Copper King Elementary, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Copper King Elementary

Copper King Elementary serves students from preschool through eighth grade in the Pendergast Elementary District, located in the sprawling urban landscape of Phoenix. The school is a regular public school, not a charter. Its student body is large for a school spanning this grade band, and the majority of students are Hispanic, with Black students and White students each making up a notable share of the enrollment and small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic groups also present. Information on the share of students receiving free or reduced-price meals, those with disabilities, and English learners was not available in the data examined.

The school sits within a Phoenix neighborhood where housing values are modest relative to the broader metro area. Home prices in the area have seen a slight decline over a recent year, while rents have risen modestly. Compared to the national typical household income, the estimated mortgage payment for a home purchased here would take up a slightly larger share of a typical local household's income, a dynamic families moving into the area may want to consider.

State testing results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rates among tested students were low in several grades, with rates in the lowest grades among the weakest. Fourth grade showed a stronger result, with roughly half of students meeting the proficiency bar. In English language arts, the range was wider. Fourth grade again stood out with about half of students proficient, a figure that is a relative bright spot for the school. Other grade levels in ELA had proficiency rates below that level, with the lower elementary grades and middle school grades particularly soft. In science, tested in grades five and eight, about one in four students reached the proficiency standard. The school's overall proficiency index, which averages performance across all tested subjects and grades, falls below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Maricopa County. Given that no multi-year trend data was available beyond the single year, it is not possible to say whether these results represent a recent shift or a longer-standing pattern.

A family considering Copper King Elementary may want to follow up on a number of points with the school directly. The absence of data on chronic absenteeism and on the proportion of students with disabilities or English learner needs means these important dimensions of student experience cannot be assessed from the available information. Similarly, no information was reported on course access, staffing ratios or qualifications, or discipline practices. The Pendergast Elementary District did not show any publicly reported recent changes or strategic initiatives in the review conducted, so a parent may wish to ask the district directly about upcoming plans, resource allocation, or school improvement efforts.

Phoenix itself is a fast-growing, car-oriented city with a grid street system and a broad economy centered on services, high-technology manufacturing, and tourism. The school's immediate context is a residential area of the west side of the city, and the daily experience of getting to and from the school will be shaped by that built environment. Copper King Elementary offers a full pre-K through eighth grade span, which means students can attend here through the middle school years before transitioning to a high school elsewhere. For a family, the picture is one of a large school serving a diverse student population in a growing urban area, with academic proficiency that is uneven across grades and subjects and below the county average overall, and with several areas of student population and school operations that are not captured in the public data reviewed.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 335%

School 35% · District 19% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 23% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 18% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 14%

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

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 16% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 18% · ▲ 14 pts above district

even with state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 23% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 37% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 22% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 25% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 735%

School 35% · District 27% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 841%

School 41% · District 31% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 19% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 20% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

This schoolPendergast Elementary District (4283), 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.