Summary:
The Maricopa Unified school district in California consists of three small schools—Maricopa Elementary (K-5), Maricopa Middle (6-8), and Maricopa High (9-12)—serving 276 students in a community with very high economic need, as nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Comparing the schools, Maricopa High has the strongest statewide ranking and its students are closest to meeting the state average in English, though it faces significant challenges with chronic absenteeism and its graduation rate is below the state average. Maricopa Elementary has shown the most improvement in its ranking in recent years and has the district's best science scores, while Maricopa Middle has the lowest per-student spending. All three schools share a critical need to improve mathematics proficiency, which is well below state averages.
Key challenges across the district include very high chronic absenteeism rates and low test scores in math. The high school spends significantly more per student than the other schools. For parents, it's important to note the small size of each school and the intense academic support the district provides to its economically disadvantaged student population, with the high school demonstrating that students who attend can achieve in English despite the broader challenges.
Thank you for your feedback!