The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 39% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Soleng Tom Elementary School
Soleng Tom Elementary School is a regular public school serving students from preschool through fifth grade in the Tucson Unified School District. The school sits in the eastern part of the Tucson metro area, in a neighborhood pattern common to this sprawling desert city. The district itself is the largest in Pima County and is characterized by a notable factor for any family looking into its schools: it operates under a long-standing federal desegregation order, the Unitary Status Plan, which affects magnet school placement, student assignment, and transportation policies. The district has also seen a significant enrollment decline over the past decade, a trend that has prompted discussions about school utilization and potential facility consolidations, a matter worth keeping an eye on for families planning long-term.
The student body at Soleng Tom is diverse in composition. A substantial share of students are Hispanic, and a large portion are White, with smaller representations of students who are two or more races, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native. This mix reflects the broader population patterns of the area. The school is not a charter, and its status as a magnet or Title I school was not provided in the available data. Information on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as those with disabilities or who are English learners, was also absent from the profile, which a parent may want to clarify directly with the school.
On state assessments, the proficiency picture for Soleng Tom shows a mix of results, placing the school's overall performance slightly above the midpoint among elementary schools within Pima County. In third grade, the proficiency rate in both math and English language arts was at the same level, with about half of students meeting the standard in each subject. By fourth grade, proficiency in both subjects dipped, and the gap between the two widened slightly. Fifth grade performance improved, with half of students proficient in English language arts and a smaller share proficient in math. Science results for fifth grade were similar to the math rate for that grade. A sixth-grade cohort appeared to have very small tested numbers, and results for that group were suppressed to protect student privacy. Because only a single year of assessment data was available, there is no basis to describe a trend; the scores represent a snapshot.
The housing context for families considering Soleng Tom is typical for a mid-sized Sun Belt city. Home values in the surrounding zip code are slightly below the Arizona statewide benchmark, and rents have been climbing at a modest pace. The relationship between local rents and estimated mortgage costs suggests that buying a home may be more expensive each month than renting, though the difference is not extreme. The national unemployment rate at the time of this data was moderate, and mortgage rates were hovering in the mid-six percent range, factors that shape the broader affordability picture.
The school is part of the Tucson Unified District, which in late 2024 saw voters renew a significant portion of its Maintenance & Operations Override. This generates annual funding for teacher salaries, art, music, physical education, magnet programs, full-day kindergarten, and class-size reduction. The override has been in place for many years and is a substantial piece of the district's budget, so its renewal was a material event for school programming.
For a family evaluating Soleng Tom, what emerges is a school with a diverse student body set within a large, urban district undergoing enrollment shifts and bound by desegregation-era policies that shape how students are assigned to schools. The academic proficiency picture is mixed, with some grade levels and subjects showing a solid share of students meeting standards and others where a parent would want to understand the school's approach to supporting students who are not yet at that level. The community context is a large desert city with a strong university and military presence, a revitalizing downtown, and a sprawling residential footprint. This is a place where asking the school directly about its student support strategies, its special education and English learner services, and how the district's unitary status plan affects access to this specific campus would be a sensible next step for any family.
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