Lake Pleasant Elementary, Peoria AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Lake Pleasant Elementary

Lake Pleasant Elementary serves students from preschool through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Peoria Unified School District. It is a large school by enrollment for its grade band, drawing from the northern, fast-growing part of the city near Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The student body is predominantly white, with a sizeable Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, or Black. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, and on students with disabilities or English learner status, is missing from the available records, so a parent cannot gauge the school’s economic or support-need profile from this source.

Academically, the school shows a pattern on state assessments that varies notably by grade level and subject. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency is strongest in fourth grade, drops in the upper elementary grades, and slides further in middle school. English language arts proficiency runs higher than math across most grades, with a clear high point in fourth grade as well. The overall index of proficiency across all tested subjects and grades positions the school above the midpoint when compared with other district elementary schools in Maricopa County. A parent may want to look into the apparent decline in math proficiency as students move through the grades, since that pattern is not as sharp in reading. Science results, available for fifth and eighth graders, show that roughly half of fifth graders and a smaller share of eighth graders met proficiency, a drop that mirrors the math trend.

Academic trend data covers only the most recent year, so there is no multi-year view to confirm whether scores are rising or falling. The school serves no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

The school environment data lacks detail on discipline incidents, course access, staffing ratios, teacher qualifications, and chronic absenteeism. Without these, it is hard to assess day-to-day conditions or teacher stability. The school is not a charter, and its magnet and Title I status are not reported.

Peoria itself is a sprawling, car-dependent Phoenix suburb that has grown rapidly. The city’s northern edge, where the school is located, has been shaped by master-planned residential communities and recreational anchors such as Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The housing market reflects this area’s popularity: home values in the school’s zip code are above the state average, and rents are a major share of median income, signaling a relatively high-cost environment for families. The city’s economic plan is pushing industrial and commercial growth along the Loop freeway corridor, with a large semiconductor facility under construction, but this is more relevant to long-term tax base and jobs than to immediate school conditions.

The school district has kept a stable network of dozens of schools serving parts of Peoria, Glendale, Youngtown, and Surprise. No recent bond measures, boundary changes, or curriculum shifts large enough to affect a family’s decision were found in the available research. The district’s stability means the school’s current character is likely to persist in the near term.

For a parent weighing this school, the picture is one of a strong elementary foundation, particularly in early literacy, with a softer middle school math performance that may need monitoring. The school is large, which can mean more program variety but also less individual attention than a smaller setting. The missing data on student support populations and school climate means a parent should visit, talk to current families, and ask the principal directly about how the school serves students who struggle—academically, behaviorally, or with learning differences.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 367%

School 67% · District 27% · ▲ 40 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

Grade 478%

School 78% · District 47% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 21% · ▲ 37 pts above district

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

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 33% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 31% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 34% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 357%

School 57% · District 41% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 52% · ▲ 23 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 40% · ▲ 16 pts above district

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

Grade 660%

School 60% · District 43% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 25% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 45% · ▲ 11 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 551%

School 51% · District 36% · ▲ 15 pts above district

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

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 33% · ▲ 9 pts above district

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

This schoolPeoria Unified School District (4237), 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.