Sheely Farms Elementary School, Phoenix AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Sheely Farms Elementary School

Sheely Farms Elementary School serves students from preschool through eighth grade as a regular public school within the Tolleson Elementary District in Phoenix. The school is located in the western part of the city, an area that reflects Phoenix’s character as a large, sprawling urban center built around a grid of wide roadways and car-oriented development. The city itself is one of the fastest-growing in the nation, with an economy that has shifted from its agricultural roots to technology, manufacturing, tourism, and services, anchored by Sky Harbor International Airport and a concentration of aerospace and electronics jobs.

The student body is diverse. A substantial majority of the school’s students are Hispanic, with Black students also making up a significant share, followed by much smaller populations of White, Asian, and other racial and ethnic groups. Free and reduced-price lunch data was not available in the source materials, nor were counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a fuller picture of economic and support needs is not possible from the data at hand.

State testing results for the most recent school year show a pattern of academic performance that sits below the midpoint relative to other districts in Maricopa County, based on a composite proficiency index across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency rates for the tested grades ranged from the upper twenties to the low forties. In math, they were lower, ranging from the mid-twenties to the upper thirties. Science results were reported for eighth grade, where about one-fifth of students met the proficient or above threshold. Results for some grade levels in math, English language arts, and science were suppressed in the source data; a parent looking for a comprehensive view of every grade’s performance may want to follow up directly with the school to see if additional detail is available.

The school’s overall proficiency index fell below the midpoint of the cohort of districts in the county. This is a soft spot in the school’s profile. The data does not include a graduation rate because Sheely Farms is an elementary and middle school and does not serve high school grades. Likewise, there is no chronic absenteeism data in the available records.

The district itself did not have any recent, publicly reported changes of lasting parent relevance in the search results. No referendums, curriculum shifts, or property tax changes were found, so the district’s operations appear to have been stable in the period examined.

Housing in the area around the school showed home values that had declined slightly year over year, while rents had increased modestly. The estimated monthly mortgage payment and rent both represent a substantial portion of a typical household income, consistent with the broader Phoenix market where affordability is an ongoing consideration.

For a family evaluating Sheely Farms, the school offers a full pre-K-through-eighth-grade pathway, meaning students can attend from early childhood through the end of middle school without needing to change schools. The student body is diverse, with a strong Hispanic plurality. The academic results, however, suggest that the school is working from a position below the county average in proficiency, and families may want to ask about specific interventions, curriculum supports, and how the school addresses the learning needs that these scores indicate.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 339%

School 39% · District 32% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 22% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 327%

School 27% · District 22% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 32% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 626%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 30% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Science

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 24% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

This schoolTolleson Elementary District (4264), same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.