The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in Science. The lowest is 23% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Scales Technology Academy
Scales Technology Academy is a regular public elementary school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade within the Tempe School District. It is located in the southern residential part of Tempe, a city where the character shifts from the dense, urbanized development around Arizona State University and Tempe Town Lake in the north to lower-density single-family homes, strip malls, and office parks as you move south. The school sits in a largely auto-oriented section of town, a contrast to the walkable, transit-linked Mill Avenue district near the campus.
The school enrollment is modest in size for its grade band and draws a student body that is predominantly Hispanic, with substantial shares of Black students and a smaller presence of White, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multiracial students. By the numbers, the student body is diverse. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and the share of students with disabilities or who are learning English was not available. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these support populations.
State testing results for the most recent school year present a clear picture of low overall proficiency. In third-grade math and fifth-grade math, the share of students scoring proficient was about a fifth. In fourth-grade math and third-grade English language arts, the results were suppressed, meaning the numbers were too small to report publicly. Fourth-grade English language arts showed a fifth of students proficient, and fifth-grade English language arts showed just over a quarter. In fifth-grade science, the proficiency rate was about a quarter. When compared against other schools from districts across Maricopa County, Scales Technology Academy’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter of that very large set. This is a consistent pattern of low academic attainment.
No graduation rate is reported, which is expected for a school that ends at fifth grade. The school serves elementary grades only, so metrics like chronic absenteeism data and high school outcomes are not applicable.
The school’s name signals a technology focus, but the data included no details on specific programs, curriculum, course access, or technology resources. The district brief, which looked for recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts, tax elections, or new programs, returned little of lasting impact. The district has been quiet in those areas during the period reviewed.
Housing in the area around the school is part of a Tempe market shaped by proximity to the university and the employment base that includes Arizona State University, State Farm, and other major employers. Home values in the zip code are moderate relative to state and national averages. Rents are also in that moderate bracket. For a family considering this school, the cost of living is a relevant factor, but the neighborhood’s housing stock and rent levels do not signal an unusually high-cost area by Phoenix-area standards.
Tempe itself is a college town where the ASU campus and downtown are intertwined, with light rail connecting it to Phoenix and Mesa. The city has grown steadily, and the area around Tempe Town Lake has seen substantial high-rise development. The school’s location in the southern part of the city places it in a quieter, more suburban section than the dense core near the university.
For a family weighing this school, the central facts are a diverse student body and a track record of low test scores that sit well below most other schools in the county. The school’s technology-themed identity is stated but not elaborated in the available data, so it is unclear what that means in practice. A parent would want to visit, talk to teachers and the principal, ask about reading and math interventions, and see how the school’s stated focus translates into classroom work. For a family whose priority is strong academic performance as measured by state assessments, this school does not show that strength. For a family looking for a neighborhood elementary with a diverse mix and a willingness to investigate the school’s actual programming, this is a school that warrants a closer look.
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