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Tempe Preparatory Academy

Q: Is Tempe Preparatory Academy a good school?

Tempe Preparatory Academy ranks 28 th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades 6-12

28^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 271 Arizona High Schools

Better than 90% of Arizona high schools

Summary

Tempe Preparatory Academy is a public charter high school serving grades 6-12 in Tempe, Arizona, with 440 students. This relatively small school has consistently ranked among the top high schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for the past several years.

Tempe Preparatory Academy's students consistently outperform the state averages on standardized tests across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 87% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 40%. The school also maintains a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 76.6% to 89.7% over the past few years, which is higher than the nearby traditional public high schools. Additionally, Tempe Preparatory Academy's dropout rates, ranging from 3.4% to 6.1%, are lower than the nearby schools.

While the nearby traditional public high schools, such as Tempe High School and Marcos De Niza High School, have lower academic performance, graduation rates, and school rankings, Tempe Preparatory Academy stands out as a high-performing charter school option in the area. This highlights the potential benefits of school choice and the impact a well-executed charter school can have on student outcomes.

431

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

3.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1251 E Southern Ave
Tempe, AZ 85282-5605

(480) 839-3402

District: Tempe Preparatory Academy

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.7%

Hispanic:

28.3%

Two or more races:

9.7%

See top rated Arizona high schools

Compare Tempe Preparatory Academy to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 96th percentile in 2015 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arizona average (62% vs 32% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Arizona high schools

✓90% graduate in 4 years — above the Arizona average (77%)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school62%

District avg62%

Arizona avg32%

Middle school

70^th of 552

Arizona public middle schools ?

Top 13%▼ down 8 pts since 2016

From top 5% (2016) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

High school

28^th of 271

Arizona public high schools ?

Top 10%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 4% (2015) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arizona High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

