Original Research by School Decision on Maldonado Amelia Elementary School
Maldonado Amelia Elementary School is a regular public school in the Tucson Unified District, serving students from preschool through fifth grade. It is located on the southwest side of Tucson, in a residential area of the city. The school sits within a large, sprawling desert city that blends a historic downtown, a major university campus, military installations, and wide suburban neighborhoods. The economy relies heavily on the University of Arizona, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, and a growing tech and optics sector. For families considering this area, housing values in the school’s zip code are below the state average, and rents have been rising modestly. A typical mortgage payment here would be less than the national median, though affordability depends on individual circumstances.
The student body at Maldonado Amelia is small for an elementary school. The school enrolls families across multiple grades, with a slightly larger kindergarten and first grade. The demographic profile is heavily Hispanic, with a smaller presence of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native, white, Black, Asian, or of two or more races. Data on economic disadvantage, such as the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals, was not available. The school’s website and directory information confirm it is a regular, non-charter public school; its magnet and Title I statuses are not reported.
State testing results for the 2024-25 school year are suppressed, meaning the public data does not show proficiency rates for math, English language arts, or science at any grade level. This is a meaningful gap in what is typically the most direct measure of academic performance. A parent looking at this school will not be able to compare its test scores against other schools in the district or state. The multi-year trend data that is available shows an estimated combined proficiency rate across grades of around one-fifth of students in both reading and math for the 2024-25 year, which is low compared to state averages, though the suppressed grade-level results mean those numbers come with a caveat about reliability and should be used with caution. A parent may want to inquire directly with the school about how its students are performing on the AASA and AzSci assessments to get a clearer picture.
The school’s broader district context is important here. Tucson Unified is the largest district in southern Arizona. Voters recently renewed an operating override that funds art, music, physical education, magnet programs, full-day kindergarten, and smaller class sizes, all of which would directly benefit an elementary school like Maldonado Amelia. However, the district has been losing enrollment for years and is facing discussions about school closures or consolidations, which could affect the long-term stability of any individual school. The district also operates under a federal desegregation order, which influences student assignment and magnet school offerings across the city, though Maldonado Amelia’s specific role within that plan is not described in the available data.
No program information was provided for the school, so there is no detail about any specialized academies, dual-language tracks, gifted programs, or after-school enrichment. Given the district’s emphasis on magnets and specialist programs through the override, families may want to ask the school directly what options are available for students at each grade level. Similarly, data on discipline, attendance, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and teacher experience was not available, leaving a gap in understanding the day-to-day school environment.
Maldonado Amelia Elementary is a neighborhood school in a large urban district with some financial support for programs but also enrollment pressures and a lack of published test scores. The school is small and serves a diverse student population, but a family considering this school will need to gather more information from the school itself about academic performance, programming, and school climate to decide if it fits their child.
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