Fine Arts Academy, Tolleson AZ - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Fine Arts Academy

Fine Arts Academy is a regular public school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Tolleson, Arizona, part of the Littleton Elementary District. The school’s name signals an arts-themed identity, though the data does not describe specific arts programs or offerings beyond the title, so families interested in intensive arts instruction may want to confirm what that theme means in practice with the school directly.

State testing results from the most recent year show that proficiency rates across tested subjects are low. In reading and language arts, the share of students meeting state standards ranged from roughly one in six to about one in four across grades three through eight. Math proficiency was also low, with roughly one in seven to one in six students proficient in grades three through five; results for grades six through eight were suppressed from public reporting due to small group sizes, though the numbers of students tested in those grades were not small, so a parent may wish to follow up on those figures. In science, proficiency was just below one in six for fifth grade and roughly one in eight for eighth grade. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile when compared with districts across Maricopa County. This is a consistent pattern across subjects and grade levels, and families considering the school should expect the academic performance profile to be a major factor in their decision.

The student body is predominantly Hispanic, making up roughly three-quarters of enrollment, with Black students accounting for about one in eight, White students for about one in fifteen, and smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. This is a majority-minority school. Data on students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, students with disabilities, and English learners were not available, so it is not possible from the public record to assess the level of economic or learning support needs at the school.

Tolleson itself is a small, compact city with an industrial and distribution center character. It has a high concentration of employers relative to its residential population, which gives it an unusually high jobs-to-residents ratio. The city’s growth has been more industrial than residential, and its built environment is dominated by major transportation corridors and warehouses rather than a walkable downtown. Housing values in the area around the school have seen a small year-over-year decline, and the typical home value and rent are somewhat below national benchmarks, reflecting the area’s affordable-to-moderate cost of living. The Littleton Elementary District did not have any publicly reported recent changes such as bond measures, overrides, or curriculum shifts that meet a four-year lasting-impact bar.

For a family, this school serves a clear grade range through the end of middle school. The academic picture is one of low proficiency, and without data on student support services, disciplinary climate, or staffing ratios, a parent’s next step would reasonably be to visit the school, ask about academic interventions and enrichment, and understand what the arts theme actually delivers in terms of programming and resources. The community context is working-class and industrial, with modest housing costs and a stable if not rapidly growing population. This is a school where a family would want to dig deeper into the classroom experience and support structures before enrolling.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 21% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 21% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 517%

School 17% · District 19% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 316%

School 16% · District 20% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 29% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 25% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 29% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 719%

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

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 32% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Science

Grade 515%

School 15% · District 18% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 18% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

This schoolLittleton Elementary District (4278), 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.