40^th of 289Tempe Preparatory Academy among Arizona districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	82.6	70 of 552	87.3%	★★★★☆
2024	86.1	60 of 550	89.1%	★★★★☆
2023	93.8	35 of 854	95.9%	★★★★★
2022	79.5	90 of 605	85.1%	★★★★☆
2021	86.1	89 of 832	89.3%	★★★★☆
2019	79.1	109 of 605	82.0%	★★★★☆
2018	83.1	104 of 711	85.4%	★★★★☆
2017	85.4	80 of 695	88.5%	★★★★☆
2016	92.6	34 of 677	95.0%	★★★★★
2012	91.2	24 of 772	96.9%	★★★★★
2011	93.0	21 of 685	96.9%	★★★★★
2010	92.8	23 of 692	96.7%	★★★★★
2009	93.9	14 of 663	97.9%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	43.9	251 of 573	56.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	55.1	95 of 247	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	79.0	26 of 192	86.5%	★★★★☆
2021	66.8	114 of 404	71.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	61 of 395	84.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	67 of 386	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	90.6	46 of 806	94.3%	★★★★★
2022	78.9	60 of 494	87.9%	★★★★☆
2021	83.6	98 of 820	88.0%	★★★★☆
2019	69.9	126 of 466	73.0%	★★★★☆
2018	81.5	94 of 624	84.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	91.3	23 of 345	93.3%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	31 of 760	95.9%	★★★★★
2021	86.0	53 of 802	93.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	77.3	86 of 717	88.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	71.5	83 of 379	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	83.5	44 of 370	88.1%	★★★★☆
2023	94.3	30 of 810	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	77.8	61 of 476	87.2%	★★★★☆
2021	85.0	87 of 818	89.4%	★★★★☆
2019	80.1	66 of 435	84.8%	★★★★☆
2018	83.9	87 of 617	85.9%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	85.3	20 of 384	94.8%	★★★★★
2022	66.5	54 of 211	74.4%	★★★★☆
2021	70.2	116 of 650	82.2%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2021	52.3	214 of 789	72.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	81.4	33 of 277	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	84.4	35 of 288	87.8%	★★★★☆
2023	87.4	43 of 675	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	68.1	99 of 446	77.8%	★★★★☆
2021	76.8	113 of 780	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	60.7	126 of 337	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	71.5	104 of 436	76.1%	★★★★☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	88.8	28 of 271	89.7%	★★★★★
2024	95.7	15 of 270	94.4%	★★★★★
2023	97.0	21 of 469	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	94.4	22 of 464	95.3%	★★★★★
2021	95.9	30 of 509	94.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.6	20 of 285	93.0%	★★★★★
2018	89.7	22 of 420	94.8%	★★★★★
2017	93.2	21 of 416	95.0%	★★★★★
2016	92.4	22 of 406	94.6%	★★★★★
2015	95.9	11 of 261	95.8%	★★★★★
2014	94.6	7 of 394	98.2%	★★★★★
2013	94.5	10 of 491	98.0%	★★★★★
2012	89.8	35 of 471	92.6%	★★★★★
2011	95.8	11 of 397	97.2%	★★★★★
2010	95.1	13 of 403	96.8%	★★★★★
2009	95.3	10 of 395	97.5%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	38.9	99 of 146	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	81.0	40 of 238	83.2%	★★★★☆
2021	80.6	44 of 231	81.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	96.9	10 of 207	95.2%	★★★★★
2024	91.6	16 of 200	92.0%	★★★★★
2023	97.6	10 of 406	97.5%	★★★★★
2022	89.1	34 of 456	92.5%	★★★★★
2021	93.5	34 of 492	93.1%	★★★★★
2019	86.6	24 of 247	90.3%	★★★★★
2018	91.1	17 of 354	95.2%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	98.7	5 of 176	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	99.7	3 of 170	98.2%	★★★★★
2023	89.0	24 of 379	93.7%	★★★★★
2022	72.1	79 of 441	82.1%	★★★★☆
2021	86.5	43 of 479	91.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2023	76.8	52 of 347	85.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	91.0	21 of 223	90.6%	★★★★★
2024	97.9	7 of 219	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	95.6	22 of 429	94.9%	★★★★★
2022	96.2	20 of 455	95.6%	★★★★★
2021	96.3	30 of 492	93.9%	★★★★★
2019	87.4	22 of 238	90.8%	★★★★★
2018	92.6	22 of 370	94.1%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	94.9	3 of 282	98.9%	★★★★★
2021	60.3	117 of 374	68.7%	★★★☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	25.1	150 of 255	41.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	64.6	44 of 256	82.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2022	32.4	192 of 380	49.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	65.8	57 of 422	86.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arizona percentile	Rating
2025	97.3	7 of 178	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	90.8	18 of 184	90.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.1	10 of 371	97.3%	★★★★★
2022	92.2	22 of 409	94.6%	★★★★★
2021	92.4	30 of 448	93.3%	★★★★★
2019	80.9	28 of 217	87.1%	★★★★☆
2018	87.8	19 of 291	93.5%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Middle school

Multi-racial (2023)95th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)93rd percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)88th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)88th percentile-8 vs school

Female (2025)85th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)78th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2021)73rd percentile-16 vs school

Asian (2023)62nd percentile-34 vs school

African American (2021)56th percentile-33 vs school

High school

Multi-racial (2022)99th percentile+4 vs school

Hispanic (2025)97th percentile+7 vs school

White (2025)96th percentile+6 vs school

Female (2025)95th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)91st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)85th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2022)49th percentile-46 vs school

Native American (2022)41st percentile-54 vs school

Asian (2023)32nd percentile-63 vs school

By subject vs Arizona (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts73%+32 vs state

Mathematics58%+30 vs state

Science45%+20 vs state

3.5

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, March 19, 2021

The dirty secret of this school is that their "performance" is based on kids leaving the school. 120 kids start 9th grade, only about 50 finish 12th grade. This is because those that are struggling are pushed out to other schools. This makes it look like they have a 100 graduation rate, but the truth is those that are struggling are pushed out. That said, it's a wonderful school for those that stay, it's just that the stats aren't really honest. Close Quote

by a parent
Saturday, February 8, 2020

Tempe Preparatory Academy is an excellent school that offers a private-school level of education as a charter school. The curriculum is rigorous, but the small classroom sizes and excellent faculty allow for a phenomenal level of support that enables every motivated student an opportunity to expand their own potential. Close Quote

