Castle Dome Middle School, Yuma AZ

Original Research by School Decision on Castle Dome Middle School

Castle Dome Middle School serves grades six through eight in Yuma, Arizona, as part of the Yuma Elementary District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. The enrollment is substantial for a middle school, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a much smaller share of White students and very small representations of other racial and ethnic groups. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are classified as English learners was not available in the source material.

The school sits within Yuma, a city that combines residential, commercial, military, and agricultural elements. Yuma is the county seat, and its economy is anchored by agriculture, the Marine Corps Air Station, the Yuma Proving Ground, and tourism. The city draws a significant seasonal population of winter visitors. Its historic downtown along Main Street serves as the civic and cultural hub, but the city covers a large area and the built environment outside that core is car-dependent. Housing values in the school's zip code fall below the state benchmark, suggesting a relatively more affordable market.

On state assessments, Castle Dome’s results are a central consideration for any family evaluating the school. In both math and English language arts, proficiency rates across all three grade levels were low, and the school’s overall performance across tested subjects placed it in the bottom quartile of schools within Yuma County. In math, proficiency rates were consistent and low in each grade; English language arts proficiency rates were somewhat higher but still modest. Science results for eighth grade showed a similar pattern. The available data covers a single year of testing, so no trend can be established.

A parent should want to understand the academic support available at Castle Dome. The source material does not include information on course offerings, program pathways, or staffing ratios, so it is not possible to describe what kinds of interventions, enrichment, or accelerated learning opportunities exist. A family would need to ask the school directly about how it addresses the academic skill levels reflected in the assessment results. Similarly, data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, and access to courses was absent, leaving gaps in the picture of the school environment and student support.

The surrounding district, Yuma Elementary District, showed no publicly reported recent changes or strategic initiatives in the research conducted. The school itself did not have information on Title I status.

Castle Dome is a large middle school in a mid-sized, economically diverse city. The assessment results point to a student body where the majority of students are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks in core subjects. For a family weighing this school, the practical question is what the school is doing in response and whether its specific programs and culture align with what a student needs. The available data does not answer that, so a visit and a conversation with the school administration would be essential steps.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 612%

School 12% · District 14% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 712%

School 12% · District 11% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 813%

School 13% · District 11% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 28% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 728%

School 28% · District 29% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 26% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 825%

School 25% · District 20% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolYuma Elementary District (4499), 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.