The top reported proficiency rate is 31% in English language arts. The lowest is 27% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pima Elementary School
Pima Elementary School serves kindergarten through sixth grade and sits on Main Street in the small, agricultural town of Pima, Arizona. It is a regular public school within the Pima Unified District. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly two-thirds white and one-third Hispanic, with a very small number of American Indian and Black students. The enrollment is distributed fairly evenly across each elementary grade, giving the school a stable, predictable size.
State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that proficiency rates in both math and English language arts vary by grade level, and in most cases they land well below a majority of students meeting the bar. In math, the share of students scoring proficient ranged from around a fifth to two-fifths, with the lower end appearing in the upper elementary grades. In English language arts, the range was similar, with one grade reaching above two-fifths proficient while others settled near a fifth or a third. Fifth-grade science results show a little more than a quarter of students proficient. When compared with other schools in Graham County, Pima Elementary’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile among the districts in that county. This is the most straightforward signal the data provides: academic attainment, as measured by these state tests, is an area where the school is below the county’s midpoint. A parent considering this school will want to talk with the principal or teaching staff about what support systems are in place for students who are not yet at grade level.
The town of Pima itself is a rural community in the Gila River Valley, historically a farm trade center that is increasingly drawing retirees. Education, healthcare, and social assistance are the largest employment sectors, followed by agriculture and retail. The built environment is low-density and car-dependent, with scattered homes and farm-related businesses along US Route 70. The town provides a museum, a public library, parks, a swimming pool, and recreational facilities, and it sits roughly eight miles from Safford, the county seat. Nearby Thatcher is home to Eastern Arizona College, so there is some regional access to higher education.
The school’s Title I status was not available in the data, and information on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, special education identification, and English learner enrollment was also missing. That means there is a gap in understanding the economic and academic support needs of the student body. A parent may want to ask the school or district directly for this information to get a fuller picture.
The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as a referendum, boundary shift, or curriculum overhaul. That does not mean nothing is happening, only that publicly reported material clearing the bar for lasting parent impact was not found.
For a family already living in or moving to this part of Graham County, Pima Elementary is the neighborhood school for the elementary years. The housing market in the area shows home values that are below the state average, making it a relatively affordable place to live by Arizona standards. The school’s size is manageable, its setting is rural and quiet, and the academic numbers are an honest signal that a family should engage with the school about how it addresses student learning gaps. There is no graduation rate because the school does not serve high school grades. There are no advanced course or program offerings listed, which is standard for a K through six school. What is here is a straightforward, small-town elementary school with academic performance that lags the county average, set in a town that is slowly growing and changing.
See more original research from School Decision →