The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mabel Padgett Elementary School
Mabel Padgett Elementary is a regular public school serving preschool through sixth grade in the Litchfield Elementary District, located in Litchfield Park, a small planned community roughly sixteen miles west of central Phoenix. The school enrolls a moderate number of students for its grade band, with enrollment tapering upward through the early elementary years and peaking around first and third grades before declining slightly in fourth grade.
The student body is mixed. Just under half of the students are Hispanic, and roughly a third are white. Black students, Asian students, and students who identify as two or more races each make up smaller shares, with a very small number of Native American and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students also enrolled. The proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available in the data.
Academically, state assessment results show a mixed picture. In math, the share of students scoring proficient in third grade was above the midpoint for the grade, but that share dropped noticeably by fourth grade and remained below the third-grade level in fifth grade. In English language arts, proficiency rates were similar across grades three through five, clustering around the same level for each. Science results for fifth graders lagged behind both math and English language arts proficiency rates. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits just above the midpoint among elementary schools in Maricopa County, a wide comparison set that includes hundreds of schools.
Because the school ends at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, nor any chronic absenteeism data available. The data did not include information on course access, staffing ratios, or discipline, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, enrichment programs, and school climate.
Litchfield Park is a self-contained community with a small-town feel, anchored by the Wigwam Resort and its golf courses, a recreation center, a public library, and multiple parks. The Tierra Verde business district serves as the town center. Walkability is limited because the city must get permission from property owners before installing sidewalks, a result of how the original developer sold lots. The city is not part of the regional transit system, though a neighboring circulator serves the border. The largest employer within the city is the Wigwam Resort, while Luke Air Force Base, the Morton Salt facility, and employers in nearby Goodyear also provide jobs. Many residents are retired military. Population growth has been modest, and the city remains small in land area; its original 1960s master plan for a much larger community was never completed, and the city became a charter city in recent years.
For a parent, Mabel Padgett offers a standard public elementary experience in a stable, amenity-rich small town. The academic performance is middle-of-the-pack relative to its county peers, with English language arts results that are more consistent across grades than math, which shows a dip between third and fourth grade. A family looking at this school should consider whether the community’s quiet, car-oriented layout and its distance from central Phoenix fit their daily life, and they may want to inquire directly about special education and English learner services, which were not reported in the data.
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