The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Math. The lowest is 14% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Rice Elementary School
Rice Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade within the San Carlos Unified District. The school is located in San Carlos, Arizona, a census-designated place that functions as the seat of government for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. The economy of San Carlos is described as underdeveloped, relying mainly on retail service industries, construction trades, and public administration. The population is predominantly Native American, and the community is a residential and administrative hub rather than a commercial one. The built environment is low-density and rural, with dispersed housing and schools on separated campuses.
The student body at Rice Elementary is overwhelmingly Native American, reflecting the reservation community it serves. Enrollment is substantial for an elementary school serving only up to sixth grade, which suggests a large cohort of students within the grade band. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is not available, nor are counts of students with disabilities or English learners, so a fuller picture of student support needs is not possible from the information provided.
State assessment results for the most recent school year offer a limited view of academic performance. Third graders took the state exam in math and English language arts, and the proficiency rates for that grade are low. For grades four and five, test results in math, ELA, and science are suppressed, so no proficiency rates are reported for those grades. Suppression can occur for a variety of reasons, including small group sizes or privacy restrictions, and in this case it means a reader cannot gauge how older students at the school are performing relative to state standards. A multi-year trend is not available because only a single year of data was reported. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, based on the data that is available, places it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Gila County. That comparison set includes all districts in the county, not just elementary schools, so it gives a broad regional context.
Because Rice Elementary serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate or high school outcome data to report. The school does not offer high school courses, so measures such as AP participation or dual enrollment are not applicable. The district brief for San Carlos Unified turned up no recent changes or initiatives of note that would affect a parent’s understanding of the school.
For a family considering this school, the primary takeaway is that Rice Elementary serves a specific community within a reservation setting, with a student body that is almost entirely Native American. Academic proficiency on state tests is low where reported, and most grade-level results are suppressed, making it difficult to see a clear picture across the school. A parent may want to follow up with the school or district for more detail on instructional supports, special programs, and how the school addresses student learning needs beyond what the limited test data shows. The rural, reservation context shapes both the student experience and the resources available to the school.
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