Dysart Doubles Number of A-Rated Schools

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/01/2022

DYSART SCHOOLS - The Dysart Unified School District has received 12 A-rated and 10 B-rated schools in the 2022 state accountability labels. This more than doubles the number of “A” schools in the district from 2019, the last year the state issued labels.  

“What an outstanding showing for Dysart Schools! We are so proud of the hard work that our schools have been doing to improve and excel in academics and achievement. These labels help provide a glimpse into many areas of proficiency and growth for a school, and can help us see what’s working well, and where further improvement is needed to do even better,” said Superintendent Dr. Jim Dean. 

Dysart schools that received an A-rating include Canyon Ridge School; El Mirage School; Freedom Traditional Academy; Luke Elementary School; Marley Park Elementary School; Rancho Gabriela Elementary School; Shadow Ridge High School; Sonoran Heights Middle School; Sunset Hills Elementary School; Valley Vista High School; Western Peaks Elementary School; and Willow Canyon High School. B-rated schools include Asante Preparatory Academy; Ashton Ranch Middle School; Cimarron Spring Middle School; Countryside Elementary School; Dysart High School; Kingswood Elementary Schools; Mountain View School; Riverview School; Surprise Elementary School; and West Point Elementary School.  

Dysart had zero “D” or “F” schools, and only two schools with a “C”. It is important to note that this year the state used the same cut marks as they did in 2019 for K-8 schools, the last year they issued letter grades. However, this year's K-8 growth score is only based on growth percentile and does not include growth-to-target. 

Highlights of this year’s Dysart Schools scores include: 

• Dysart Schools more than doubled the number of “A” schools from 5 (in 2018-19) to 12
• Dysart Schools increased number of “A” or “B” rated schools from 17 (in 2018-19) to 22 
• 3 of 4 district high schools have an A-rating 
• Willow Canyon scored in the top 25 of all large, comprehensive high schools across the state
• In its first year of receiving a letter grade, Freedom Traditional Academy easily earned an “A” with over 100 points
• Freedom Traditional Academy scored 5th highest in the state among district K-8 schools and 8th among overall K-8 schools
• Asante received a “B” in its first year of receiving a letter grade 
• Zero “D” or “F” schools in Dysart 
• Luke Elementary jumped two grades from a “C” to an “A” 
• Kingswood, Riverview, and West Point improved from a “C” to a “B” 

About School Letter Grades:

Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-241 requires the Arizona Department of Education, subject to final adoption by the State Board of Education, to develop an annual achievement profile for every public school in the state based on an A through F scale. The system measures year to year student academic growth, proficiency on English language arts, math and science, the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners, indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates.