The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in Math. The lowest is 20% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Raul Grijalva Elementary School
Raul Grijalva Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within Tucson Unified District. The school is located in the southern part of the city, in an area of Tucson that is largely residential and automobile-dependent, typical of the suburban-style development that spreads across this wide desert metropolis.
The student body enrolled at Raul Grijalva is predominantly Hispanic, with much smaller shares of American Indian, White, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. This composition reflects the surrounding neighborhood and the district's overall demographic profile. The school's enrollment is moderate for its grade band. Information on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, receiving special education services, or classified as English learners was not available in the data provided.
Academic performance at Raul Grijalva Elementary School falls substantially below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Pima County. Arizona's state assessments, the AASA for reading and math and the AzSci for science, show that a modest share of students meet proficiency standards in the early grades where results were reported. In third-grade math, roughly a quarter of students were proficient. In English language arts, the share was smaller in third grade and slightly larger in fourth grade. Results for fourth-grade math and for fifth-grade math, reading, and science were suppressed from public reporting. Multi-year trends show that proficiency rates have remained low and essentially flat with only one year of data available. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter of districts countywide.
Because Raul Grijalva serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline incidents, staffing levels, and course access were not provided, so a fuller picture of the school environment is not possible here.
The housing market in the area around the school reflects broader Tucson conditions. Home values are below the state median and moderately priced relative to the national median. Rents are modest in comparison to mortgage costs, which suggests that homeownership may be more financially accessible here than in many parts of the state, though monthly rent still consumes a notable share of income. The national unemployment rate is low, and mortgage rates have been stable in recent months.
Raul Grijalva belongs to Tucson Unified District, a large urban system that has seen significant enrollment decline over the past decade. This decline has prompted discussions about school utilization and potential closures, a trend that could affect the school's long-term stability. Voters recently approved a renewal of the district's maintenance and operations override, securing additional funding for teacher salaries and programs such as art, music, physical education, full-day kindergarten, and magnet programs. The district also continues to operate under a federal desegregation order that shapes magnet school placement, student assignment, and transportation policies. These district-level factors may influence a family's experience at this elementary school, particularly regarding school choice options within TUSD.
No information was available about magnet or Title I status, nor about any specialized programs at the school. The school is not a charter.
For families considering Raul Grijalva Elementary, the available evidence points to a school with a strongly Hispanic student body in a large urban district facing enrollment pressures. Academic achievement, as measured by state tests, is on the lower end relative to other districts in the county. A parent would likely want to inquire further with the school about student support services, enrichment opportunities, and how the school addresses the academic challenges indicated by the assessment results. The broader Tucson context offers a diverse city with a university and military base anchoring the economy, but the school's specific setting is in a more automobile-oriented part of town, not in the downtown or campus core.
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