Trailside Point Performing Arts Academy, Laveen AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Trailside Point Performing Arts Academy

Trailside Point Performing Arts Academy is a regular public school in the Laveen Elementary District, serving kindergarten through eighth grade. Its name signals a dedicated focus on performing arts, which distinguishes it from other elementary and middle schools in the area. The school is not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status was not reported.

Laveen sits at the edge of rapid change. The community still carries a rural character shaped by decades of agriculture, but residential development has intensified, particularly since the opening of a major freeway extension. Large tracts of farmland sit alongside new housing developments, and activist groups have pushed for equestrian trails and open spaces to preserve the area’s feel. Much of Laveen has been annexed into Phoenix, though parts remain under county jurisdiction. The district recently passed a bond to build new classrooms and upgrade safety and technology, as well as a budget override that funds full-day kindergarten, art, music, physical education, and lower class sizes. These investments signal that the district is responding to enrollment growth and trying to maintain program breadth.

The student body is large and diverse. A substantial share of students identify as Hispanic, and a significant portion as Black. Smaller shares are white, multiracial, American Indian, or Asian. Information on the share of students receiving free or reduced-price meals was not available, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a family would want to ask the school directly about how it supports those groups.

On state assessments, proficiency rates in math and English language arts are low for most grade levels. Across tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Maricopa County. In math, the proportion of students meeting the proficiency bar is consistently low in every tested grade from third through eighth. In English language arts, rates are also low, though there is some variation by grade, with one middle-grade cohort reaching a higher share. Science results for eighth grade are similarly low. Fifth-grade science and fifth-grade English language arts results were suppressed in the data, so a full picture for that grade is not available. A family considering the school should discuss with staff what academic interventions and enrichment are in place.

Because the school ends at eighth grade, it does not report a graduation rate. Data on chronic absenteeism was also absent. The school’s website may offer more detail on attendance and discipline patterns.

Housing in the area is priced around the national median, with rents also near typical levels. The community is car-dependent, with limited walkability. The historic commercial node is small, and the main corridor is the freeway.

For a family seeking a K-8 setting with an arts emphasis in a growing, still somewhat rural corner of the Phoenix metro area, Trailside Point offers a clear programmatic identity. The academic results merit careful inquiry, but the district’s recent funding measures show an intent to invest in facilities and core programming.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 39% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 37% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 30% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 629%

School 29% · District 24% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 722%

School 22% · District 24% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 22% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 44% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 42% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 41% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Science

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 27% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

This schoolLaveen Elementary District (4276), 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.