The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Fees College Preparatory Middle School
Fees College Preparatory Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in Tempe, within the Tempe School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. The school’s name includes “College Preparatory,” which signals an academic orientation, but the available data focuses on its current performance profile rather than specific college-prep program offerings; no course access or program list was provided in the data.
Enrollment is large for a middle school. The student body is diverse, with a majority identifying as Hispanic. American Indian or Alaska Native students also form a substantial part of the population. Families should note that the school’s composition is not a strength or weakness but a demographic context; what matters is whether the school’s instruction and support fit a given child.
State assessment results for the 2024-25 school year show low proficiency rates across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency was in the single digits or low double digits across the grades tested. In English language arts, proficiency fell below a quarter of students at each grade level. Science results for eighth graders also showed a low proficiency rate. The school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Maricopa County. This is a straightforward signal: academic attainment, as measured by state tests, is well below the typical range in the county. A parent considering this school may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic supports are in place and how the school measures student progress beyond state tests.
The data did not include information on free or reduced-price meal eligibility, the number of students with individualized education plans, or the share of English learners, so a full picture of the student support needs is not available. Chronic absenteeism data and graduation rate data do not apply to a middle school that does not serve graduating grades. No disciplinary data, staffing ratios, or attendance rates were provided.
The school is located in Tempe, an inner suburb of Phoenix with a mixed character shaped heavily by Arizona State University’s main campus. The northern part of the city, near the light rail line and ASU, has a fairly dense, urbanized development pattern with high-rise buildings along Tempe Town Lake and the Mill Avenue shopping and entertainment district. The southern parts, where Fees College Preparatory Middle School sits, are less dense, consisting of single-family homes, strip malls, and lower-density office parks. Tempe is a college town where the university and downtown are deeply intertwined rather than separate. The city hosts major shopping destinations and is headquarters to several large corporations. Housing values in the area are above the national median, and rental prices reflect a competitive market; the economic context is that of a growing suburban city with a strong employment base anchored by ASU and major employers like State Farm and JPMorgan Chase.
The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary redraws, tax referendums, or major curriculum shifts. For a family gauging stability, this absence of reported upheaval is itself a neutral signal; the district has not been in the news for disruptive changes in the recent span reviewed.
Taken together, Fees College Preparatory Middle School presents a clear profile. It is a large, diverse middle school in a growing suburban city with a strong economy. The academic results, however, are low on state assessments, and the school sits at the lower end among its county peers. A family considering this school would want to investigate the school’s own academic interventions, enrichment offerings, and how it prepares students for high school, since the state test results alone do not capture the full picture of what a student might experience day to day.
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