The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 35%.
Original Research by School Decision on George Washington Carver Elementary School
George Washington Carver Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Yuma, Arizona, as part of the Yuma Elementary District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and the available data does not indicate whether it receives Title I funding.
The school’s student body is heavily Hispanic, with a much smaller share of White students and trace numbers of American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Asian students. The data does not report the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch or who receive special education services or English learner support, so a family cannot assess those specific dimensions of the peer environment from this profile alone. The enrollment is on the smaller side for an elementary school serving these grades.
State testing results are mixed and have some important gaps. In English language arts, only one grade level’s results were reported fully, and it showed a proficiency rate below the countywide midpoint. For math, proficiency rates were reported only at an all-grades-combined level, and that figure was also below the county midpoint. Science results for fifth grade were suppressed and not reported. The school’s overall proficiency index, averaging across all tested subjects and grades where data was available, places it above the midpoint relative to other districts in Yuma County. That is a modest signal of relative strength within the local context, but the weighted average is still low in absolute terms. Because so many individual results were suppressed, it is hard to draw a precise picture of how the school performs by grade or subject. A parent may want to ask the school directly for a fuller report on student achievement, especially in math and science.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data was available on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios. These are all areas where a family would need to gather additional information from the district or school office.
George Washington Carver Elementary sits within the city of Yuma, the county seat of Yuma County. Yuma is a sprawling city with a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and a historic downtown. Agriculture is the largest economic sector, along with the Marine Corps Air Station and Yuma Proving Ground, so the local economy is heavily shaped by farming and the military. The city is also a trucking hub near the California and Mexico borders. Yuma’s population grew modestly between the last two censuses, and a seasonal influx of winter visitors swells the numbers each year. The housing market in the zip code that includes the school is below the Arizona state average in terms of home values, and rents are relatively moderate compared to national benchmarks. That makes the area more affordable than much of the state, which may be relevant for families deciding where to live.
The school’s location on West 5th Street places it in a part of Yuma that is largely auto-oriented and suburban in character, though the historic downtown with its civic buildings and cultural sites is within a short drive. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or strategic initiatives at the district level that would shape a family’s decision about this school.
For a family considering George Washington Carver Elementary, the key takeaway is that it is a small elementary school in a midsized, affordable Sun Belt city with an economy tied to agriculture and the military. The academic data shows proficiency levels that are modest and sometimes suppressed, with the overall index landing above the midpoint among county districts but still indicating room for improvement. A parent should plan to follow up with the school for the missing pieces: the share of students receiving support services, the school’s approach to instruction, and a clearer view of how individual grade levels perform on state assessments.
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