Arizona A-F Letter Grades (2016-2017)
Based primarily on AzMERIT results, the Arizona Department of Education assigns an A-F letter grade to each district and charter school. Since we enjoy numbers, we calculated the Grade Point Average (GPA) of district and charter schools in Arizona and in Gilbert. There is an overall GPA, and separate GPAs for high schools and K-8 schools. Three things stand out. The first is that overall, district and charter schools have about the same GPA. The second is that for high schools, charters score significantly higher than district schools. The third is that Gilbert's scores are significantly higher than the state average in virtually every category.
Note that these are per-school scores which are NOT weighted by the number of students in each school.
AzMERIT Scores
Arizona uses a standardized test named AzMERIT to judge educational achievement, replacing the AIMS test in all areas except science. AzMERIT is Arizona’s Statewide Achievement Assessment For English Language Arts and Mathematics, and is given in grades 3-8 and in high school. There are tests for writing, reading and math. The test is designed to measure student learning and progress towards readiness for college or career. Click the image above to see how students across the state and in Gilbert did on the tests. Also see the Arizona Department of Education's AzMERIT Portal.
NAEP Scores
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is given to public school students every two years, usually in grades 4 and 8. It is is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas. Links to the most recent assessments:
Arizona Grade 4 Mathematics
Arizona Grade 4 Science
Arizona Grade 8 Reading
Arizona Grade 8 Mathematics
Arizona Grade 8 Science
Other Ratings
GreatSchools.org
GreatSchools.org is a non-profit organization which conducts their own school ratings based on a number of criteria. Also provides place where parents can review the schools and share comments.
US News & World Report
US News and World Report ranks the "best" high schools in the nation. Arizona is home to 12 gold, 38 silver and 70 bronze medal schools in the 2018 rankings. Six of the top 10 and eight of the top 20 are in Arizona, including seven BASIS charter schools and Gilbert Classical Academy. However, this ranking is exclusively based on college prep tests (AP and IB only) and does not take into account many other factors that make a good school such as sports, drama, music, preparation for a career in the trades, community involvement and many other areas. This is a description of their ranking methodology.