on the subject, and that a deeper look at supports for specific student groups would be worthwhile.
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