The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Math. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on C I Waggoner School
C I Waggoner School sits in Tempe, an inner suburb of Phoenix that blends a dense, urbanized core around Arizona State University with quieter, more suburban neighborhoods to the south. The school itself is a regular public elementary serving prekindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Kyrene Elementary District. Housing costs in the area are high relative to state and national averages, a reflection of the region’s desirability and its position near both a major university and the broader Phoenix job market.
The student body is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Data on economic disadvantage, special education, and English learner status were not available in the provided records, so those aspects of the school’s support profile remain unclear. The school enrolls what is a typical size for an elementary school in this grade band.
Academically, C I Waggoner School posts results that place it above the midpoint among districts across Maricopa County when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In math, most tested grade levels saw a majority of students meeting proficiency standards, with slightly stronger performance in fourth and fifth grade than in third. In English language arts, results showed a similar pattern in third and fourth grade, where more than half of students were proficient, but fifth grade dipped below that mark, with less than half reaching the bar. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, showed a smaller share of students proficient. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested grades and subjects, sits above the typical level for the county, suggesting that while some subject areas are stronger than others, the school’s academic foundation is solid relative to its regional peers. Only a single year of assessment data was available in the records, so trends over time could not be examined.
Because the school serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, and measures like chronic absenteeism were also absent from the data. The school’s environment and access details, including discipline and staffing, were not reported in the information provided.
The Kyrene Elementary District, of which Waggoner is a part, secured a continuation of an existing operating override in 2022, maintaining funding for programs including art, music, physical education, foreign languages, and smaller class sizes. That override represents sustained investment in offerings that go beyond the core academic curriculum, a factor families may weigh when considering the school.
Tempe itself is a college town where ASU’s main campus is woven into the downtown fabric, with the Mill Avenue entertainment district, Tempe Town Lake, and major shopping destinations like Tempe Marketplace and Arizona Mills nearby. The northern part of the city is denser and more walkable, with light rail connecting to Phoenix and Mesa, while the southern half where the school is located is more auto-oriented, with single-family homes and office parks. The area has seen commercial and high-rise growth along the lake and continues to expand as a center of education and commerce.
For a family looking at C I Waggoner School, the picture is of a school that performs above the average for its county but shows variability by grade and subject, particularly a softer showing in fifth-grade reading and overall science. The district’s continued investment in enrichment programs adds to the school’s offerings. The high housing costs in the ZIP code mean that families living in the attendance zone likely represent a relatively advantaged economic context, though the absence of free and reduced-price lunch data makes that hard to confirm directly. The school’s size and demographics are straightforward for the area. Parents would want to look into the dip in fifth-grade literacy and the limited science outcomes further with the school to understand what supports are in place.
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