Schools Near Tempe Preparatory Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				AASA English Language Arts (2025)				AASA Mathematics (2025)				AzSCI Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	AASA English Language Arts 6th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 7th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 8th Grade	AASA English Language Arts 11th Grade	AASA Mathematics 6th Grade	AASA Mathematics 7th Grade	AASA Mathematics 8th Grade	AASA Mathematics 11th Grade	AzSCI Science 8th Grade	AzSCI Science 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Tempe Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-12	1251 E Southern Ave	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Tempe Preparatory Academy	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 839-3402	431	34	12.7		223 (51.7%)	10 (2.3%)	122 (28.3%)	28 (6.5%)	2 (0.5%)	4 (0.9%)	42 (9.7%)	88.8	28^th of 271 public high schools	89.7%		95.7	15^th of 270 public high schools	94.4%	13	57.0	70.0	78.0	87.0	43.0	58.0	60.0	72.0	51.0	39.0		$00			$00
Mcclintock High School	Public	9-12	1830 E Del Rio Dr	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Tempe Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 839-4222	1,781	82	21.6		405 (22.7%)	222 (12.5%)	915 (51.4%)	40 (2.2%)	81 (4.5%)	24 (1.3%)	94 (5.3%)	54.2	106^th of 271 public high schools	60.9%		54.5	104^th of 270 public high schools	61.5%	2				54.0				35.0		26.0	$7,890	$378	$418	$1,175	$6,661	$432	$7,093
EVIT - McClintock High School	Public	9-12	1830 E Del Rio Dr	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)												$00			$00
Humanities and Sciences Academy Arizona	Public, Virtual, Charter	9-12	1105 E Broadway Rd	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Humanities and Sciences Academy of the United Stat	Yes	(n/a)	Yes	No	(480) 317-5900	1	3	.3		0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)											$1,032,242	$129,635	$12,750	$272,020	$500,258	$389,599	$889,857
International Commerce High School - Tempe	Public, Charter	9-12	1105 E Broadway Rd	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Humanities and Sciences Academy of the United Stat	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 317-5900	290	20	14.3		42 (14.5%)	35 (12.1%)	175 (60.3%)	2 (0.7%)	15 (5.2%)	4 (1.4%)	17 (5.9%)								(n/a)										11.0		$00			$00
Valley Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	2150 Southern Avenue STE 713	Tempe	85282	Maricopa County	Kestrel Schools Inc.	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 621-3383	30	7	4.6		8 (26.7%)	2 (6.7%)	17 (56.7%)	1 (3.3%)	1 (3.3%)	1 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)												$00			$00
New School for the Arts	Public, Charter	9-12	1216 E Apache Blvd	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	New School For The Arts	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 252-5414	173				95 (54.9%)	7 (4.0%)	45 (26.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (10.4%)	80.1	47^th of 271 public high schools	82.7%		48.9	122^nd of 270 public high schools	54.8%	75				68.0				51.0		42.0		$00			$00
James Madison Preparatory School	Public, Charter	6-12	5815 S McClintock Dr	Tempe	85283	Maricopa County	James Madison Preparatory School	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 345-2306	130				81 (62.3%)	4 (3.1%)	33 (25.4%)	2 (1.5%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.9%)	91.3	20^th of 271 public high schools	92.6%		95.9	14^th of 270 public high schools	94.8%	6				79.0				55.0		65.0		$00			$00
Tempe High School	Public	9-12	1730 S Mill Ave	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	Tempe Union High School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(480) 967-1661	1,431	78	18.2		112 (7.8%)	168 (11.7%)	1,012 (70.7%)	13 (0.9%)	58 (4.1%)	25 (1.7%)	43 (3.0%)	20.6	215^th of 271 public high schools	20.7%		24.3	193^rd of 270 public high schools	28.5%	22				28.0				16.0		13.0	$8,594	$465	$405	$1,334	$7,077	$648	$7,724
EVIT - Tempe High School	Public	9-12	1730 S Mill Ave	Tempe	85281	Maricopa County	East Valley Institute of Technology	No	(n/a)	No	No	(480) 461-4000	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)												$00			$00

Frequently Asked Questions about Tempe Preparatory Academy

Is Tempe Preparatory Academy a good school?

Tempe Preparatory Academy ranks 28^th of 271 Arizona high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 5 stars out of 5.

What district is Tempe Preparatory Academy in?

Tempe Preparatory Academy

How many students attend Tempe Preparatory Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 431 students attended Tempe Preparatory Academy.

What is the racial makeup of Tempe Preparatory Academy?

Students at Tempe Preparatory Academy are 52% White, 28% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 2% African American.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.