The Arizona State Board of Education released its preliminary school and district letter grades for the 2024-25 school year.
The A-to-F grades are the state accountability model used to annually measure performance. The list includes 204 districts and more than 1,800 schools. A school district’s overall grade is calculated by averaging the grades from all its schools. More than half the districts earned a “B” average. About 20% of districts earned an “A.” Nearly all the remaining districts got a “C.”
Moving up on the list this year is the Flowing Wells Unified School District. The northside district with 11 schools and about 5,000 students, earned its first-ever “A” grade since the latest accountability grading system began in the 2019-2020 school year.
“We celebrate the A’s, and are proud to be an ‘A’ district this year,” said Flowing Wells Assistant Superintendent Tamára McAllister. “We utilize the results of the state assessment as a critical source of data for our ongoing school improvement process. This means every school reviews their scores annually to set specific, measurable goals and develop strategic plans for increasing student achievement. We monitor those plans continuously throughout the school year, tracking progress and making adjustments as needed.”
The Tucson Unified School District — Southern Arizona’s largest with just under 40,000 students in 88 schools — is one of several large districts waiting on its final grade as it is still being reviewed by the State Board. Last year, TUSD earned a “B” grade and is on the cusp of that this year after appeals by some schools.
Districts and schools have until Nov. 17 to appeal their grade. Appeals are based on adverse testing conditions, school and community events or emergency, school tragedy, or incorrect data, the Board website says. Appeals are reviewed by the Board’s A-F Appeals Committee and decisions are made by the January board meeting.
The school grades “serve as a critical measure of accountability and progress. TUSD’s leadership has a formal review process with each school about their letter grade to target and support increased student performance,” TUSD spokeswoman Karla Escamilla said. “These grades indicate school improvement efforts, help guide resource allocation, and provide a transparent indicator of school performance to parents and the community.”
While some families use the grading system as a tool to gauge their interest in a certain school, others do not necessarily put weight into the letter a school receives.
“I have kiddos in a self-contained classroom and they require a lot of support, so (grades) are not something I prioritize when coming to a school,” said Carmen, a second-grade parent at Drachman Montessori K-8 Magnet School, just south of downtown. Drachman received a “C” grade this year.
Carmen, a mom of four, with three students in TUSD schools, says her experience at Drachman does not reflect its “average” grade and she aims to enroll another student there soon.
“The teachers here are very communicative,” she said. “They let us know exactly what is going on and that straightforwardness has been helping us with kiddos on the spectrum.”
Three questions about the Arizona State Board of Education’s school letter grades for 2025:
Q: How are the letter grades calculated?
A: According to the state board, the state formula to calculate the A to F letter grades uses overall and English-learner assessment results, attendance, graduation rates, special education metrics, progress toward graduation and college and career readiness activities.
Q: How are the grades labeled?
A: Think of the grades as a traditional report card: An “A” grade is excellent, “B” is highly performing, “C” is described as adequately performing, “D” indicates minimally performing and an “F” grade is described as failing, the state board says.
Q: Which schools and districts showed success and failure this year?
A: In Southern Arizona, Bowie Elementary School in Cochise County — about 110 miles east of Tucson — received a failing grade. No school in Pima County was labeled as failing, but Arizona Collegiate High School in Phoenix earned an “F” and it’s listed in Pima County because the alternative charter district has its home here. Thirteen schools in the state received an “F,” up from six last year. Kyrene School District in Tempe was the largest elementary district (25 schools) to make the leap to an “A.”
Notes: This data comes from the Arizona State Board of Education. The code “UR” in place of a letter grade means under review. The county listed is where the school district is headquartered, and in some cases the school district may have locations in multiple counties.
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