GILBERT, AZ — The Arizona State Board of Education just released the letter grades for all the state’s schools.
Letter grades are given out as part of accountability for Arizona school districts and charters. It also has to be done by state law to put out an annual achievement report for every school.
There are multiple factors that go into the letter grade system:
- Student growth from year to year
- Proficiency on statewide assessment
- English language proficiency and growth
- Indicators on student readiness for the next grade level
- High school graduation rates
Arizona's 204 school districts were assigned grades using the average scoring of all their schools.
About 1 in 5 of Arizona's school districts, both elementary and unified, received an A grade. More than half, 107 districts, averaged a B.
Most of the remaining districts were graded C, though several of the state's largest districts remain under review.
Tucson Unified, for example, presently sits on the line between a C and B grade. A review of several schools within the district could shift its overall rating in either direction.
Among districts that have received grades, fewer earned top marks compared to the previous year. In the prior year, 49 districts received A grades compared to 42 this year. The same downward trend occurred with B-graded districts, while districts receiving C grades increased.
The results still represent improvement from the 2022-23 school year, which saw 36 districts earn A grades compared to 42 this year. Twenty fewer districts received C grades, with most of those advancing to B status.
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Several districts that have multiple schools advanced from B to A grades this year. Kyrene Elementary, the largest with 32 schools, made the jump to an A grade. Flowing Wells Unified in Pima County, with 11 schools, also earned an A grade. Two rural districts — Humboldt Unified in Yavapai County and Show Low Unified in the White Mountains — also moved up one grade level.
Some schools, like Playa del Rey Elementary in Gilbert maintained its A rating. Just three years ago, the school was rated a C and has steadily raised its letter grade over the years.
Principal Amber Bickes says they’ve worked on being intentional with their students and staff. The school has two instructional coaches who go in and help educators improve their methods and also support students.
“Really being able to sit down and look at the data and seeing which students are being successful and which ones aren't and why. We have to figure out the ‘why' so we can come up with a solution to support,” Bickes said.
Gila Bend Unified’s superintendent, Dr. Robert Varner, said their letter grades aren’t what they wanted them to be, but they’re striving to be better.
ABC15 highlighted the district last year, when its high school went from an F to a C. The high school maintained that grade this year, and its elementary school maintained its D. While the grades released show just the A-F letter, districts get more detailed numbers of where they are on a spectrum to reach that grade.
“We're showing growth and that's the most important thing,” Varner said.
The district has been working with the Arizona Department of Education to improve its students’ outcomes. Staff from the state agency go to the schools and district to help educators.
"Just kind of give pointers to our admin team to see what else we can do as far as practices to really leverage what we're doing and really start seeing more student learning and student growth,” said Marisol Silva, the director of academic services with Gila Bend Unified.
Even though some districts have received the highly coveted A, they know they all still have work to do to maintain it and continue improving.
“We want to be better every single day ,and that's who we are, and we want to strive for that,” Bickes said. "Failure is not an option.”
To see a list of all schools’ letter grades, you can find that information on the Arizona State Board of Education’s website here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist, and a portion of it has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
