The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Connolly Middle School
Connolly Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in the Tempe School District, a district that covers a significant portion of the city of Tempe. Tempe itself is an inner suburb of Phoenix, a college town dominated by the main campus of Arizona State University. The northern part of the city, near the university and the Tempe Town Lake development, is dense and urbanized with a pedestrian-oriented commercial district along Mill Avenue and high-rise residential buildings. The southern half, where the school is located, transitions to a lower-density pattern of single-family homes and strip malls. The city is a major employment center that includes ASU, several large corporate headquarters, and major retail destinations like Arizona Mills and Tempe Marketplace.
The school’s enrollment is sizable for a middle school, with roughly equal numbers of students across sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The student body is diverse. The largest share of students identifies as Hispanic, followed by a sizable white population and a smaller but notable Black population. There are also communities of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native, two or more races, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Asian. The profile of the student body is a specific characteristic of the school that families may weigh according to their preferences; the school serves a broad cross-section of the Tempe community.
On state assessments, Connolly Middle School’s academic performance is below the midpoint for middle schools relative to districts across Maricopa County, placing it in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency standards was in the vicinity of one-fifth of students across each grade level. In English language arts, the share meeting proficiency was approximately one-third of students in each grade. In eighth-grade science, roughly a quarter of students met the proficiency standard. These are the school’s reported outcomes on the state’s AASA and AzSci assessments for the 2024-25 school year. A parent considering this school should look into the school’s specific academic programs and support structures for students who are not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks, as these proficiency figures are a soft spot in the school’s profile.
The available data does not include information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which would be a common indicator of economic need. The share of students receiving special education services and the share who are English learners also were not reported in the data reviewed. Families for whom these factors are important should inquire directly with the school.
The school is part of the Tempe School District. The search for recent district changes like policy shifts or boundary adjustments yielded little information, so this narrative cannot speak to any recent developments at the district level.
There is no data on the school’s course offerings, including whether it provides advanced, career, or dual-enrollment pathways for its middle school students. A parent may want to ask about the availability of honors classes, electives, or programs that could prepare students for high school academic tracks.
No information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing was present in the data set. Because Connolly is a middle school serving grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report, as that metric applies only to high schools.
This is a large, diverse middle school in the southern part of a dense college town, where state test proficiency is an area the school will need to address. A family considering Connolly should look into academic supports, elective and advanced course access, and the specific climate and conditions of the building, which lie beyond the scope of this data.
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