The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 26%.
Original Research by School Decision on Villa De Paz Elementary School
Villa De Paz Elementary School is a regular public school in the Pendergast Elementary District, located in the west side of Phoenix. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, making it a single-campus option for families who want their children to stay in one school from early childhood through middle school. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and Title I status was not reported.
The student body is moderately sized for a PK-8 campus. The demographics show a predominantly Hispanic enrollment, with smaller shares of White, Black, multiracial, and American Indian or Asian students. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available, nor were counts of students with disabilities or English learners. A parent may want to ask the school directly about the level of economic need and the range of support services offered.
Academic performance on Arizona’s state assessments is a soft spot. For many tested grade levels, proficiency rates were suppressed in the available data, a common practice when small groups might identify individual students. Where rates were reported, they were low. For example, fourth-grade ELA proficiency for all students was reported, as were seventh- and eighth-grade ELA rates, all in a range that gives a parent reason to look into this further with the school. The overall proficiency index across subjects and grades places Villa De Paz in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Maricopa County. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to consider.
That said, the school serves a broad grade span, and a parent might want to ask about specific academic interventions, tutoring programs, or how the school supports students who are behind. The available data does not include information on course offerings, staffing ratios, or discipline, so those are open questions a family should raise with the school.
The school sits within Phoenix, a large, sprawling urban center that has been among the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The city’s economy is built on services, technology, manufacturing, tourism, and transportation, with Sky Harbor International Airport as a key facility. The housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows home values and rents that are broadly consistent with a large Sun Belt city, though the market has seen some cooling in recent months. The area is car-oriented, with wide, grid-pattern streets typical of the region.
The Pendergast Elementary District itself did not publicly report any recent major changes or initiatives that would be of particular note to parents. The district brief found little of lasting impact, so a family should check the district’s own communications for any upcoming budget or program developments.
Who this school fits: Villa De Paz is a neighborhood school in a fast-growing urban area, offering a PK-8 continuum that many families find convenient for keeping siblings together and avoiding a transition to a separate middle school. The student body is diverse, with a large Hispanic majority, and the campus is a regular public school with no special admissions criteria. However, the academic performance data is a clear concern. A parent choosing this school would want to be proactive: visit, talk to teachers, ask about how the school identifies and supports struggling students, and understand what academic growth looks like over the years from pre-K through eighth grade. For families who prioritize strong test scores or a wide array of advanced programs, this may not be the best fit without additional support at home or through outside resources.
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