Macarthur Elementary School, Mesa AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Macarthur Elementary School

MacArthur Elementary School is a regular public school in Mesa, part of the Mesa Unified District, serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is a neighborhood school in the older, western part of the city, an area of established single-family homes, strip commercial, and wide arterial roads that define Mesa’s car-dependent suburban fabric. The school’s enrollment is sized appropriately for its elementary grade band, and the student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up a substantial minority and smaller shares of other racial and ethnic groups. Data on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals was not available, nor were counts for students with disabilities and English learners, which limits a full picture of the school’s support needs.

On state assessments for the most recent school year, MacArthur’s results present a measured picture. In math, proficiency across tested grades three through six clustered above the midpoint when compared with other schools in Maricopa County. Rates were roughly similar from grade to grade, with a modest dip in sixth grade. In English language arts, proficiency rates were also similar across all four tested grades, landing at a level that placed the school above the midpoint among county peers. Fifth-grade science results were available and fell somewhat lower. The data covers only a single year, so a trend is not yet established; a parent may want to ask the school about progress over prior years to gauge trajectory.

Because MacArthur serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate. Chronically absenteeism data was not available, so it is not possible to assess student attendance patterns from this data set.

The school’s immediate context is Mesa, a sprawling city of over half a million residents, among the fastest-growing large cities in Arizona. MacArthur sits in the older western half of Mesa, where development is denser and more established than the rapidly expanding eastern edge. Housing in the school’s ZIP code is valued above the state median, though within reach of many households; rents are broadly in line with what a median-income family would afford. The area is overwhelmingly auto-oriented, with daily errands requiring a car, though the downtown core a few miles away offers a walkable stretch of shops, arts venues, and the city’s light rail connection to Tempe and Phoenix.

The district itself did not show any recent notable changes or initiatives in the publicly available record, so there is little to report on that front. For a family comparing elementary schools in eastern Maricopa County, MacArthur presents itself as a solid, typical suburban public school operating in a familiar setting. Its academic results are squarely in the middle of the range among county districts, neither a standout nor a weak point. The school’s size, grade span, and regular status mean it is likely the assigned neighborhood school for its attendance area. A parent considering it would want to learn more about programs, such as art, music, physical education, and any enrichment or intervention offerings, and to understand the student support landscape that the missing demographic data leaves unclear.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 355%

School 55% · District 19% · ▲ 36 pts above district

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

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 24% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 15% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 13% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 17% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 27% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 19% · ▲ 34 pts above district

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

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 43% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 33% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

This schoolMesa Unified District (4235), 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.