Smoketree Elementary School, Lake Havasu City AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Smoketree Elementary School

Smoketree Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Lake Havasu City, part of the Lake Havasu Unified District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school, located in a residential neighborhood of a city that began as a planned recreational and retirement community on the Colorado River.

The student body is mixed in its racial and ethnic composition, with a majority of white students and a substantial share of Hispanic students, along with smaller numbers of students who are Asian, Black, 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.

On the most recent state assessments, Smoketree’s results showed a pattern of mixed proficiency across grades. In math, the share of students meeting the state standard declined as grade level rose, moving from a moderate share in third grade to a materially lower share in sixth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was somewhat different, with a dip in third grade, a peak in fourth grade, and then a decline in fifth and sixth grades, though sixth grade still showed a higher share than third grade. Science results for fifth grade were available and showed a share of students proficient that was consistent with the lower end of the school’s performance range. Because state testing begins in third grade, results for pre-kindergarten through second grade are not available. Looking at the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grade levels, Smoketree sits above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Mohave County.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on attendance or chronic absenteeism was not provided.

Lake Havasu City itself is a spread-out, car-oriented community of about 46 square miles, with commercial uses concentrated along major routes like State Route 95 rather than forming a dense walkable downtown. The most notable concentration of street life is around the London Bridge and the adjacent English Village. The city has more than 400 acres of parks, and the lake and its miles of shoreline are the primary recreational draw. The economy is driven by tourism, retail, health care, and education, and the city is also home to an Arizona State University research facility. Population has grown over time, with city planning documents projecting continued moderate growth, and the northern part of the city is seen as having the most room for future development.

For families considering Smoketree, the academic profile shows a school where proficiency in math tends to be higher in the early tested grades and lower by sixth grade, while reading results vary more by grade. A parent may want to ask the school about classroom supports, particularly in the upper elementary grades where math scores drop off, and about how the school addresses third-grade reading, which was the weakest of the tested grades. The school is one of several elementary options within Lake Havasu Unified, which also includes Oro Grande Classical Academy, a classical education program the district opened recently for families seeking that model.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 44% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 44% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 50% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 34% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 45% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 39% · ▲ 2 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 51% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Science

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

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

This schoolLake Havasu Unified District (4368), 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.